The world might've reached a standstill with the recent plague outbreak engulfing every aspect of our daily lives, but clearly no one told the coachbuilders at Zagato. Then again, the Italians do have a way of going about their day, enjoying life's bounties and pleasures, even when the world has turned upside down. This same spirit keeps driving Zagato to continue its fairly busy year, designing and handcrafting what can be considered as the crème de la crème of the automotive world.
You can have a car stamped by robots on a production line, or you could have one hand-assembled by humans. Alternatively, you could have a car shaped and conceived to your specific whims, while meticulously gone over by master craftsmen in aprons, pouring over every little detail to make sure it's as special as machinery can be. It's all about theatre and emotions, just like going to a Savile Row tailor and getting a bespoke suit measured on your body, inches at a time.
That's the art of coachbuilding. I've written about their exploits not too long ago, after having worked closely on a special family of Aston Martins. Now, they're at it again, which is surprising to me, given how long it usually takes to bring a car to market, from blueprints to bare-metal. It's only a teaser for now, but it's enough for us to salivate over. I dare say this is even more special than those Astons, as Zagato aims to revive a name that we haven't heard of in a very, very long time - Iso Rivolta.
From Detroit With Love.
Credits to: Zagato IsoRivolta GTZ 2020/21
Before we can dive deep into what this is, we need to learn more about the history it aims to reincarnate. Founded by Renzo Rivolta in 1950, Iso Autoveicoli is one of those carmakers that perished far too young in its life, and it was as charming as any carmaker could've been in those days. Rivolta started with refrigeration units and motorcycles, before later making his breakthrough with the Isetta. It was a tiny, yet charismatic 'bubble car' that was more popular in Germany than Italy, wearing a BMW badge.
Then came Giotto Bizzarrini, who was one of Ferrari's star engineers. As is Enzo Ferrari's proud and boastful nature, he's capable of making people's blood boil, including his own employees. Bizzarrini wouldn't be the first, or last employee to walk-out in frustration over his boss, either. Bringing his talents, who was responsible for the highly-successful Ferrari 250, was a major coup for Iso. Now, he can realise his dream of making performance cars to blow his competition away in a cloud of smoke.
Credits to: Iso Grifo (Series II), and Iso Bizzarrini A3/C
They were magnificently stunning, combining a blend of Italian exotica and beauty, with American swagger and grunt. Designing an engine from scratch is expensive, so it's better to simply buy a good one from someone else, instead. Enduring a flight in a wooden crate from Detroit to Milan, Chevrolet's engines made their way to Iso's cars. They were so large, that their cars became somewhat synonymous with a large bonnet bump, ensuring its sleek tailored suit could fit all the muscles.
Iso's specialty was grand-tourers, and this is proven by its most iconic model, the Grifo, with its brutish design ready to storm through the Italian alps, or the Amalfi coast. They also made racing cars, courtesy of the A3/C which was engineered by Bizzarrini just before he quit to make his own, namesake car company. They were great automobiles, and stood its ground against the established names in the business, but it's Iso's other half that would later result in their downfall.
At the time, there was a tax in Italy for cars, which was calculated by engine displacement. Simply put; the larger your engine, the more you'd have to pay. It's for that reason why Ferrari made a detuned version of the famous 308 GTB, so called the 208, just for the Italian market. It's exceedingly expensive to tax a large American engine, usually between 5.4- to 7.0-litre in Iso's cars. For this reason, not many people could afford one, thus following along the company's slow decline until 1974.
An Artisan's Craft.
Credits to: Zagato IsoRivolta GTZ 2020/21
It's a sad story, which will hopefully have a happier ending in this rendition. This is the IsoRivolta GTZ, the latter standing for 'Gran Turismo Zagato', planting Iso's roots into the 21st-century. It's a continuation of a concept shown three years ago, which was only available for the pixelated world of Gran Turismo, living inside of your PlayStation. Unlike that ultra-futuristic concept, the GTZ aims exchange rulers for compasses, following along a more retro appearance. Design-wise, it's a proper homage to that A3/C from a few paragraphs ago.
The GTZ is almost a shot-for-shot remake, but as they say; if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Giugiaro-penned bodywork of the A3/C's is still distinctively captivating more than half-a-century later. The most characteristic design trait of that A3/C was its low-profile silhouette, with a roofline that's barely taller than the average-height person's bellybutton. Zagato's GTZ follows this, along with a low, swooping bonnet. It has those same rounded headlights, and quad-taillights in the rear.
Even most of the vents are similarly placed, most prominently with the large ducts on its bonnet. What Zagato has done is beautifully mastering a balancing act between keeping the curvaceous old-school design, while still being able to adapt it to modern-day proportions. These few teaser photos are already enough to tickle the cockles of my heart. Plus, unlike the old A3/C which was made from aluminium, the GTZ will be constructed entirely out of carbon-fibre, shaving off excess mass.
Credits to: Zagato IsoRivolta GTZ 2020/21
Getting past the famous griffin logo on the bonnet, and underneath you'll find a monstrously powerful 6.8-litre, supercharged, Chevrolet V8 from none other than the Corvette Z06. This then, stays true with the bloodline from Iso cars of old, though for the time being, we know absolutely nothing about it. What we do know, is that the original engine was rated at 6.2-litre, and capable of 650hp in its default configuration, or up to 755hp in the Corvette ZR1.
Those are fairly hefty numbers by themselves, and upping by another 600cc could potentially make the GTZ a true super-GT to compete against the likes of Aston Martin's DBS, or Ferrari's 812. Another hint to its power lies in the centrally-mounted quad-exhausts here, similar to that employed on a Corvette. In fact, although this is merely speculation on my part, the GTZ could very well based on the C7 under the skin. Perhaps that's why they didn't consider the newer, mid-engine C8 Corvette.
For now however, Zagato's keeping their cards close to their chest, and it'll fully reveal itself come October. Only 19 GTZs will be made, and 9 are already sold, so you'd better hurry if you're thinking of shelling out for one. I'm nonetheless ecstatic to see another creation from Zagato, and especially for helping to revive this once-dead nameplate for us to enjoy. I'm keen to see if there's more of Iso coming along soon, and it had me wondering; if Iso could be reborn, maybe its Lancia's call to return to greatness, eh?
Credits to: GIPHY
