LOT 340 N
1964 Iso A3/C Competition Coupé Re-creation Registration no. not UK registered Chassis no. IR 360262
Estimate: £220,000 - £260,000
Lot 340N
1964 Iso A3/C Competition Coupé Re-creation
The December Sale Collector's Motor Cars, Motorcycles and Automobilia|7 December 2016, 16:00 GMT|London, Olympia
1964 Iso A3/C Competition Coupé Re-creation
Registration no. not UK registered
Chassis no. IR 360262
Registration no. not UK registered
Chassis no. IR 360262
*Stunning re-creation of an ultra-rare Italian competition car
*Based on a shortened Iso Rivolta chassis
*5.4-litre V8 engine
*Aluminium body
*Only 200 kilometres since completion two years ago
*Based on a shortened Iso Rivolta chassis
*5.4-litre V8 engine
*Aluminium body
*Only 200 kilometres since completion two years ago
Footnotes
Italian 'bubble car' manufacturer Iso joined the ranks of supercar constructors in 1962 with the launch of the Rivolta coupé at the Turin Motor Show. Renzo Rivolta's Isothermos company had begun life pre-WW2 making refrigerators, turning to the manufacture of scooters, under the Iso name, after the war and thence to the highly successful Isetta bubble car. Styled at Carrozzeria Bertone by Giorgetto Giugiaro and powered by a 327ci (5.4-litre) Chevrolet V8, the four-seat Rivolta employed a steel platform chassis featuring independent front suspension, De Dion rear axle, and disc brakes all round (inboard at the rear). The chassis and running gear were designed by ex-Ferrari engineer, Giotto Bizzarrini, whose company specialised in the production of prototypes for the Italian automobile industry.
As Iso and many of its European contemporaries had recognised, the use of a tried and tested American power train enabled them to compete with likes of Ferrari, Maserati and Aston Martin in performance terms while undercutting them on price. Iso's first supercar set the pattern for those that followed: Bizzarrini-designed chassis, Bertone coachwork, and Chevrolet engines. Future developments included the long-wheelbase, Ghia-styled, Fidia four-door saloon; the Rivolta-replacement Lele; and the muscular, short-wheelbase Grifo.
Produced between 1963 and 1974, the 'standard' Grifo used the small-block Chevrolet Corvette V8 engine in all but its final Ford-powered incarnation. Iso claimed a top speed of 300km/h (186mph) for the long-legged 7.0-litre Grifo, making it faster than a Ferrari Daytona. There was also a Corsa (racing) version: the A3/C, which was unveiled on the Iso stand at the 1963 Turin Show. Resplendent in its bare aluminium coachwork, the prototype A3/C boasted a tubular chassis and weighed only 1,000kg, while its V8 engine was located closer to the centre of the frame for improved weight distribution. At the 1964 Le Mans 24-Hour Race, an A3/C driven by Berney/Noblet finished a creditable 14th despite being hampered by brake problems, while the following year the example driven by de Mortemart/Fraissinet finished 9th overall, winning its class. A total of 22 A3/Cs had been completed before Rivolta and Bizzarrini parted company, the latter going on to re-launch a revised version under his own name in 1965. More recently, engineer Roberto Negri and his son, Federico, have commenced a limited continuation run of the A3/C with the approval of Renzo Rivolta's son, Piero.
This car's owner began by purchasing an Iso Rivolta (chassis number 'IR 360262') and then commissioned the highly respected Torinese coachbuilder Mabert to build a stunning recreation of the A3/C. The project involved shortening the chassis by approximately 25cm to match the wheelbase of the A3/C. An aluminium body was then painstakingly fabricated by hand by another specialist coachbuilder, and finished in stunning Rosso Granata, a dark metallic red. In addition, the interior was expertly trimmed in black leather, while the instruments are correct replicas of the original A3/C items.
Meanwhile, the running gear including the gearbox, differential, suspension, braking system, radiator, etc were comprehensively overhauled. The engine, a 5.3-litre V8, has also been comprehensively overhauled with new pistons, etc by American-car specialists 2000 Motors of Nichelino near Turin, and at the same time tuned to produce considerably more power. The car was assembled and finished some two years ago, since when it has covered only some 200 'shakedown' kilometres.
The result certainly looks stunning from every angle, both inside and out, and fully deserves the closest inspection. This unique car comes complete with Italian registration documents, plus photographs of the build process and engine overhaul. A stunning A3/C re-creation, offered at a fraction of the cost of an original.
Saleroom notices
Please be advised that although described as an ISO A3/C Recreation, the car actually resembles much more a Bizzarini 5300 GT Strada, the road going version.
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- 6 December 2016, 16:00 - 19:30 GMT
Lot symbols
| N | NOVA declaration |
| If purchased by a UK resident, this machine is subject to a NOVA declaration, whilst the responsibility of submitting the NOVA rests with the Buyer to do so, Bonhams will facilitate the process by engaging an agent (CARS) to undertake the NOVA on the Buyer's behalf. A fee of £350 + VAT to do so will be added to the Buyer's invoice. |