Thursday 2nd November 2017

Iso Fidia: Spotted

The only four-door Iso was advertised as the world's fastest four-seater in its heyday. Now it's almost a bargain

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For the uninitiated, Iso - or Iso Autoveicoli S.p.A - was an Italian carmaker of the late twentieth century best remembered now for the Isetta bubble car, it of one front door and one too few wheels. But the firm was also an automotive dream team, built around founder Renzo Rivolta, engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and famed coachbuilder, Bertone.

Together they created the Iso Rivolta and the Grifo, sixties era sports coupes renowned for striking Italian styling and the use of imported small-block Chevy V8 engines. However, when Giugiaro moved from Bertone to rival Carrozzeria Ghia in 1965, the design brief Iso's new four-door GT went with him.

Based on the Rivolta, the wheelbase was extended by 150mm to shoehorn in the back doors, and it became the first model launched under Piero Rivolta - forced to take of the company at only 25 after the sudden death of this father in 1966.

Initially shown at the Frankfurt motor show a year later as a Rivolta S4, the car suffered at its press launch from the poor quality of the petrol sold locally in Athens, and was not helped by a list price that saw it competing at eye level with the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.

But the Fidia was beautiful - and beautifully marketed too under the slogan: 'the four fastest seats in the world'. When a right-hand-drive model was built, John Lennon bought the first one; it had that kind of appeal. Initially fitted with the same 5.4-litre V8 as the coupes, the car eventually received a less powerful 5.8-litre V8 from Ford after GM started insisting on payment upfront.

The one you see before you though is an early left-hand drive model with the more desirable Chevy unit, and a body in metallic bronze - but be careful if you have a shunt as no two Fidias are alike. Inside the cream leather interior and wooden dashboard mimic a comfortable living room; the sort you could spend hours in as you cross countries.

With only 192 examples ever built, the Fidia is also one of the rarer four-door GTs in the world. Looking for alternatives the Quattroporte is the obvious contender but the boxy elements lose out the flowing lines of the Fidia. The Aston Martin Lagonda may also provide a very exclusive form of four-door motoring - but it's hard to see past 'le quattro poltrone piu veloci del mondo'.

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ISO FIDIA
Engine: 5,354cc, V8
Transmission: 4-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 355@5,800rpm
Torque (lb ft): 361@3,600rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1972 
Recorded mileage: 70,000miles
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £39,995

See the original advert here

[BigChiefmuffinAgain]

Deeply cool car. Saw a real mint one on the road in London a couple of years ago - lovely thing, if you like the left field vibe about it. Some of them have some dubious interior trims, if I recall.
For those looking for an even more obscure alternative, trying finding a Monica....

[Fetchez la vache]

Not actually that enamoured with that...

...especially when they made such beautiful cars as the Grifo, which is one of my all time favourite designs...

[anonymous-user]

Fetchez la vache said:

Not actually that enamoured with that...

I agree, it doesn't quite all come together as you'd hope. For similar money I think I'd go for a Fiat 130.

The Jensen Interceptor, for me, is hard to beat as good looking four-seater GT cruiser.

[hondansx]

Rare for a reason!

[Halmyre]

The proportions are all a bit off IMO. The De Tomaso Deauville and Maserati Quattroporte were a bit better, but overall the Italians weren't that great at big XJ6 type luxobarges.

[Krikkit]

BigChiefmuffinAgain said:

Deeply cool car. Saw a real mint one on the road in London a couple of years ago - lovely thing, if you like the left field vibe about it. Some of them have some dubious interior trims, if I recall.
For those looking for an even more obscure alternative, trying finding a Monica....

It wasn't this one, was it?



http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C886899

Currently up at 50 notes shy of £80k

[Escort3500]

Fetchez la vache said:

Not actually that enamoured with that...

...especially when they made such beautiful cars as the Grifo, which is one of my all time favourite designs...

Thoroughly agree. The Grifo is a magnificent looking GT. The Fidia may be good in other respects, but in design terms it's hideously ill proportioned.

