A magic pencil…
It is one of the most fascinating cars to have appeared on the world motoring scene, born from the magical pen of the engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, motoring genius and father, among other things, of the Ferrari 250 GTO. The Iso Grifo A3/C, which later became Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada, since its first appearance it marked a turning point in the automotive panorama. An unmistakable and fascinating line that seems to be drawn by the wind, an almost perfect weight balance obtained by moving the engine backwards, part of which is actually located in the passenger compartment, to the point that, to change the two innermost spark plugs, a small door has been set up in the dashboard which allows them to be replaced from the passenger compartment, the Iso Grifo A3/C came to life in 1963 when engineer Bizzarrini worked at Iso Rivolta.
From the IR 300 sedan to the Iso Grifo A3/C
After the creation of the IR 300 sedanluxury road car, the mind of the genius from Livorno moves by his natural vocation to the world of racing and from his magical pen comes this low and wide coupé always equipped with the powerful Chevrolet V8 of 5300 cubic cmthe. Differences in views and objectives lead Bizzarrini to leave Iso Rivolta and start his own business and the Iso Grifo A3/C then becomes the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada.
A shortened frame
The car was born from chassis of the IR 300 that comes shortened by 23 cm and on which more racing suspensions are mounted while the engine is set back; the bodywork is made of aluminum and subsequently, due to weight and maintenance requirements, a lighter fiberglass bodywork is adopted for the versions specifically built for racing. The De Dion rear axle is replaced by one with independent wheels and the tank increased to 120 litresuseful for use in endurance races. It was immediately understood that the machine was born well and the result obtained at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans when an Iso Grifo A3/c placed ninth overall it was proof that once again engineer Bizzarrini had achieved his goal.
Only 133 examples
The Iso Grifo A3/C and Bizzarrini were produced from 1964 to 1968 in a total of 133 specimens. The one we present today has a particularly fascinating story and in some ways unique in that it was born as the IR 300 and was delivered in France on 16 June 1964. After a fairly quiet twenty years it arrived in 1988 in the Roman workshop of Gianfranco Bardelli, Gianluca's father who still continues the tradition and successes of family, which was then among the most popular Iso Rivolta authorized workshops. Here it was transformed, using the exact same method applied to the other Grifo A3/C and Bizzarrini, into a racing version A3/C with the use of all the original parts of the time that were mounted on the racing cars. At the time, the habit and habit of taking their cars to specialists such as Zagato, Scaglietti, Facetti, Maglioli and Bardelli to transform your cars into unique objects. The car then returned to France where it continued its life without taking part in competitions. In 2004 it was purchased by an Italian collector who subjected it to a total restoration, bringing it back to the racing version as the origin of its transformation.
Many times on the podium
It was a job meticulous and painstaking helped by the fact that the car, even if in poor condition, was complete with all the parts, none missing and in the end the work carried out was rewarded by the release of the HTP (Historical Technical Passport) by the FIA, essential for the car to participate to the most important European and global competitions for historic cars. Thus the Iso finally found the world for which it had been created, participating in the most important international events in various European circuits, winning several prizes and elegance competitions and being exhibited both at the Mauto in Turin for the celebration of the engineer Bizzarrini and in Livorno in occasion of the three days that the Municipality recently dedicated to the man who was one of the most famous and important sons of that land.
PIETRO SILVA
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