Iso Rivolta Lele History

Introduced in 1969, the Lele was intended as a direct replacement for the ageing IR 300, occupying the slot between the two-seat Grifo and the four-door Fidia. The name honoured Lele Rivolta, wife of Piero Rivolta (son of founder Renzo), who had taken over the company after his father's death in 1966. Styling was by Marcello Gandini at Bertone — the designer then also working on the Lamborghini Miura and Stratos — giving the Lele a fastback coupe profile with a broad, muscular stance.

Like its siblings, the Lele was powered initially by Chevrolet V8 engines (300 or 350 hp), and switched to Ford Cleveland power for the IR-6 variant introduced in 1972. In total 285 Leles were built across its production run — roughly 160 of those being the Ford-engined IR-6 cars. The Lele remained in production until Iso's bankruptcy at the close of 1974, making it one of the final curtain-calls of the original Iso GT era.