by Mike Gulett –
It has been known for many years in the Iso community where the one and only Iso Grifo A3/L Spider was hiding. It had been hoarded away by a Mr. Rudi Klein, who also hoarded many other classic and rare cars. He stored the Grifo Spider in a warehouse in Southern California for a very long time.
Mr. Klein was reclusive and secretive and refused to sell this one-off prototype. He did, however, allow two Iso experts (Gerd Eckstein and Winston Goodfellow) to visit this special Iso and take some photos many years ago. Below is one photo taken that day.
Iso Grifo A3/L Spider Rotting In A Warehouse Somewhere in Southern California – photo by Winston Goodfellow
I have seen the Iso Grifo A3/L prototype coupe several times in person but I have never seen this Grifo Spider prototype in person. The coupe has been restored at least two times over the years and still looks like an amazing show car. The spider prototype has been neglected for decades, not restored, not even cared for properly and certainly not shared with the world of car lovers.
The Original Iso Grifo A3/L Spider – photo from the book ISORIVOLTA The Men, The Machines by Winston Goodfellow
The spider was crashed resulting in front end damage before Mr. Klein acquired it as evidenced by the photos below and the front end repair was not done correctly back to the original design. The prototype front end design is also different than the production Iso Grifo GL.
The original possibly in the showroom in Culver City wearing a luggage rack – photo from Wallace Wyss
When it was displayed in Culver City it lacked the center nose grille divider so looked Camaro-ish – photo from Wallace Wyss
I hope that the new owner appreciates the body design change (understanding the subtle difference between the prototypes and production Grifo GL), and restores the Grifo Spider to its original style, gets rid of that ugly luggage rack and paints it the original color.
It is sad to think that such a treasure was hidden away for so many years and allowed to deteriorate to the level we see in the recent auction photos.
This special one-off car is coming up for auction on Saturday, 26 October 2024 by RM Sotheby’s.
RM Sotheby’s writes,
* The only original Grifo convertible built; a one-off example
* A partner to the original Grifo A3/L prototype coupe, with subtly unique styling
* Exhibited when new on the European auto show circuit
* Acquired by Rudi Klein in 1980 from legendary enthusiast Greg Garrison
* Largely unseen within the collection for over four decades
* Ideal basis for restoration, with great concours potential
* Estimate – $700,000 – $1,000,000 USD – Offered Without Reserve
Auction photos by Patrick Ernzen ©2024 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
Mike, hHile being an Iso, itwas a speculative build of a fabulous car by Bertone, and I believe needs to be returned to the state it was in when presented to the world at the Geneva Car show in March 1964. It is worth noting that it was red at the time of the Geneva show, as is documented in Style Auto issue 3 (spring, I think) 1964, and only later changed color.
What was the original color?
Red, like most show cars the color changed several times – but as I said above, in the publication Style Auto of spring ’64 the car was red.
And here is a period press photo
Peter,
Thank you for this information about the color. I could not tell the color from the b&w photos in the Goodfellow book.
This will be the ultimate Grifo and can’t wait to see it restored on the show circuit! Wish I had the $$$.
Guess they’ll leave the dust and dirt on it for the auction to add value to the barn find?
Here’s a nice detail from the 1964 Style Auto article.
I think this must be at the 1965 Geneva Show.
I like that color better than red.
Rudy Klein.
Hi Mike and all,
I am a new kid on this block. Hello guys and girls! What a wonderful and passionate website! What do we know about the other Grifo in the auction: Chassis 056. No info on the build list. High mileage. What did it get up to before its bump !?
Regards
Tom H (UK)
Hi Tom,
Welcome to My Car Quest.
The RM Sotheby’s listing records the info from Chris Lackner’s list, which shows no history after being sold new in Italy.
RM Sotheby’s says this Grifo has been in the Rudi Klein junkyard since 1971 at only 5 years old when it was purchased from Robert J. and Patricia L. Kalis of La Habra, California. The stated milage of 50k miles does seem high for only a five year old Grifo.
$1,875,000 USD | Sold
Good Afternoon Mike:
I stumbled across the page while researching my next book, in which the Iso Grifo is a main topic.
The Grifo Spider was shown in three different colors. First was the orange at its debut in Geneva 1964. It was then shown at Turin 1964 in an emerald green. The last showing was in the sage/silver at Geneva in 1965, and as seen in the Italian magazine that Chris posted. What’s most interesting about that article is the light colored interior, for at Geneva and Turin in ’64 the interior was black. It was then returned to black by the time the car came over to the States in around 1967.
It is currently undergoing a Pebble Beach quality restoration, and will be returned to its original configuration. The only question is which show…
And that Grifo 056 had 50k miles on it in 1971 really isn’t that shocking. Back in the day a lot of Grifo owners used their cars as daily drivers, and if those folks were commuting around southern California, doing 12,000 miles a year would have been easy
Finally, Rudi was a peculiar dude. He could be friendly or prickly, depending upon the day. I was in junkyard probably 5-6 times in the 1980s, including when I went there with a friend who wanted to buy Grifo 056. It was basically in near mint original condition, save the damage that caused Rudi to get the car.
Keep up the good work. You have a wonderful site and your passion for cool things automotive is much appreciated.
With best regards,
Winston Goodfellow