THE ISO RIVOLTA CHRONICLES: EPISODE II

27 December 2017 Redazione News, Vintage, Your Cars

During the first half of the 1950s, Italy was getting over the crisis. The after-war revival resulted in the Italian miraculous boom and made it possible to dare in every field. Motorbike firms explored all possibilities to respond to new market demands, needs or even whims. Having started from a brand of fridges named Iso-Thermos, Renzo Rivolta made his move into the world of engines, launching a new project in 1948. It was the “Furetto” scooter, a bike with fairing, which unfortunately was not as successful as expected. Success arrived later with the Iso 125, otherwise known as “Isoscooter”.

So the small firm in Bresso became third in the list of this market branch, behind Piaggio and Innocenti. The Isoscooter was followed by a version without fairing called the “Isomoto” and by a series of other versions, with different innovations. First came the Iso Sport, mounting trombones that Japanese bikes would use only twenty years later, and then it was the turn of the Iso 200, with automatic driveshaft and clutch. In 1952, it was considered one of the most beautiful bikes of the time. In the second half of the 50s, the Iso bikes time was entering its final phase. Among the latest models born in Bresso, we recall the Iso 250, mounting a 236cc engine with 10,8Hp, selling for the price of 200,000 liras. In that decade, the Iso bikes were selling well, but the Italian way of living was changing very fast, so Renzo Rivolta thought to give his clients something more. They went on producing motorbikes until 1962, when IsoRivolta started focusing on cars. The story ended on December 31st 1974.

In the early fifties, the market was in need of a new kind of vehicle, not too expensive and not too complex to build; something in between a car and a bike, but cheap and performing. So, the Isetta project saw the light. It had to mount a bike engine, have room for two people and shelter them from the weather; easy to enter, comfortable to drive in town and easy to park. The Isetta has come back to life as the subject of a web series called “An Italian Garage”, which tells the story of the IsoRivolta brand in 8 episodes, one of which is devoted to the small car made in Bresso.

The Isetta came from Ermenegildo Preti’s creativity. Mr. Preti, professor at the “Politecnico” in Milan, started from his idea of designing a car with a bike engine. To make it comfortable, its door was mounted on the car front, catching two birds with a stone; no leaning required to get in or out and, once the door was open, the driver could step directly on the pavement. The solution was to have the gear moving with the door.

The three wheels are the second fundamental solution. At the beginning, there was just a single rear wheel, but it had stability problems, so the twin rear wheels were adopted. It had a two-stroke engine and one 236cc cylinder. It produced 9.5Hp at 4,500Rpm and that was, in fact, one of its problems. Its price was also an issue. Renzo Rivolta had reckoned the right price could be 350,000 liras. The first Isetta left the firm in 1953. Unfortunately, not many Italians were attracted to it. The Fiat 600, 4 seats and sold for 590,000 liras, was presented in 1955. Two years later the Fiat 500 would cost only 490,000 liras.

So, after producing nearly 1,000 pieces, the Isetta project ended up in 1954.

Expectations had not been fulfilled, in spite of being involved in a “Mille Miglia” event. Renzo Rivolta had previously signed a deal with BMW. The German brand was going through a difficult moment and was in need of a new model to boost its revenues, meant for the new post-war German and European middle class.The Bavarians bought projects and assembly lines, loaded 20 trucks and moved everything to Munich. They started producing their BMW Isetta with a more powerful 250cc and 12Hp engine. It was a real success. More than 160,000 cars were produced. It had saved BMW and improved IsoRivolta’s situation, since it received royalties from every sale.

Still Rivolta remained faithful to his love for cars. When the GT300 was presented in 1962, Bresso became a true car producing spot, with no more room for microcars. It was the era of luxury GTs. Engines were powerful, bodies were perfect in every detail, meant for Americans and for ruling class protagonists of that time.

To see the documentary about IsoRivolta’s story, CLICK HERE

Article – Daniele Boltin, English version – Nilla Pestrin

Photographs – Alessandro Venier