If you squint just so, you can see a beautiful Italian classic underneath all that rust. It’s been sitting derelict for the past couple of decades, but it’s about to get a new home.
Though it could easily be mistaken for a Lamborghini or Maserati of the same era, what you’re actually looking at is a 1967 Iso Grifo. It was built by the same Italian company behind the Isetta microcar and the later Iso Fidia but has arguably stood the test of time even better.
If the shape looks familiar, there’s good reason for that. To bring it to fruition, Iso founder Renzo Rivolta solicited the talents of engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, and coachbuilder Bertone. The joint effort of three of the biggest names in the business was bound to be a beauty, and collectors are beginning to see that in the Iso Grifo.
Of the 413 Grifos made in all, this 1967 Series I example is one of just 34 in right-hand drive. It was acquired by its current owner in 1986, complete with a 327-cubic-inch Chevy V8. He sent it to be repainted from yellow to burgundy (like the London show car he had owned previously), but the work was never carried out, and it has sat in storage for the 30 years since.
Now it’s consigned to cross the auction block at RM Sotheby’s event set to take place today in London. The barnfind Grifo is in dire need of some restorative TLC, and is estimated to fetch between £30,000 and £50,000 ($40-67k). But with no reserve price, it’s bound to find a loving new home one way or another.
