Iso was an Italian automobile and motorcycle maker. The company was predominantly active from the late 1940s through the early 1970s. Iso is known for the iconic Isettabubble car of the 1950s, and for a number of performance cars in the 1960s and early 1970s.
History
Iso was initially named 'Isothermos' and manufactured refrigeration units before World War II. The company was founded in Genoa in 1939, but was transferred to Bresso in 1942 by Renzo Rivolta, an engineer and the heir of industrialists. The business was refounded as Iso Autoveicoli S.p.A. in 1953 to reflect the production of motorized transport. Renzo Rivolta died in 1966, and his son, Piero, took over as managing director. At the start of 1973, the Rivolta family ceded the business to an Italian American financier named Ivo Pera who promised to bring American management know-how to the firm. The business was again renamed to Iso Motors, before going bankrupt in 1974.
Early years: motorcycles
Initially starting out as an appliance manufacturer, the company was active again after World War II now specialising in manufacturing vehicles. In 1948 it began to build motorcycles, scooters and motocarries. The famous models are the Furetto, 'Isoscooter, 'Isocarro, 'Isomoto, 'Isosport and 'Iso Diva. The last Iso motorcycle was the Iso 500, introduced 1961. Isomotos were known as expensive, but durable and well-built. In 1967 Iso Rivolta also built a series of snowmobiles called the 'Iso Neve. The most popular model was the Flying Iso which was built in collaboration with De Tomaso and distributed by them in North America and Canada.
1950s: Isetta bubble car
In the mid-1950s, after the success of the motorcycle manufacturing business, Iso started to develop a miniature city car. The car was designed and conceived by aeronautical engineers Ermenegildo Preti and Pierluigi Raggi. Initially the car had only three wheels but later a fourth wheel was added for stability reasons. With the two wheels on the rear being very close together, the need for a differential was eliminated thus resulting in weight savings. The result was named the Isetta Bubble Car which had an unusual egg like design and a front entrance which also moved the steering wheel and column out of the way for easier access to the cabin. The car was powered by a two-cylinder motorcycle engine placed at the rear. While a luggage rack outside at the rear provided storage space. It was unveiled at the 1953 Turin Motor Show. About 20,000 of these bubble cars were built. Starting in 1954, the Isetta was licensed to automobile manufacturers in several countries due to slow sales in the home market. It was licensed to France, Spain, Great Britain and Brazil. The most successful, however, was the German Isetta built by BMW. The BMW-Isetta went on to dwarf the production volumes of Iso and become one of the best-selling German microcars in the 1950s and 1960s. About 130,000 had been sold by 1962.
1960s: performance cars
Together with engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and coachbuilder Bertone, Renzo Rivolta began developing the Iso Rivolta IR 300, which was first presented at the Torino Motor Show of 1962. The 5.4 L V8 Chevrolet Small-Block engine and the transmission came from General Motors in Detroit, and the de Dion suspension and four-wheel disc braking system came from the large Jaguars of the time. This concept was maintained for almost all production cars of Iso. Starting in 1971, Ford 351 Cleveland engines replaced the GM small block. Iso's most well-known gran turismo automobile was the Grifo which featured a low-slung, sporty berlinetta body by Bertone. After Bizzarrini left the project, this prototype formed the basis for his own Bizzarini 5300 GT. The Grifo Prototype was further refined by Iso, receiving a reworked, less aggressive and more luxurious body in the process, and went into production in 1965. The Grifo was powered by Chevrolet´s 327 cubic inch small-block V8 rated at either 300 or 350 hp. In 1966, a convertible version of the Grifo was shown, but never reached production. Starting in 1968 the Grifo was also available with Chevrolet's 427 cubic inch big-block V-8; this version was known as the Grifo 7 litri and was easily recognized by the broad air inlet on the hood. The Series II, introduced in 1970, featured concealed headlights and a slightly modified front area. After the sudden death of Renzo Rivolta at Milan on 20 August 1966, his 25 year old son Piero became the director of Iso. Under Piero's leadership, Iso built the limousine 'S 4 with body by Ghia, the Grifo 7 litri and the 2 + 2 fastback Coupé Lele with body designed by Bertone, intended as the successor to the IR 300. The Iso Rivolta plant moved from Bresso to Varedo in 1972. Apart from the Grifo Series II, Fidia and Lele, a mid-engine concept car named the Varedo was developed, designed by Ercole Spada, but only one car was ever built. Iso went bankrupt in 1974, only 1,700 Iso Gran Turismos had been built in those ten years.
