Zagato’s new IsoRivolta GTZ honors the Italian-body-American-heart tradition
It’s a good day to be a fan of sexy Italian coachbuilt cars. Zagato recently announced the IsoRivolta GTZ, a special tribute car built to resemble the Iso Rivolta A3/C of 1963.
Like the old-school Iso A3/C, the new GTZ boasts the beating heart of a small-block V-8, this time in the form of a bored-out version of the C7 Corvette Z06’s supercharged 6.2-liter. In the GTZ, the motor will displace a whopping 6.8 liters. Way back when, the 1963 A3/C ran a Chevrolet 327 engine.
Zagato unveiled a virtual concept car (above) back in 2017 for the Gran Turismo video game series, dubbed the IsoRivolta Zagato Vision Gran Turismo. Albeit dialed down, shades of this pixelated dream machine are manifest in the low-volume, classically-proportioned production car on the horizon. The GTZ’s ferocious supercharged engine resides under a voluptuous carbon-fiber body filled with curves meant to evoke the slinky, sporting rides of the mid-’60s. Just 19 examples of the GTZ will be built, nine of which are already spoken for, according to Zagato. No word is available yet on pricing, but don’t expect a bespoke beauty like this to come cheap.
As far as we’re concerned, there will always be room for bespoke, coachbuilt creations on the roadways and auction blocks. This is doubly true when the resulting project breathes new life into storied collector brands. Whether or not these will eventually be as sought-after as Isos of old remains to be seen.
Bit of fun history for the unfamiliar: The Iso A3/C race car (C for competition) that inspired the new GTZ would later be known as the Bizzarrini 5300GT, while the road-going A3/L version would later be known as the Iso Grifo. Side note to the side note, there’s a delightful 1968 Iso Grifo GL Series I—with a beefy 7.0-liter V-8—coming up for sale on the RM Sotheby’s Elkhart Collection auction this fall.
