by Mike Gulett –
Zagato has announced a new car and “the rebirth of the IsoRivolta brand”, although the official announcement will not come until October 2020, along with the price. They plan to make only 19 with 9 already sold.
The photos show a beautiful modern update to the original Iso A3/C (and the later Bizzarrini GT 5300). I like that Zagato did not address this design like a modern and wild Lamborghini or Ferrari.
Zagato did not mention Giotto Bizzarrini who engineered the original and contributed much to the styling with his intentions to make it more aerodynamic. Zagato also did not mention that the original style of the A3/C is credited to Giorgetto Giugiaro when he was with Bertone (a defunct competitor of Zagato).
The Iso Rivolta GTZ by Zagato has a carbon fiber body built on a Corvette Z06 platform with a 6.8 liter Supercharged engine. The original A3/C was made with an aluminum body on a chassis engineered by Iso and Bizzarrini powered by a Corvette 327.
Several styling cues from the original Iso A3/C are present on the new design such as the front split air vents and the induction vents on the hood. A clever air vent design on the rear of each side is presumed to exhaust air from the rear wheel wells as the original A3/C did with a vent right behind the rear wheels. The side vents on the upper fenders in front of the front wheels exhaust air from the engine bay, if they perform the same function as the originals. The A3/C also has vents on the lower front fenders that exhaust air from the front wheel wells.
See the slide show at the end with a photo comparison of the original style with the new style.
There are air scoops (or vents) next to each side of the rear window, which are in a similar location to air vents on the A3/C that were below each side of the rear window drawing air from under the car just above the rear in-board brakes which helped cool the brakes and remove air from underneath the rear of the car and thus improving under the car aerodynamics.
The aerodynamic slab side of the original A3/C is gone and I assume that the gas tanks in the rocker panels are gone too.
The round tail lights look similar to the original A3/C (although later the design was changed to a single tail light per side) as do the covered headlights and both are beautiful. The side profile shows the nearly flat rear window made famous by Bizzarrini for aerodynamic purposes along with the Kamm tail which is similar but not identical to the original.
While I am all in favor of this new venture, I have some questions:
1. Why only 19 examples of the Iso Rivolta GTZ to be built?
2. Are there more Iso Rivolta models on the way? The last Zagato Iso Rivolta was apparently a design exercise, maybe designed just for a video game.
3. Should the price of the Iso Rivolta GTZ be more or less than an original A3/C, or Bizzarrini GT 5300 today?
Some of you may be wondering why Zagato is designing Iso Rivolta cars when Zagato and Iso Rivolta did not work together originally. The answer is – there is a family connection between the Zagato and Rivolta families; Andrea Zagato (CEO of Zagato) is married to Marella Rivolta Zagato, the daughter of Piero Rivolta (the last CEO of Iso Rivolta) and she is the granddaughter of Renzo Rivolta the founder of Iso.
From the Zagato web site,
ISORIVOLTA GTZ
Zagato presents the GTZ: the car which marks the rebirth of IsoRivolta brand. Limited to just 19 units (nine of them already sold), this Gran Turismo has been designed as tribute to the iconic Iso Rivolta A3 of 1963. Italian pure “cloth” from the milanese Atelier, and a powerful american “heart”, since the mechanical base is the Corvette Z06, for a timeless result, beautifully expressed through a Neoclassic design. All-carbon fibre body, 6.8 litres Supercharged engine, the GTZ is a masterpiece for more than 4.500 Iso Rivolta Club Members and Owners worldwide. Car collectors are at the soul of the project. Zagato will deliver the first GTZ in October, releasing the official press contents.
See a comparison of the Iso Rivolta GTZ by Zagato to a Bizzarrini GT 5300 in the slide show below.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
Photos of the Iso Rivolta GTZ compliments of Zagato.
Good. Very good. Far more balanced than the original Bizzarini.
Trouble is, it’s just another Corvette…
Yeah, but a nice Vette!.
For me, I like the E-Jag lines, The front needs to be cleaned up, Lel the front fenders sweep around and create an actual signature styled grill and opening. It is nice all-around from all angles,
Absolutely stunning. Being Corvette-based is a plus in my mind. Service at the local Chevy dealer and the LS engines are powerful and bullet-proof, not that anyone who can afford one of these is going to give a rat’s behind.
Fantastic car. I owned the orginal Bizzarrini Strada in the 80’s (see pic) and find this car just as spectacular.
Pim,
There was a major redesign of the front of your Bizzarrini Strada.
Good looking design, although looks more like a Corvette than the Iso. Too bad they aren’t selling more units at Corvette pricing.
