dude this is pretty amazin..even i dint kno dat..
Iso Spa in Bresso was already well known for producing the extremely well built and fast Iso Rivolta IR300; a sleek looking 2+2 Coupe based on a Chevrolet Corvette power train. After leaving Ferrari, in 1961 Giotto Bizzarrini set up āPrototipi Bizzarriniā in Livorno, Tuscany where he designs and consults for Marques like ATS, Lamborghini and Iso Rivolta. In 1963 he designed the Iso Grifo A3/L (L for Lusso {Italian for Luxury}) for Renzo Rivolta, who was looking for a follow-up to his Iso Rivolta GT. The body was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone, while Giotto put his expertise in the mechanicals. Giotto figured there would also be a demand for a race version of the Grifo and came up with the A3/C (C for Corsa) with a dramatic modified alloy body. He later dubbed it his āImproved GTO,ā as he had been the designer for the 250 GTO when he had worked for Ferrari. The engine was moved back about 0.4 meters, making the A3/C one of the first front-mid-engined cars ever built. To adjust the timing, you actually had to take out a piece of the dash! Both cars were being built simultaneously.
That same year Bertone showed the Grifo A3/L prototype at the Turin Auto Show, while Iso showed off the (partly unfinished) competition version; the Iso Grifo A3/C. Both were overwhelmingly successful. Although design changes had to be made to the prototype, Iso concentrated on getting the Grifo A3/L ready for production. The car got a light facelift that made it less aggressive but turned it into possibly the most elegant-looking Gran Turismo (GT) supercar ever produced. This āstreetā Iso Grifo GL received the fast, modified but very dependable Chevrolet Corvetteās 327 V8 (5.4 L) engineāeither in 300 or 350 hpācoupled to a Borg-Warner 4-speed toploader. These engines were ordered in the US, but were completely taken apart and blueprinted before they were put in; as they did with the Iso Rivolta GT. With over 400 horsepower and a weight of less than 2200 pounds, the vehicle was able to reach speeds over 275 km/h.
While Renzo Rivolta focused on the A3/L; Giotto tried to promote the A3/Cāmaking for some tension between the two. This meant that the Grifo GL was being produced at Bresso and the A3/C at Piero Drogoās Sports Cars of Modena under Giottoās strict supervision. In 1964 the prototype Grifo A3/C raced at Le Mans (Edgar Berney/Pierre Noblet), running well until brake problems required a two hour pit stop. The car then resumed the race, finally finishing in 14th place; an encouraging result for a brand-new car. Only 22 examples of the Bizzarrini Grifo A3/C were constructed before a disagreement between Renzo and Bizzarrini ended the cooperation.
