A rare "resto-mod" sports car 

This Iso Rivolta IR 300 started life in 1967 as a rare luxurious coupe built by Iso Automotoveicoli S.p.A. in Italy, one of only 797 examples built between 1963 and 1970.

In the 1950s Iso’s founder, Renzo Rivolta, developed the Iso Isetta microcar and sold the car in Italy which he licensed to BMW and the little bubble car was sold around the world. For his next project, Renzo envisioned a “gentleman’s touring car” and the Iso Rivolta sports touring car is the result.  Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at the renowned Italian coachbuilders Bertone, it offered comfortable room for four, Chevrolet Corvette 327-cubic inch V-8 power and a four-speed manual transmission. 

When found by Richard Griot (pronounced Gree-Oh) of Griot’s Garage car care accessory fame, this once beautiful machine was a badly rusted out project. Griot commissioned Louie Shefchik, of J & L Fabricating in nearby Puyallup Washington to rebuild and update this classic.   

Since the original chassis was too rusted to save, long-time SEMA member Art Morrison Enterprises built a new frame which received a General Motors Connect and Cruise LS7 427-cubic inch crate motor and Chevrolet Performance Tremec T56 Super Magnum Six-Speed Manual Transmission.    

Although the Iso Rivolta featured four-wheel disc brakes from the factory, 500 horsepower from the dry-sump aluminum LS7 engine necessitated a brake upgrade to 13-inch Wilwood rotors, which required bigger wheels so EVOD Industries produced a set of custom 17-inch billet wheels that are wrapped in Pirelli P7 tires.

Courtesy of Griot's Garage 

This car reached the final four of the sixth annual SEMA Battle of Builders competition at SEMA Ignited 2019 and it finished second in the voting behind the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro known as “VALKYRJA” built by Jim and Mike Ring. Griot's Garage recently featured the car on the cover of their catalog. 

Photos by the author except as noted.