The Quail celebrated the 50th anniversary of Iso during Monterey Madness 2012, headlining Piero Rivolta and the largest gathering ever of Iso vehicles.
One of the hottest tickets on the Monterey Peninsula in August was for The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, that paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Milanese automaker famous for its legendary GTs. Primarily small and big-block Corvette V8s – 327 to 454 cubic inch displacements, powered them. In 1972, Ford started supplying Iso with 351 Cleveland engines. Piero Rivolta, who took over the reins of Iso when his father passed away in August 1966 and lives in Sarasota, FL, was on hand for the celebration along with son, Renzo and wife Ivanna, and daughter Marella and husband Andrea Zagato.
In the early-mid-1960s, Iso’s founder, Renzo Rivolta, created the perfect storm: A Giorgetto Giugiaro styled GT/Sports road warrior with an over-engineered platform by Pierluigi Raggi and Giotto Bizzarrini (Ferrari 250 TR and GTO) and Corvette V-8 power. Badged Grifo, it became Iso’s highest profile, flagship vehicle. Under Piero Rivolta’s watch, Iso produced the Series I & II Grifos, Fidia four-door sedan, Rivolta GT, 2+2 Lele and the Varedo Concept on display at the celebration. He was responsible for Iso’s Formula One racing program, managed by Frank Williams, with Marlboro and Ford. Piero Rivolta, above, with Stuart Schorr, Jaguar Land Rover NA at the Iso celebration at The Quail.
Piero Rivolta, engineer, designer, automobile manufacturer, author and yacht builder, shared Iso’s rich heritage with enthusiasts as part of The Quail’s Fireside Chat series. His personal Rivolta GT that was raced at Le Mans led a parade of 27 Iso vehicles in celebration of the marque’s 50th anniversary. Included in the Iso show field was the first Grifo (A3/L prototype), above, owned by the Blackhawk Collection, Piero's Varedo Concept, below, behind 7-Liter Grifo, Iso Marlboro Formula One racecar and the last production Grifo (#412) powered by a 351 Cleveland and owned by Mike Hart.
“With this year marking our 10th anniversary, we wanted to give attendees a more extensive variety of experiences while still keeping the intimate setting that The Quail is known for,” said Gordon McCall, co-founder of The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. “We are excited to add new marque classes and be joined by such respected motorsports personalities as Sir Stirling Moss and Piero Rivolta for our Fireside Chats as we celebrate our special landmark year.”
Photos courtesy of Stuart Schorr & Mike Gulett.
For more coverage of the Iso tribute, please visit My Car Quest (postings by Mike Gulett, above with Piero Rivolta), http://mycarquest.com/2012/08/iso-grifo-the-first-the-last-and-the-one-after-that.html
http://mycarquest.com/2012/03/iso-celebrates-the-50th-anniversary-of-its-first-gt-car.html
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