[Limpet]

Is it bad that when I saw the thumbnail off the main page, I thought it was an Austin Princess?

In my defence (quick glance):

[rtz62]

From the point where the rear door reaches the c pillar it looks like a big blob of modelling clay has been exposed to a tad too much heat.
And I too thought it looked like an Austin Princess, or even an Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV from the front....

[MikeGalos]

Shame the dealer didn't do a decent job on the photographs. The Fidia's body design really is stunning in the metal and that doesn't come out at all in these photos. Certainly the equal of any 4-door GT of its era and beautifully proportioned. The chassis and drivetrain may be a bit pedestrian but the body styling really is rolling sculpture in person and demonstrated just how good Giugiaro was even then.

[sgtBerbatov]

Limpet said:

Is it bad that when I saw the thumbnail off the main page, I thought it was an Austin Princess?

In my defence (quick glance):

If you could shoe horn a Rover V8 in the Princess then you'd have a poor man's Fidia.

And I mean "White Lightening & Micklesons Stout" version of the poor man. The man who can't even afford a proper pint of Guiness to make a poor man's Black Velvet.

[P5BNij]

Krikkit said:

BigChiefmuffinAgain said:

Deeply cool car. Saw a real mint one on the road in London a couple of years ago - lovely thing, if you like the left field vibe about it. Some of them have some dubious interior trims, if I recall.
For those looking for an even more obscure alternative, trying finding a Monica....

It wasn't this one, was it?



http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C886899

Currently up at 50 notes shy of £80k

I was looking at that ad only the other day thinking it was the same car posted earlier on PH. I think they're much more appealing in the flesh than photos can really convey. At £80k it seems a bargain compared to a Monteverdi which could easily be double the price.

Always liked the Iso Lele ... links to the Fidia, Grifo etc too...
http://www.anitaliangarage.com/the-iso-rivolta-chr...

Edited by P5BNij on Thursday 2nd November 14:46

[BFleming]

DrSteveBrule said:

For similar money I think I'd go for a Fiat 130.

For similar money I should think you could go for about three Fiat 130 saloons, or two coupes (all of which would want to be perfect at those prices).

[TR4man]

Was it really the fastest 4 seater at that time?

What about the Espada?

[coppice]

I saw them in period and they were more impressive than attractive . Of the Eurostyle /Detroit V8 genre my favourite is the sublime Gordon Keeble, one of Giugario's very first efforts and still lovely . I also liked the jolie laid style of the Jensen CV8 ,and ,possibly uniquely, I prefer it to the much lauded Interceptor . The Grifo , and its close relation, the Bizzarini Strada were both gorgeous things as was the super rare Mangusta.

[Twoshoe]

TR4man said:

Was it really the fastest 4 seater at that time?

What about the Espada?

I thought that too. Maybe they should have said fastest 4-door 4-seater.

[CDP]

sgtBerbatov said:

Limpet said:

Is it bad that when I saw the thumbnail off the main page, I thought it was an Austin Princess?

In my defence (quick glance):

If you could shoe horn a Rover V8 in the Princess then you'd have a poor man's Fidia.

And I mean "White Lightening & Micklesons Stout" version of the poor man. The man who can't even afford a proper pint of Guiness to make a poor man's Black Velvet.

In fairness that's a very poor picture of a Princess, a Wolsey in fact which had the rather dubious "posh" snout. The standard Austin bonnet was quite a lot better:





And as a heretic I'd say I prefer the E6 to the RV8 as it's quite a bit smoother.

[saaby93]

Agree looks like a princess with a nissan navara rear chassis

[StescoG66]

P5BNij said:

Krikkit said:

BigChiefmuffinAgain said:

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C886899

Edited by P5BNij on Thursday 2nd November 14:46

I really must get off my arse and go for that eye test. Why oh why does that make me think of a Kia Optima??

[marcom44]

BL Princess? That was a stunner to.