Chassis No. GL81068

What happens when you combine Italian styling, an American powertrain, and a disgruntled Ferrari engineer? You get an Iso Grifo. Born from the aftermath of Ferrari's infamous "palace revolt" of 1961, when eight high-ranking employees including Giotto Bizzarrini were personally terminated by Enzo Ferrari, the Iso Grifo emerged as a formidable competitor to Maranello's finest. After leaving Ferrari, Bizzarrini-widely regarded as the "father" of the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO-joined forces with industrialist Renzo Rivolta to create something extraordinary.

The Iso Grifo combined the best of both worlds: Giorgetto Giugiaro's muscular Italian styling executed by Carrozzeria Bertone, with the reliability and power of American V8 engines. This approach was part of a brilliant wave of European-American hybrids created in the 1960s, when builders discovered they could compete with Ferrari and Maserati without the expense of developing proprietary engines. The Grifo featured an advanced chassis with four-wheel disc brakes, a De Dion rear axle with inboard brakes, and coil spring suspension.

A copy of the original build sheet confirms that this elegant Grifo, chassis number GL81068, was completed on 24 January 1968 in its current Argento (silver) exterior over Pelle Nera (black leather) color scheme. The document also details its factory specifications, which included a 350-horsepower engine (one of just 29 so equipped that year), a four-speed manual transmission, 3.07 differential ratio, and wire wheels.

This exceptional Grifo was reportedly restored under previous ownership by marque specialist Roberto Negri in Italy, bringing it back to exceptional condition while maintaining authenticity throughout. The car was later acquired out of the Netherlands by the current German owner in June 2018, joining his distinguished collection of Italian sports cars. In January 2019, the current owner commissioned further restorative work encompassing the coachwork and exterior components performed by Jesse DEWU GmbH, with receipts exceeding €23,000. This commitment to perfection is further evidenced by consistent maintenance from 2019 through 2024, documented by invoices from Oldtimer-Service Hanov & Franzke GbR. The current owner drives all cars in his collection regularly and places particular emphasis on maintaining this Grifo in excellent mechanical condition.

Also in current ownership, the car has undergone two professional inspections and appraisals by Ingenieurbüro MEHL-first in 2018 and again in 2022. The most recent evaluation resulted in the Grifo being assigned a near-perfect condition grade of "1-." Now offered from an exquisite collection, this remarkable Grifo is accompanied by documentation including German and Dutch registration paperwork, TÜV documents, an article in Auto Zeitung Classic Cars magazine, comprehensive service invoices, and a copy of its original build sheet. With only 330 first-series Iso Grifos produced between 1965 and 1969, chassis GL81068 offers a chance to own one of the most compelling Italian-American grand tourers of the 1960s.