1965 Iso Grifo A3/C
Ferrari’s legendary GTO engineer Giotto Bizzarrini created this extraordinary Italian-American hybrid after leaving Maranello.
Working with industrialist Renzo Rivolta, Bizzarrini developed a sophisticated platform chassis for what would become one of the most celebrated GT cars of the 1960s. The A3/C designation stood for “Corsa” (competition), distinguishing it from the luxury A3/L variant.
The stunning coachwork came from Giorgetto Giugiaro’s pen at Bertone, with lightweight riveted aluminum bodywork constructed by Carrozzeria Sports Cars (Drogo) in Modena.
About 20 of these cars were built with the distinctive riveted Drogo body, featuring side vents and four round taillights echoing the Le Mans competition cars. The advanced chassis layout delivered excellent weight distribution and handling for its era.
Powering this Italian exotic was a 327 cubic inch Chevrolet Corvette V8, typically producing between 350 and 400 horsepower depending on tune, with some competition-prepared examples reaching higher figures.
Top speed was around 170-175 mph, placing it among the fastest GT cars of its day. The marriage of Italian design and American reliability solved many of the dependability issues that plagued contemporary exotics.
With roughly 23 Drogo-bodied Stradale examples built out of a total production run of about 124 A3/Cs between 1963 and 1968, these remain some of the rarest and most desirable GT cars of the era.
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