Given the proliferation of restomod shops and parts, you can take almost any car of your liking and have a modern Corvette chassis and drivetrain installed, and with every option, powering your way down the road. You don’t have to wait for some company to offer you a limited retro production model.
I disagree with Mr. Beale. Technically, Corvettes for the last 30 years or so have been outstanding. Just that the styling and quality have been so-so. Even the vaunted C8 looks like high schools kids during lunch threw out all their “cool” ideas to create the new car’s styling.
This Zagato, however, looks better than any Corvette since the mid-year Sting Rays. So, it has the styling that goes with its performance. Wish I had a bank account big enough to order one…
Nice lines, beautiful car.
The former owner told me the car had been in some kind of accident and he had it repaired as it is on the picture. o idea why anyone would do that. First time I saw the car is was lime green. Much nicer, I think. The rear lights were different too.
Pim, What was the chassis number of your Bizzarrini?
What is the GTZ price?
Zagato has not announced the price yet.
That’s why I asked: Should the price of the Iso Rivolta GTZ be more or less than an original A3/C, or Bizzarrini GT 5300 today?
If this info is correct, I don’t know. I sold the car to a collector called mr de Wit. Zwakman repaired his cars so he wasn’t the new owner.
The strange rear lights
Pim,
Those are terrible modifications to the beautiful Bizzarrini GT 5300 (front an rear).
Although there were Bertone badges on some Bizzarrini’s I ‘m in the camp that believes that the A3C/ Bizzarrini was designed in house, by someone on Giotto’s payroll, just like the Bizzarrini Europa and 2+2 was. I think Giugiaro was brought in at the end to clean up some small details. The Bizzarrini is such a great design and haven’t ever heard Giugiaro ever take credit for it. I had dinner one night with a few Iso club members and Andrea and Marella Zagato. We discussed the Ason Martin Zagato design that they had just done and asked why so few? Both of them answered because 9 or less = art. I also think it’s much more easy to control a project with a small number of units. You finish and move on to the next. Both were very vocal about how much it cost to build a chassis and if you notice most of the designs they do are on pre existing chassis’s They know their business well and I imagine they know their sweet spot.
Didn’t the Aston Vanquish Zagato a few years back sell for approx. $900k? 99 made.
Aston is now making 25 replicas of the 007 DB5, with all the gadgets, selling for $3,.4M.
I LOVE IT. BUT THESE CARS ARE ONLY FOR MULTI MILLIONAIRES. TOO BAD I NEVER REPLICATED THE 5300s
I HAD THE MADE THE MOLDS OF.
Zagato is an atelier and produces only collectibles. That’s why only 19 IR GTZ will be produced. Also the price will in line for collectible cars. That’s like a warranty for the future value of the car. The work of Zagato is radical in the body completely rebuild. Also the windscreen angle is different respect to the Vette!
So… yes it’s a very exclusive car, only for multi millionaires. We all can go on with hope, that as in the history of the Iso Rivolta, alter the A3C/GTZ will arrive “cheaper” but fantastic production models like the Grifo GL ,Dreams…
Anyway the GTZ will remain always a ultra-rare model, instant classic ready to be displayed in the best top car meetings.
IMO, with some special corlor and trims and wheels, this GTZ can became really a fantastic jewel!
IT’S A GREAT RETRO CAR. BUT TO ME, IT LOOKS LIKE AND UPDATED BIZZARRINI WITH A ISO REVOLTA NAME.
Too soft. Like the raw look of the original cars. Raw does not mean cheap or crude but raw! Saw someone had purchased the original fiberglass molds and was building cars in the US on ISO chassis or modern chassis (whatever modern means). One went to Canada.
I agree with Poparad II: The GTZ comes off as too soft and namby pamby. The originals had the mental effect of a switchblade being pulled on you. My biggest complaint of the originals , even to production Bizzarrinis was the way the sides of the car went straight down instead of curving under.
The straight sides turn out to be aerodynamically better than the curved under sides. Helps keep the air from under the car. Whether or not Bizzarrini knew it, I don’t know. He did some aero work at the university early in his work so it’s possible
John T Poparad II
We can be sure that Giotto Bizzarrini understood aerodynamics. The shape of the sides were also impacted by the door sill gas tanks. Bizzarrini used body aerodynamics and under the car aerodynamics.
Look at the side profiles of the Ferrari 250GTO, the Ferrari Breadvan and the Bizzarrini GT 5300, each design becoming more aerodynamic.
Good to hear,
In addition to the Zagato, there’s the Ghepardo. Neither of which capture the essence of the GT 5300 in my eyes. I can see the advantage of cleaning up the under of the nose as the Ghepardo did to limit the entry of the air, and the advantage of working the underneath further as well as a rear diffuser. but the center section looks too fat, and the curves are lost.
Just IMO