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It’s a pretty big deal to name something important after your spouse. After all, while we avow to until death do we part, sometimes the actual parting comes much earlier, and then with a lot of acrimony. Matrimony to acrimony.
In 1969 however, Piero Rivolta did just that, naming the new Iso 2+2 after his wife, Lele. No disrespect to la Signora Rivolta but the Bertone-styled Lele is perhaps the least remembered of the small Italian maker’s models.
That’s too bad because as you’ll see in this video from SuperCarClassics it’s really stood the test of time. The Lele is a 2+2, and slotted into the Iso lineup between the hair-chested Grifo and the Fidia four-door. Its layout—front/mid engine, capacious four-seat body—put the Lele in direct competition with cars like the Lamborghini Espada and Jarma, Maserati Indy, and Ferrari 365 series.
Of course, those all rocked their own manufacturers’ V8 or V12 engines respectively. The Iso on the other hand, got its power from a good old American V8. Initially that was a Chevy 327 and then a year later a 350. By the time this ’72 was built the agreement with GM to provide engines had soured and so, much like DeTomaso for his cars, Iso went to Ford for their stout 351C. Here it sounds awesome. Check out that sound and feast your eyes on this rare Italian GT right after the jump. After all just because it’s Monday doesn’t mean we can’t learn something new.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/MU8MFv19-Tc[/youtube]
Lede GIF: YouTube