One to Buy: Spectacular Pre-Production 1965 Iso Grifo A3/L GL365
/
Following the launch of his Iso motor company with the elegant four-seat IR 300 / 340 in 1962, Renzo Rivolta expanded the range to include a pair of Grifo-badged models in late 1963.
The resultant Grifo A3/C was conceived as a hardcore GT that Iso would take racing while the more luxuriously appointed Grifo A3/L was an elegant 2+2 expected to have a broader market appeal. Both variants were among the most handsome machines of their day with the A3/C styled by Giotto Bizzarrini (who had designed the underpinnings for every Iso thus far) while the A3/L’s body came from Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone.
As per the IR 300 / 340, both Grifo variants featured Chevrolet Corvette engines sourced from General Motors which were uprated upon delivery to Italy.
Both the A3/C and A3/L made their debuts at the Turin Motor Show in October 1963, but while production of the A3/C got underway almost immediately in order to hit the track in 1964, a more rigorous development programme was undertaken with the A3/L to ensure those demanding customers in the luxury GT sectot would be satisfied. Accordingly, the first A3/L deliveries did not begin until mid-way through 1965.
Pre-production examples of the A3/L from this early period are hardly ever seen for sale, but currently on offer at the Movendi showroom in Dusseldorf is just such a machine and one also configured with the range-topping GL365 engine and manual gearbox.
Originally delivered to a German customer via Auto Becker in Dusseldorf, the car features an array of unusual features and has covered a little under 80,000km from new. It is presented in immaculate condition throughout having recently been displayed at the Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance.
