Italy is a land known for it’s la buona cucina, belle donne and being home to La Cosa Nostra. When it comes to cars, Italy is famous for building exotics such as Ferrari and Lamborghini as well as daily drivers such as Afla Romeo. Italy has never been a musclecar nation but one was constructed here in the 1960’s: the Iso Grifo.

The story of the Grifo begins when former Ferrari 250 engineer Giotto Bizzarrini and Iso designer Giorgetto Giugiaro wanted to build a car that had the stilo and grazia of an Italian automobile with the attitude of an American musclecar. The two of them, while working at Iso, brought this concept to life in 1963 when the Iso Grifo was born.

The Grifo’s 2+2 mid size body is the perfect blend of Italian sports car & American muscle. It’s body is long and has an aggressive face that resembles an early Firebird. Italian styling can be seen throughout the body, through its lines, rounded rear glass and metal accents.

While most Italian cars were calm and graceful, the Grifo was loud & mean.

The interior is 100% Italian, it’s made from the finest cuoio and contains a classic wooden dash and gauges. Most Grifos did not come equipped with AC, as it would slow the car down. Like most Italian exotics, the Grifo was built for speed – not comfort.

This hood was a factory option for the Grifo.

The Grifo’s body was assembled in Italy, while its powertrain – an SBC 327 – was shipped from the US; these motors where hot rodded by Iso to produce 390 HP. Beginning in 1968, the car was equipped with a Chevy 427, which produced 435 horsepower. For it’s final two years (’73-’74) the Grifo was powered by a Ford 351C.

With the 427, the Grifo was capable of reaching 68 MPH in first gear and had an impressive top speed of 171 MPH. A de Dion rear axle with coil-over Koni dampers glides the car around curves while 4-wheel disc brakes bring it to a halt.

Only 400 cars were ever constructed over a 10 year period (1963-1974). This makes the Grifo one of the rarest musclecars in world. Godetevi la strada, i miei amici.