Have You Ever Heard Of – The Iso Lele?

No, Iso Lele isn’t a subtle form of yodelling (you’re reading it again in a silly voice now though aren’t you…) but rather a rare V8 grand tourer from the same company that brought us the Rivolta and the Grifo, two other Italian models that like the Lele aren’t quite as renowned or indeed as remembered as the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of a similar period. That’s OK though, the car was never intended as a production GT, starting out as it did, as a rather generous Christmas present.

The Iso Lele, or Iso Rivolta Lele, was a gift from Piere Rivolta (son of Italian vehicle manufacturer ISO founder, Renzo) at the back end of the 1960s to his wife Rachelle, who’s nickname was Lele, and as far as brownie points go Piere must have notched up a fair few with this one. Lele was probably expecting a bottle of No. 5 and a slap-up meal but instead she got a stylish 350bhp 2+2 designed by Marcello Gandini. Merry bloomin’ Christmas!

Rivolta quickly realised, however, that the Lele was actually pretty decent and so decided to put it into production as a successor to the previous IR 300, albeit with that car’s Bizzarrini-designed chassis. Elements of the suspension setup were also carried over and the Lele featured uneven length double wishbones with coils at the front and a De Dion axle with Watts linkage at the rear. Brakes remained of the disc variety all round and it was typical luxury GT inside with air con, electric windows, sumptuous leather for the derrière and plush carpets underfoot.

Pitted against the Espada from compatriots Lamborghini, certain design elements of the Lele can arguably be attributed to Ferruccio’s GT coupé, but then they were penned by the same master. The Espada may be larger but you just have to look at its roofline and the slightly upswept rear end to see the similarities, but that’s not to say the Lele didn’t stand on its own two feet. Or should we say its own eight cylinders.

Actually, that’s not accurate because the V8 engine nestled under the Lele’s beautifully crafted bonnet wasn’t built by Iso but by General Motors. Initially fitted with a Chevrolet 327ci V8 producing 350bhp and mounted to a four (and later later five) speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox, the Lele is another in a long and distinguished line of Italian-built GT cars powered by American V8 muscle.

The Iso/GM partnership only lasted for about half the cars of the less than 300 Lele’s built, however, due to a falling out over GM’s demands for advanced payment for its engines. Iso wasn’t prepared to do so and promptly told GM to get bent, but in Italian we presume, and with plenty of gesticulating. But the mould had been set and only V8 power would do so Iso turned to another American manufacturer for help and Ford was more than happy to supply its 351ci Cleveland V8 (as well as a new four-speed auto box) and subsequently so was Iso, even though power was down to 325bhp over the previous Chevy lump. Sadly the Lele didn’t last much longer after the swap to Ford power. Approximately 160-odd more cars were made before bankruptcy struck Iso in ’74, putting the kibosh on any further production, Lele or otherwise.

The upshot of all of this, however, is that the Lele is now an incredibly rare classic. Beautifully styled, luxuriously comfortable and with enough grunt to see a seven-ish second 0-60 time and a top speed of around 150mph depending on the gearbox, Iso’s stocking filler is an incredibly tempting proposition. Oh, and it’ll cost you a hell of a lot less than similar spec’d GTs of the era, too. Well today is your lucky day ladies and gentlemen because we just so happen to have a 1972 Iso Lele available for your bidding pleasure via our auctions platform. Hailing from pretty much slap bang in the middle of the Lele’s five year production run, this particular car is fitted with the Ford Cleveland V8, alongside the more desirable and rarer five-speed manual gearbox.

Having covered just 52,828km, which is less than 33,000 miles, this factory original Iso has hardly been used, but that’s not to say it hasn’t been fastidiously maintained. Not only that but the car has been treated to a full and documented bodywork and interior restoration, including a full respray and retrim.

With its smart metallic blue paint over cream upholstery the car presents beautifully and its a tasteful combination. You can’t help but be drawn in by the Lele’s mesmerising lines but it’s the interior for us that really steals the show. Eschewing the usual cow hide commensurate with high end ’70s GT cars this Lele instead comes complete with swathes of plush corduroy. Leather’s hot, it’s uncomfortable, it cracks. Nothing but trouble. We reckon corduroy deserves a renaissance and what better way than inside a charismatic Italian cruiser. Unconventional? Perhaps. Charming as all hell? Absolutely. There’s plenty of headroom, too and even the tallest of drivers won’t have any problems here.

Believed to be the ninth car built of the Cleveland-equipped models what you get is a stylish and mechanically sound (and perhaps more importantly, simple) V8 grand tourer that presents in superb condition throughout. It has power and it has performance but do you know what you’re going to like best? The price. Similar low mileage Italian GTs from the usual big hitters will no doubt set you back a prettier penny than the Lele so whether it’s a car for you to enjoy or a rather generous Christmas gift for a loved one, we’re sure you won’t be disappointed. Dare to be different and chuck in a cheeky bid, you know you want to.