The Iso Grifo is a limited production grand tourer manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Iso Autoveicoli S.p.A. between 1965 and 1974. Intended to compete with Grand Touring offerings from Ferrari and Maserati, it used a series of American power trains and components supplied by Chevrolet and Ford. Styling was done by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone, while the mechanicals were the work of Giotto Bizzarrini. The first production GL models appeared in 1965 and were powered by American Chevrolet small-block 327 (5.4-litre) V8 engines fitted to American supplied Borg-Warner 4-speed manual transmissions. The 5.4-litre engine was rated at in its standard form and allowed the car to attain a speed of in first gear. In 1970, the Grifo Series II was introduced, with sleeker styling and hide-away headlights and powered by big-block Chevrolet 454 V8 (7.4-litre) engines. It was replaced in 1972 with the Grifo IR-8, which used a small-block Ford Boss 351 engine (5.8-litre) as its power-train. This was the last new Iso of any type, as the manufacturer went bankrupt; it shut down and ceased all operations permanently in 1974. The bankruptcy had a number of causes, perhaps the largest being the 1973 oil crisis, which significantly reduced demand for cars with large displacement engines. History Iso S.p.A. was already well known for producing the high-performance Rivolta IR 300; a sleek looking 2+2 Coupe based on Chevrolet Corvette mechanicals. After leaving Ferrari, in 1961 Giotto Bizzarrini set up “Prototipi Bizzarrini” in Livorno, Tuscany where he designed and consulted for marques such as ATS, Lamborghini, and Iso. In 1963, he designed the Iso Grifo A3/L ("L" for Lusso, Italian for "luxury") for Renzo Rivolta, who was looking for a follow-up to his IR 300. The body was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone, while Bizzarrini put his expertise in the mechanicals. Bizzarrini figured there would also be a demand for a race version of the Grifo and developed the A3/C (C for Corsa) with a dramatic, modified alloy body. He later dubbed it his “Improved GTO", as he designed the 250 GTO when he had worked for Ferrari. In the Corsa, he moved the engine back about , making the A3/C a front, mid-engine car. To adjust the timing, mechanics had to remove a piece of the dashboard. Both the racing and road legal versions of the car were being built simultaneously. When leaving the factory, the Iso Grifo was