2021 Iso Rivolta GTZ Zagato
The Iso Rivolta GTZ is a two-door sports car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Iso Rivolta in collaboration with design studio Zagato. First shown as a concept named the “IsoRivolta Zagato Vision Gran Turismo” in the popular racing game Gran Turismo Sport, an official unveiling was made at the 2021 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace. The GTZ is inspired by the Iso A3/C, a 1964 Le Mans class winner which like the GTZ also has a Chevrolet power plant. The car uses a LT4, producing 660 hp (669 PS; 492 kW) and 881 N⋅m (650 lb⋅ft), with car being capable of a 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) in 3.7 seconds, and a top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph). Production is strictly limited to 19 units, most of which have already been sold.
When architecting his beautiful and impressively fast Iso Grifo, Renzo Rivolta relied on one of Italy’s greatest automotive engineers, Giotto Bizzarrini, who designed the Ferrari 250 GTO and Testa Rossa prior to leaving Ferrari in the famous “palace revolt.” Mr. Bizzarrini designed the Iso Grifo with the necessary elements for success: the stout, reliable and easily tuned Chevrolet small-block V-8 engine and 4-speed gearbox from the Corvette, a welded-sheet platform frame, sophisticated suspension, and a lightweight and aerodynamic body. Compared to the Corvette, it was significantly lighter and featured technical innovations that even the most exotic cars of the era could not better. The resulting car was a true race car for the road that looked the part, with the roofline standing a mere 43 inches above the pavement.
Repeating the formula used with the original Sixties-era Grifo, where Italian style met American Chevy V-8 muscle, the Iso Rivolta GT Zagato uses the running gear of the last-generation Corvette Z06, a model also known as the C7. During the two years and more than 2,500 hours it took to build Odierna’s car at Zagato’s workshop in Milan, an all-new lightweight carbon-fiber body was mounted on the Z06 chassis. No body panels are carried over from the Corvette, and all the windows, lights, wheels and door handles are custom-made.
The inspiration for Zagato’s GTZ design comes right from the contested 1970s AC3. Flowing lines are certainly retro, and the new car’s front looks very similar to both the AC3 and the Strada. Unlike its predecessor, the Zagato design is formed from carbon fiber, and so is its tub. Iso Rivolta cars of old almost always used American V8 power, and the new GTZ is no exception: There’s a supercharged Corvette LT4 under the sloping hood. Good for 660 horsepower and 649 lb-ft of torque, the GTZ’s time to 62 miles per hour is 3.7 seconds and the coupe will rocket on to a top speed of 195. That’s some serious performance. One might also notice the Corvette center console and stack.
While only 19 are already committed to be produced worldwide, the lead time required and backlog for these cars dictates this bespoke IsoRivolta GT Zagato will surely be the only example in the Americas for at least a year—guaranteeing undeniable exclusivity and value that other makes can only wish for in comparison.
