Renzo Rivolta was an omnipresent industrialist and serial innovator.

Tracing his manufacturing roots to before World War II, he built everything from refrigerators to scooters before the sale of his Isetta bubble car venture to German giant BMW.

The proceeds of the deal launched Iso Rivolta as a car manufacturer proper, with its eponymous Bertone-styled four-seat coupé arriving in 1962, followed three years later by the sportier Grifo.

Styled by Bertone’s Giorgetto Giugiaro and engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini, the new model was a gran turismo in every sense and a true competitor to the Ferrari Daytona and Maserati Ghibli.

But like the Rivolta—and very unlike its rivals from Emilia Romagna—the Grifo was powered by an American V-8.

Simple, rugged and powerful, Chevrolet’s 5.4-litre small block was rated at 300 horsepower, offering performance to match Bertone’s eye-catching coachwork.

By 1968, the 186-mph 7-Litri arrived, propelled by Chevrolet’s famed “L71” Tri-Power V-8.

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