1965 Iso A3/C
- Engine
- 5.3L V8 (Chevrolet Corvette sourced), four-speed T-10 gearbox
- Colour
- Metallic silver-grey ('Grigio Argento Metallizzato'), aluminium body
Chassis B 0216 is an early Iso Grifo A3/C, one of approximately twenty riveted-aluminium, Drogo-bodied, left-hand-drive examples produced before the Iso–Bizzarrini separation. Originally delivered to the German dealer Auto Becker and believed to have left the factory in a vivid Mela Verde finish, the car was later returned to Italy where it was rebuilt and repainted black to resemble the later Bizzarrini 5300 GT. After time in Germany and then the United States, a comprehensive restoration by Salvatore Diomante in Turin returned the car to its original specification, uncovering the factory green beneath the black paint.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold €1,036,000 (≈ $1.14M)
- —Auction saleSold €680,000 (≈ $748K)
- 1978 → 2002Acquisition unknownSeries of US-based ownersnone documentation
The vehicle remained in the US in its modified configuration across multiple successive owners over roughly two decades.
- 2002 → 2012Private saleUS owner from 2002partial documentation
This owner had the car inspected by restoration specialists Chuck Wray and Kendall Merritt, during which the original chassis number was rediscovered and the title corrected back to B 0216.
- 2012 →Acquisition unknownPrevious owner who commissioned 2012 restorationpartial documentation
Engaged Salvatore Diomante in Turin to perform a full restoration returning the car to its original specification, including uncovering the original green paintwork and refurbishing all mechanical and interior components.
- Date unknownFactory deliveryAuto Beckerpartial documentation
German dealership that received the car as a new sale; the vehicle was an early pre-split Iso Grifo A3/C at this stage.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownIso factorynone documentation
The car was returned to the factory at some point in the late 1960s or early 1970s, where it was rebuilt, cosmetically altered to resemble a later model, and re-registered under a different chassis designation.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownUnidentified German ownernone documentation
After leaving Italy, the car passed through Germany before being shipped to the United States.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2003InspectionChuck Wray and Kendall Merritt
Thorough inspection of the vehicle carried out, during which the ageing prior paintwork was found to be cracking and revealing underlying rivets, and the original chassis number B 0216 was discovered stamped into the frame.
Inspection prompted the subsequent decision to commission a full restoration and to correct the title back to the original chassis number.
- 2012RestorationSalvatore Diomante
Full restoration returning the car to its earliest specification: running gear, suspension, brakes, and electrical systems were rebuilt to original condition; the interior was re-trimmed in period-correct black leather; the dashboard was reverted to the early layout with centrally positioned, driver-angled instruments; and the body was stripped to reveal and reinstate the original Mela Verde finish.
Restoration carried out in Turin, Italy, on behalf of the previous owner; stripping the black paint revealed the original vivid green underneath, including in the door jambs.
- —ModificationIso factory
Car was rebuilt at the factory and altered cosmetically to resemble the later Bizzarrini 5300 GT: rivets were filled and smoothed, the body was repainted black, and the car was re-titled under a different number.
Work believed to have occurred sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s when the car was returned to the factory in Italy.
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