Laying to rest long-time Iso rumors,(or are they true?) | FerrariChat

Laying to rest long-time Iso rumors,(or are they true?)

Discussion in 'Other Italian' started by bitzman, Mar 29, 2019.

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  1. bitzman

    bitzman F1 Rookie
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    Feb 15, 2008
    3,287
    Ontario, CA
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    wallace wyss
    In the '70s I was a member of the Iso Bizzarrini Owners Club (I actually owned a long nose Grifo for about a week before I unwisely sold it in the parking lot of the Barrett Jackson auction). I heard two stories sometime during my association with the car, and still wonder if anybody else has heard them.

    Story 1 Fidia was designed first and then someone said let's sign a small sports car to go with it as its companion in the garage, which explains why a Fidia nose is close in style to a Mangusta if you take the Fidia bumper off. But Iso's owner Reno Rivolta wasn't going for it.

    Story 2 Erich Bitter was in tight with GM. He even put into production a sports car , the Opel Bitter CD, with a design similar to the GM show car, the Opel CD, designed by Chuck Jordan, then no. 2 man in GM styling. Supposedly Erich spread enough doubt about Iso that GM decided to no longer ship 327 Chevy engines and GM transmissions to Iso on credit in '73, which forced Iso to switch to Ford V8s and transmissions.
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