Having owned Italian cars, we know just how finicky they can be. Even after all the headaches they have given us, we still find ourselves strangely attracted to them. Thankfully, there are a few Italians out there that offer plenty of style without some of the mechanical headaches. One of the more noteworthy of those is the Iso Rivolta. This 1967 Iso Rivolta IR300 GT has the same 327 V8 that was used in the Corvette. It was recently pulled from a barn where it had been parked since the ’80s and can now be found here on eBay.
As with many barn finds, this one is going to need to be restored. It hasn’t been run since it was parked, so we would assume the engine is going to need to be rebuilt, although we’ve seen plenty of V8s brought back to life after sitting for this long or longer. Being an IR300 means this car came with the 300 horsepower version of the 327 and allowed for a 135 mph top speed. Sadly this one was paired to an automatic gearbox, which will probably need to be gone through as well. Our biggest concerns with this car isn’t the drivetrain though, since most everything can be found at just about any salvage yard. We are most concerned with finding body panels, interior parts, and straightening out the wiring.
As you can see the interior is in rough shape and could use a redo, although it does look like most of the original pieces are still in place. When it was new, this interior was both comfortable and attractive; some might even say it gave Ferrari a run for its money.
Humidity, lack of care, and Italian sheet metal typically don’t go well together, but for having come out of a barn in Georgia, this Iso doesn’t look too bad. We are sure there is rust hiding underneath the car, but we don’t see anything that frightens us too much. We would be sure to inspect it closely before putting up any money though. Italian styling and American muscle in one package, what more could you ask?
Ah. What some would call a parts car. And it’s rusty. And Italian. Oh and uncommon too? What’s not to like? Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that the reserve isn’t met at $17.5k.
Seriously, I’d be all over this if it was nearby and around $5-6k but for nearly $20k I can’t see committing myself to rare parts hunting when I’m not working on my project for the next few years. If I -did- have the money, I’d spend more and buy a clean, original/restored one and enjoy driving it for those years… (Guess I’m not as masochistic in my older years!)
I agree,
That would be the sensible thing to do.
Now just think about this:
the car is parked in front of a Body and paint shop and even he thinks that this isn’t worth the effort……(???)
we will see this thing again…low feedback bidder bids up to the reserve ($25k) 2+ days before auction ends ?
amateur !
It says automatic but I spy a clutch pedal!
My mistake, it is a dual pedal brake. It’s a shame it was titled about 10 miles from me but now it’s in Mich. Price is too high.
thr price is Rivolting…
Good luck on the wiring..suggest that you have several spools and lotsa connectors. Heck the Italians probably couldn’t get the wiring right when it was new, much less now after the mice have had a field day with it…They were nice cars, back in the day…some even had Ford engines…
One of these in much better condition, a decent California driver, sold last year for about what this one if bid to so far ($25K), which says that these are moving up in value. They are a genuine ’60s Italian exotic with a drivetrain that does the job but is easy to maintain and fix. Too bad this one has an auto trans, but the strong bidding says that the value is good even without the 4-speed. The dash is terrific, with 8 guages, and you won’t see another one of these coming down the road very soon.
Unfortunately there are no underside photos, so its hard to tell whether it’s worth bidding higher. These are pretty rare in BF condition, but I think I would hold out for a decent driver with 4-speed even if it meant coming up with more $$ than this one will sell for. If values keep going up it would be worth it.
This car was listed on MyCarQuest a few days ago.
I belive iso rivolta is the brains behind the isetta before bmw?
Wonder if that title comes with the lien release?
This car is listed in hemmings for 29,999
I don’t find these attractive from any angle…………it’s like no design.
I see clutch pedal (right?)…….it’s no big deal to find a Muncie to put back in the car. They made hundreds of thousands.
There’s another one these cars sitting in a salvageyard on Rte 287 in Mansfield, TX. Its complete with maserotti style cast wheels. I last saw it two years ago and I dont think its moved.