And there you walk with your dog ... Through a forest in Annapolis in the US state of Maryland. At a certain moment the animal takes a 'turn' that will not make you happy. The animal wants to pee. As he is used to, against a car. However, he does not come back immediately, so as an animal friend you are going 'his' way. And then, you suddenly come face to face with and the beast, a colorful collection of discarded classics including a genuine Iso Grifo GL Coupé. Between all the foliage you will see at least a kilometer away a tatty house and a man who - with a gun under his arm, finger on the 'trigger' - will come walking your way. It happened to one of our readers that it
is not at all important to be mentioned by name and by name. Both men meet and start a conversation. The Iso was parked there forty years ago and never touched again. Left to the elements, nature. The Italian thoroughbred - originally from Chevrolet Corvette V8 and 350pk powerrrr, coupled to a Borg Warner T10 'top loader' four-speed gearbox - dates from 16 June 1967. Was delivered in the color black. With cream-colored interior and shipped directly from Italy to the United States. The chassis number can be read as GL * 730143 *. Coming home this appears to be the 15e Grifo of the original 45 that were originally exported to the States. In addition, equipped with a final reduction with a ratio of 3.07 to 1 and - which is extremely rare - air conditioning. The Iso Grifo is a design by Giotto Bizzarini - from Ferrari and responsible for, among other things, the 250GTO -, his company Prototipo Bizzarini and Giorgetto Giugiaro then working at Bertone. Production took place at Renzo Rivolta's factory in Milan from 1965 to 1974. About 400 copies were built in that period. Because a Grifo - with a 'tin' bodywork - can also rust terribly, it is no different with this specimen found in a forest. 'Parked' on a trailer, this car turns out to be quite complete. A quick inspection reveals that the engine and gearbox, as well as all the glass, the steering wheel, the hood, the wheels, the gauges are missing. All things that are fairly easy to scrape together. Most importantly, the original chassis plate is still on! The question remains, of course, “Why is such a car left to its own devices?”. Then the friendly-looking conversation partner - who never lets go of his 'firearm' - turns out to have been a garage owner. The remnants of his 'paradise' are still there. The car was once brought there for a repair that did not go smoothly due to a lack of money and was eventually acquired by him against final discharge of the work and storage. One thing is for sure, getting this Iso Grifo presentable and driving again is a challenge, a costly 'joke', a joke that will prove to be worth the investment at the end of the ride. A beautiful Grifo - with 'tin' bodywork nowadays does 4-5 tons at auctions. To US dollars, yes. When it is finally completely 'finished', may that amount have doubled? Time will tell ...