Extensively modified with upgraded performance
1967 Iso Grifo GL Series I Custom

• One of only 330 Series 1 Grifos built
• Believed to have been exhibited at the 1968 Barcelona Motor Show
• Period competition history
• Professionally converted to Series 2 specification
• Manual gearbox example

Iso fused Italian beauty and American brawn to create the Grifo in 1965, a luxury grand tourer styled by Bertone's Giorgetto Giugiaro and engineered by Ferrari 250 GTO creator Giotto Bizzarrini. With power coming reliably from a small block Chevrolet V8, the Grifo was one of the fastest production cars in the world, reaching top speeds of over 225km/h. 330 Series 1 Grifos were built before an updated Series II arrived in 1970, with a revised front end for better aerodynamics, covered headlamps, and a big block 7.4-litre Chevrolet V8. The 1973 oil crisis hit Iso badly causing the demand for their cars to evaporate, and just 83 Series 2 cars were built before the company declared bankruptcy in 1974.

This Grifo is approximately the 140th Series 1 car built and was completed on 14 April 1967. Being delivered in February 1968 to Mr Jorge Armandans of Barcelona, Spain, it is believed that the Grifo was exhibited at the 1968 Barcelona Motor Show although there is no supporting evidence on file. The Grifo retains period registration B609607. The following year, Armandans used the Grifo in the Almeria Coastal Rally, finishing a respectable 22nd in class with navigator Victor Sabater. In 1986 noted Spanish coachbuilder Pedro Serra Vidal converted the nose to Series II specification, and it was subsequently restored and modified by a Barcelona-based collector into an exciting fast road specification. Presenting as a highly professional conversion and repainted in its original shade of white, the wheel arches have been painstakingly widened to increase the track and accommodate larger wheels and modern tyres. The ever-willing and beautifully sounding 5.7-litre Chevrolet V8 now has a Moon intake with four twin-barrel Weber carburettors and the car is equipped with a manual gearbox of course. There is custom adjustable suspension, Wilwood brakes, air-conditioning, modern radio and an alarm. The Grifo comes with cancelled Spanish registration documents.