This is the story of an engineer-turned-automobile manufacturer who didn’t shy away from innovation and change. In 1942, Renzo Rivolta, an Italian engineer, acquired a successful domestic appliance manufacturer named Isothermos of Bolzaneto, Italy. Before the acquisition, Isothermos manufactured electric heaters and fridges.
Post World War II, Rivolta had bigger ambitions with the manufacturing facility he acquired. According to reports, being an avid gearhead, Rivolta always had his eyes set on building his own motorcycles and automobiles. And as the world, especially Italy, moved towards some normalcy after the war, Rivolta found a segment that was about to explode: motorcycles were becoming an affordable alternative to much more expensive and inefficient automobiles as a mode of transportation.
With that in mind, Rivolta transferred his base of operations from Bolzaneto to Bresso, near Milan, where he began producing mopeds and other two-wheeled motorcycles. Iso’s two-wheelers were an instant hit with the people of Italy, and by 1950, Iso became the third largest Motorcycle manufacturer in the country.Iso made its mark in a competitive post-war era by offering top-notch engineering and quality, which was missing from the compettion, ofcourse the quality offered came at a premium over its competitiors, which the sales reports proved the high premium over the market standard wasnt stopping the Iso products to march the company at the third spot, just behind the manufacturers such as Vespa and Lambretta.
Yet, the staggering early success in the motorcycle segment wasn’t enough to contain the ever-growing ambitions of Renzo Rivolta. Now, he wanted to build cars, because by 1953, much like Rivolta’s ambitions, motorcycles weren’t cutting it for the market, of course, they were affordable than cars, but they were far less practical than a car – so, a new segment arose to cater to the new demands – Microcars, combining the short and nimble stature of a motorcyce with cars practicality and comfort.
In 1953, Iso launched its first microcar, the Iso Isetta, a bubble-shaped microcar designed to tackle the new trend of micromobility that was taking shape in the 50’s. With its distinctive egg-shaped design, two seats, and a single front-opening door made it one of its kind in the market; there wasn’t any other thing on the road similar to the Isetta. It was cheap to run, easy to manoeuvre through narrow Italian streets, everything that a country was looking for in the post-war era.
While Isetta became an instant success in the Italian region, Iso only managed to produce a very limited number of cars. The real success for the car came when BMW acquired the production license for the Isetta, which resulted in a huge influx of production numbers and sales across Europe. A fun fact: the licensing deal wasn’t only lucrative for Iso Automotive, but it also enabled BMW to save itself from bankruptcy.
By the time the 60s rolled out, the microcar and motorcycle market was in decline, but by then Iso racked up a hefty change through Isetta royalties, enabling them to venture into a more ambitious segment – Luxury performance Grand Tourer. A chance encounter with Giorgetto Giugiaro, a rising star at Bertone, at the 1961 Frankfurt Autoshow, convinced Rivolta to take the plunge and build his own Luxury Grand Tourer. By the end of the year, Giotto Bizzarrini, legendary ex-Ferrari engineer, was brought on board to build the first-ever Iso Rivolta GT.
In 1962, Iso unveiled its first-ever GT car to the world – Iso Rivolta GT, designed by Bertone and engineered by Bizzarrini; the Iso Rivolta was offered with two different engine tune-ups and transmission options- a 300 cubic inch V8 from Chevrolet Corvette with two different horsepower outputs and a 2-speed automatic and 4-speed manual. The car was a moderate success competing against the likes of already established brands like Maserati, Jaguar, and Aston Martin.
In 1965, encouraged by Rivolta GT’s success, Iso unveiled its most iconic car: the Iso Grifo. The Idea with the Grifo was to build a car that would challenge Ferrari in performance, but at the same time be a reliable daily driver. This was achieved by using reliable Chevy V8S; the earlier production iterations used a small block V8, but the later ones came with a big block Chevy V8, capable of speed matching the Ferraris at the time. The Grifo was an instant hit, putting Iso Automotive’s name on the map alongside the already established manufacturers.
Iso didn’t stop there. The manufacturer expanded its portfolio with the Iso Fidia, a four-door luxury sedan, and the Iso Lele, a 2+2 coupe offering practicality without sacrificing performance. Each model carried the same DNA as the prior Iso models: Italian design, powered by an American.
Unfortunately, in 1966, Renzo Rivolta passed away, leaving the company in the hands of his son, Piero Rivolta, who was only 25 at the time. Piero continued to push the brand forward, but external forces soon caught up. The 1973 oil crisis caught the car manufacturer by surprise, drastically affecting their sales, but it especially caused the biggest damage to the performance car makers, and demand for big-engine GTs collapsed almost overnight. Coupled with Iso’s small production scale and financial strain, the company was forced to shut down in 1974.
Although Iso Automotive had a very short-lived history, the legacy it amassed speaks volumes about its ethos of relentless change, beginning from an electric heater manufacturer to a luxury car manufacturer whose models went toe to toe with the industry legends.
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