GT300 Gran Turismo by Renzo Rivolta and Bertone’s Giotto Bizzarrini
Bringing their knowledge and expertise together has resulted in a spectacular vehicle that drives like a dream
The GT300 is the result of Giotto Bizzarrini’s technical expertise and Renzo Rivolta’s idea about how a Gran Turismo should be: comfortable, reliable and luxurious.
Bizzarrini and Raggi departed from the usual technical solutions of the GTs of that era. Many of the solutions adopted for the GT were later used in all the other sports cars made by Iso.
They developed a new chassis, a monocoque design, that allowed the car to be more rigid without adding weight. The car was fitted with independent front suspensions and a DeDion tube in the back. They opted for disc brakes in all four corners, with the rear mounted inboard to reduce unsprang weight.
The car was powered by a 327 Corvette engine, in 300, 340 and 365Hp form.
The GT was designed at Bertone’s by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Rivolta gave Bertone and Giugiaro very simple guidelines for the design, allowing them as much freedom as he could. Bertone loved this kind of projects that let him create unique designs that would benefit the reputation of his firm.
The car was presented in 1962 and it did not fail to please both Italian and American customers. Rivolta saw that there was a demand for such a car, a reliable luxury GT, and was proven right when he showed his new creation for the first time.
When the production began, because of some technical issues in the assembling process, the American customers soon abandoned their interest towards the car and the result was a much smaller production in numbers than Renzo Rivolta had at first imagined.
The Iso GT represents a further transformation for Iso Rivolta. From producing refrigerators, then motorbikes and small utility cars, now, with no intermediate steps, they began approaching luxury sports cars.
The car is featured in the third episode of “The Iso Rivolta Chronicles” an 8-episode documentary about the collectors and restorers of Iso Rivolta.