As we revealed a couple of months ago, there’s a new Vision GT in town, and its from one of the coolest manufacturers ever.
Unveiled today at the Tokyo Motor Show press day, we’ve finally got our first proper look at Zagato’s entry to the program: the Iso Rivolta Zagato Vision Gran Turismo.
Iso originally produced motorbikes and motorized scooters. It found fame through its creation of the Isetta (or “little Iso”) bubble car. Later manufactured by BMW, the micro car with its famous front-hinged door sold more than 100,000 examples.
Under the direction of the company’s founder, Renzo, and later his son Piero, Iso turned its attention to performance sports and GT cars in the 1960s. The brand made the stunning Rivolta and Grifo coupes, with the Fidia and Lele joining the marque later in its life. Two more recent attempts at reviving Iso, with a pair of concept Grifo models in the 1990s, sadly came to nothing.
The new Vision car takes inspiration, and its name, from the original Iso Rivolta. This classic 60s GT car was the result of an extraordinary collaboration between some of the greatest names in motoring history: Bizzarrini, Giugiaro, Bertone and Renzo Rivolta himself. Iso married Italian design with American muscle, with the car using a 327ci (5.4-liter) Chevrolet V8 derived from that fitted to the Corvette.
In that respect, the new Zagato car is similar to the original. This car has a 4.5-liter V8 built by Callaway. It’s slightly more potent than before, with 552hp. It still drives just the rear wheels though, and the concept video appears to show the gearbox as a stressed member. That’s more commonly seen in racing cars than road cars, perhaps hinting at Iso’s sporting history.
As with the teaser reveal at MCH Basel last month, Andrea Zagato, CEO of Zagato, unveiled the Vision GT at the Tokyo Motor Show. Zagato is the grandson-in-law of Renzo Rivolta, having married Marella, Piero’s daughter — who is also the company’s design director.
Although the reveal comes on the same day as a GT Sport update, the Zagato Iso Rivolta Vision Gran Turismo isn’t available in the game just yet. However Polyphony Digital advises us that it “will be just a little longer” until it arrives via update.
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