Iso Lele: Gandini’s 2+2 grand tourer with American V8 power

The Iso Lele was a 2+2 grand tourer built by Iso Automoveicoli between 1969 and 1974. Styled by Marcello Gandini of Bertone, it filled the gap between the Grifo and the Fidia and shared its American V8 powertrain with its siblings, but sales never matched its comfort or its looks.

Iso Lele at a glance

History of the Iso Lele

The Lele was conceived as a Christmas present for Rachelle “LeLe” Rivolta, wife of Piero Rivolta and daughter-in-law of the founder Renzo Rivolta, and the car took her name. It was decided to put it into production to succeed the IR 300, and it was first presented to the public at the 1969 New York International Auto Show. As a 2+2 it sat between the two-seat Grifo and the four-door Fidia, and it was aimed squarely at the Lamborghini Espada. The angular body was the work of Marcello Gandini, Bertone’s chief designer.

At first the Lele used a General Motors V8 of 300 or 350 hp, coupled to a four-speed manual gearbox, later a ZF five-speed, or a four-speed automatic from General Motors. In 1972, after about 125 cars had been produced, GM demanded payment in advance for the engines, so Iso switched to Ford’s Cleveland V8 rated at 325 hp, with a Ford automatic while the manual stayed. The chassis was the Bizzarrini-designed unit used by Iso since the IR 300: unequal-length double wishbones with coil springs at the front, and a de Dion layout with a Salisbury axle at the rear, located by dual trailing arms and a Watts linkage, with Koni telescopic dampers. Disc brakes were fitted on all four wheels and mounted inboard on the chassis. ZF power steering, Campagnolo magnesium wheels and 215/70 VR15 Michelin XWX tyres completed the package.

The interior was trimmed in leather and came with air conditioning, electric windows and plush carpeting. The speedometer and tachometer sat behind the steering column, with four more gauges — ammeter, fuel gauge and water and oil temperature — on the centre console. The headlamps were hidden behind pop-up covers that partly masked the quad lamps when not in use. In 1973 the standard car, now called the Lele IR6, was joined by the Lele IR6 Sport with a 360 hp engine, a compression ratio of 8.6:1, a bore and stroke of 101.6 x 88.9 mm and a 5,800 rpm redline, available only with the ZF five-speed.

The Sport was based on two bespoke cars built for the Iso-Marlboro Formula One drivers Howden Ganley and Nanni Galli. Modified by Bizzarrini, these were stripped of sound deadening, given a new dashboard and a 360 hp 351 Cobra Jet engine; Ganley’s car, painted Marlboro red, debuted on the Iso Rivolta stand at the 1973 Geneva Auto Show, while Galli’s was white. Their styling cues were used for the Sport, and Philip Morris also ordered Marlboro replicas that kept the creature comforts. In the end the Gandini body and the car’s comfortable nature did little for sales: production ended in 1974 with Iso’s bankruptcy after 285 cars.

Design and features

• Gandini styling: a sharp, angular Bertone body quite unlike the rounded Grifo.
• American V8 power: Chevrolet engines at first, then Ford Cleveland units from 1972.
• Bizzarrini chassis: double wishbones in front and a de Dion rear axle, with inboard disc brakes.
• Luxury equipment: leather, air conditioning, electric windows and a full set of auxiliary gauges.

Iso Lele versions

• Lele 300 hp (Chevrolet): 112 cars.
• Lele 350 hp (Chevrolet): 13 cars.
• Lele IR6 (Ford, 325 hp): 135 cars, the main production version after 1972.
• Lele IR6 Sport (360 hp): 20 cars, including three Marlboro replicas, with the ZF five-speed only.
• Lele IR6 Marlboro: two bespoke cars for the Formula One drivers Ganley and Galli, in red and white.

The Lele shared its chassis and V8s with the Grifo and the four-door Fidia, and it was the last new Iso model before the company closed. More cars are in the Iso collection.

Video: ISO RIVOLTA LELE 1972 – Test drive in top gear – Chevrolet V8 Engine sound | SCC TV

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Iso Lele, English Wikipedia: history, chassis, engines, production figures