Developed by Giotto Bizzarini the ISO Grifo was first presented on the 1963 Turin salon with production starting in 1964. Early examples of the elegant sports car were powered by the 5.4 litre V8 engine from the Chevrolet Corvette but from 1970 the then current and popular 5.7 litre engine from the same manufacturer was used. For those clients requiring a bit more punch, a 400 SAE hp seven litre big block from Chevrolet was offered from 1968. In order to fit this considerably larger engine under the bonnet and provide sufficient cooling the engine bonnet was equipped with a very stylish bulge affectionately named “the penthouse”. In 1970 the engine grew to 7.4 litre and the cars name was then changed to Can Am. During 1972 ISO changed to Ford engines, reason being a probable dispute with General Motors over payment of the Chevrolet engines. The wide variety of engines then was stopped and for the Grifo only a 5.8 litre Ford V8 was available between 1972 and 1974. Power was now advertised at 325 SAE or 264 DIN hp from the Ford 351 engine. The penthouse on the engine bonnet was slightly reduced and folding headlights were introduced at the same time.Our example, chassis 397, one of only 37 examples with this engine specification was completed on the 26 February 1973 and delivered to Switzerland where it was first registered on the 30th April of the same year. In 1978 the bolide was taken over by the vendor from its first owner and has since seen enthusiastic use. At the end of 2005 with then 78’827 kilometres driven, a thorough overhaul of the Grifo became necessary. In October of that year the complete braking system was overhauled, the coachwork restored and repainted in its original colour. At the beginning of 2006 the original engine was completely overhauled. At the same time the radiator, starter motor, alternator, distributor as well as the carburettors were replaced. The ZF 5-speed gearbox received a new clutch, and the ISO was finally ready to hit the road once again. The 79’500 kilometres shown would indicate sparing use since completion of all the work and in January 2020 the car was de-registered. This exceedingly rare ISO with its known history is in good overall condition with all the mechanical bits functioning well and the original interior showing age-correct signs of use. The last Veteran MOT was completed in April 2013.