1974 Iso Rivolta Lele 351 V8 Coupe

Description

The Iso Rivolta Lele is a two-door 2+2 luxury coupe produced in Italy between 1969 and 1974. It filled the gap between the Grifo and the Fidia, while sharing its powertrain with its siblings, and was first presented at the 1969 New York International Auto Show to compete against the Lamborghini Espada. Styled by Marcello Gandini of Bertone, the Lele was initially powered by a 5.4 litre General Motors V8 with either a four-speed manual (later a five-speed ZF unit) or four-speed automatic GM transmission. In 1972, after about 125 cars had been made, Iso replaced the Chevrolet engine with Ford's 5.7 litre Cleveland V8, also sourcing the automatic transmission from the Blue Oval. The ZF manual remained, the German technology company also providing the power steering. The Lele’s chassis was the same Bizzarrini design in use by Iso since its IR 300. It had an unequal-length double-wishbones front suspension with coil springs, while the rear suspension consisted of a de Dion layout with a Salisbury axle unit. Inboard disc brakes were used on all four wheels, which were Campagnolo alloys. Inside, the leather-clad interior featured lashing of leather and creature comforts like air conditioning and electric windows along with plush carpeting. The speedometer and tachometer were placed behind the steering column with an ammeter, fuel gauge and water and oil temperature gauges in the centre console. The angular Gandini styled 2+2 body with partially hidden headlights as not to everyone’s taste and only 285 cars were made, around 160 of them with Ford-power. Named after Lele Rivolta, wife of Piero Rivolta (son of company founder Renzo), production ended in 1974 due to Iso's bankruptcy.