by Flavio Campetti –

The Iso Millennium Committee is a group of Iso Rivolta enthusiast in Bresso (Milan – Italy), the hometown of the Iso (where the Iso Factory was established by Commendatore Rivolta, after WW II).

In 2000-2001 a group of bold people were able to change the destiny of the Iso Factory from full demolition to preservation of an important section of the buildings, through efforts like Iso meetings, local and international petitions, events, the project of conversion applicable to the former industrial site, to give it a new life as Iso Rivolta Museum and multifunctional Hall for culture and aggregation activities.

All of this fascinating project convinced the Bresso Administration to save three hangars of the former Iso Factory.

The hard work for Iso Millennium never stopped for 16 years, but now a crucial phase is here just for the Iso Museum building.

This building is the most important place of the ISO FACTORY in Bresso: here was located the Commendatore Rivolta Office on the ground floor, and the research and development office, on the first floor, where the Grifo was designed, as happened for many other Iso vehicles in the fifties and sixties.

Now this building is ready to became ISO MUSEUM, conceived in the original project to give space to a Restaurant (thematic restaurant, dedicated to Iso: practically a preview of the Museum gallery), services and sponsor representative spaces and facilities.

The owner of the structure is the Bresso Town Council Administration. After such a long time, they decided not to manage directly the Museum (the idea of creating an Iso Foundation was never finalized) so now they want to get to a conclusion by assigning it to private initiative.

A Public Announcement will be released quite soon (late summer or early autumn, maybe), open to all able to present a project with a study of financing, management and preservation of the Iso heritage.

But nobody knows if the original project, a full size museum, “heart of Iso in the world”, will be effectively created.

To be honest, the impression is that if the “correct” managers are not found, all of this will be lost.

Yes, it’s sad, but there’s the risk to miss forever the dream to get the place which holds and preserves the memory of a such an important brand with huge production of successful motorbikes up to the fabulous Gran Turismo of the sixties-seventies (bodied by Bertone, designed by Giugiaro, Gandini, designer of the gotha of Italian automotive avant garde) through the queen of the microcars: the Isetta (meaning little Iso, in Italian), a project that saved BMW!

Incredible sport history of the Bresso brand, tell us of participation at the Mila Miglia with Isetta (winning the absolute “Perfomance Index” category), 24 Hrs of Le Mans, Sebring, 1000 Km of Monza on the banked curves, Nurburgring… with the Grifo A3C developed by Bizzarrini (father of the Ferrari GTO…, the A3C was its final extreme evolution), getting to Formula 1 chapter, under the guidance of Frank Williams that, at the end, on the basis of the Iso Ford team, created the Williams F1 Team (Iso F1 models -IR1, IR2- have already chassis “FW” numbered!), with drivers like Merzario, Laffitte, Ickx, Van Lennep, fighting against Stewart, Fittipadi, Lauda, just to say something!

All this incredible heritage NEED to be PRESEVED. Actually, not all of us own Isos and not all of us have capital to invest, BUT Iso Millennium Committee ask to ALL to consider this opportunity, start contacts, evaluate solution, circulate the news, write articles to put the news under the eyes of the right person, with skills of management, programming, availability of budget, but first of all: a big PASSSION for those cars is a must. Not only the head, but also the heart.

This Iso Factory offers effective business opportunities, to be taken in consideration, with the prestige of building and managing the most important Iso Rivolta museum in the world. There are real possibilities for creating a Restaurant on the theme of Iso Rivolta that could became a point of reference in Italy in this category, offering a true full immersion experience for its guests, but there are also possibilities for other kind of commercial/representative presence (for Sponsors, for car International Auction Brands) because the project is still flexible and customizable, always with respect to the historical memory of the ISO of Bresso.

It’s a unique opportunity!

For official information get in contact with Bresso Town Council or for preliminary information contact ISO MILLENNIUM.

Help us, help Iso, a piece of automotive history.

Thank you!

Contact

Iso Millennium: info@isomillennium.it

Bresso Town Council: segreteria.istituzionale@bresso.net

Let us know what you think about the Iso Rivolta museum in the Comments.

Flavio Campetti was born in the Bresso/Milan area and is a classic car lover especially of the Iso marque. He wrote an excellent book about Iso, “Da Iso a ISORIVOLTA, Il fascino di un marchio”.

 

 

More photos are in the slide show below.