This car, Lot 242, sold for $101,200 (€89,100), including buyer’s premium, at RM Sotheby’s Shift Online auction on April 28, 2025.
Flush with funds generated by licensing the humble Isetta microcar — and before that, operating his household-appliance business — Italian industrialist Renzo Rivolta attempted a leap few have survived: He designed and produced a luxury car while devoid of any sort of reputation.
A fortunate fusion of personalities and events supported his effort, which began with the introduction of the Gordon-Keeble. The first of these was cobbled together in about 1959 by installing a 283-ci Chevy V8 engine into a Peerless chassis. The car was clothed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone. Rivolta became aware of this concoction when co-founder John Gordon began searching for funding; Bertone is credited with bringing the two men together. Rivolta assessed the Gordon-Keeble for months, considering a collaboration that might have satisfied both companies’ ambitions. Instead, the car was returned to its maker.
Rivolta’s revolutionary
Meanwhile, Giotto Bizzarrini had been fired from Ferrari in the “palace revolt” of 1961. Rivolta wasted no time hiring Bizzarrini for his new venture. The former Ferrari engineer, working alongside Iso technical department head Pierluigi Raggi, designed a welded-plate chassis supporting independent front suspension and a De Dion rear axle affixed by parallel radius arms and a Watt’s linkage. Consistent with Rivolta’s “sporting luxury” mission, coil springs, telescopic shocks and Dunlop disc brakes were installed at all four corners, with the rear brakes set inboard to enhance stability. A Salisbury limited-slip differential rounded out the package.
The elaborate chassis was designed to make the most of an engine Rivolta and Bizzarrini had already chosen: Chevrolet’s 300 hp, 327-ci V8 — more powerful than the small-block John Gordon and Jim Keeble had placed in their prototype a couple of years before. The result was good for a top speed of 135 mph.
Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone styled the sheet metal, and if the new Iso Rivolta arrived looking somewhat like the Gordon-Keeble, that was not an accident as it was also styled by Giugiaro. Of course, Jensen, Facel Vega, Allard and others had broken ground previously with American V8-powered coachbuilt cars.
Diminished returns
The new Iso Rivolta entered the market for model year 1963 at the hefty price of $9,295. A new Chevrolet Corvette, whose motor it shared, listed for just $4,305. The IR 300 wasn’t all engine and chassis. Its interior befitted Rivolta’s luxury aspirations, with a wood-trimmed instrument panel, Veglia gauges, Connolly leather upholstery and pile carpets. If Rivolta’s personal vision didn’t align perfectly with a particular customer’s sensibilities, custom trim and engine options were available; consequently, a serious Iso Rivolta restoration begins with an investigation of a specific car’s history to determine its configuration at delivery.
The blend of American mechanical components dressed in Italian finery made a promising debut, with sales of 171 units in 1963. The car attracted the occasional celebrity along with less-recognizable-but-well-heeled buyers. However, its launch year proved to be a high point for Iso, as interest ebbed to a trickle. Total production — including models with other engines and gearboxes — amounted to fewer than 800 by the time the last example rolled off the line in 1970.
Shoulda, coulda
Our subject car was acquired in 2017 from a U.S. owner by its German consignor. A restoration was undertaken by three separate firms in Italy, one each for the mechanical rebuild, interior restoration and exterior cosmetics. Of note, the restorer cared enough to consult the Iso registry regarding this car’s factory equipment, which included air conditioning and a 3-speed automatic. Through the process, its numbers-matching engine was retained.
The result is an attractive driver-quality Iso Rivolta, benefiting from a punchy color combination of factory-correct Bleu Sera paint over a Terracotta leather interior. The exterior finish is excellent; the exquisite grille remains straight and unblemished, and a Talbot mirror punctuates Bertone’s beautiful fender line. Inside, the upholstery is nearly pristine, but signs of wear and use are evident. The glovebox lid doesn’t fit perfectly, the trim is hazy and the steering wheel’s horn button is clouded. A retro-styled digital display radio is installed in the wood-trimmed dash.
Iso Rivolta IR 300s may be rare, but examples do crop up every few months. A tidy 1966 sold in May 2024 on Bring a Trailer for $116,550, equipped with a replacement engine paired with a 4-speed manual gearbox. Our subject car was previously offered at RM Sotheby’s 2023 Paris auction, where it failed to meet reserve at $141,622 against an ambitious estimate of $158k–$191k (SCM# 6960578). As they say, hindsight is 20/20.
Once again entrusted to RM Sotheby’s for its recent online auction, the car sold for just $101,200 (€89,100), reminding us that oftentimes the first offer is the best offer. Curiously, the photos of the odometer in each listing are identical, implying that the car has not covered a single mile during this time frame. Setting aside potential recommissioning issues after years of little to no use, the price is market-correct. The car sits slightly below manual-shift examples, but with an appropriate premium for condition. This Iso Rivolta was fairly sold.
