Italians always wants to add flair into every thing they create; especially their cars. While the country has a number of renowned car manufacturers to brag about (i.e. Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini), there’s one car that people may have forgotten. That vehicle is the Iso Grifo sports car.

Thanks to Renzo Rivolta, founder of Iso S.p.A and Italian designer Giotto Bizzarrini (the famous designer of Ferrari’s 250 GTO), the Iso Grifo was born. The sports car made its debut at Turin in 1963, although it would take two more years for a production model to come out.

Under the hood, the Iso Grifo sported a 327-cubic-inch small block V-8 engine. This engine was the same type used on the Chevrolet Corvette. Iso Grifo owners were treated to an option wherein they could have the engine produce the standard 300 bhp or the upgraded 365 bhp. Given the power that its engine could produce, the Iso Grifo was able to hit the top speed of at least 160 mph (when producing 365 bhp). This speed allowed the Iso Grifo to go head-to-head with other Italian supercars released during its time.

Aside from having a powerful engine, the Iso Grifo was equipped with a front suspension that consisted of conventional wishbones and coil springs. It also had a separate rear suspension that used a coil-sprung De Dion live axle. The sports car was also equipped a set of four-wheel brake discs and a steering recirculating-ball. Thanks to these components, drivers of the Iso Grifo were able to get a smooth driving experience backed by exceptional brake performance.

While the Iso Grifo looked good both on paper and in its actual appearance, it still wasn’t enough to attract buyers. The one knack it had was that the car just wasn’t considered as prestigious as its contemporaries, which were produced by top car companies such as Lamborghini or Maserati. As a result, the Iso Grifo garnered lackluster sales, prompting the line to be cancelled in 1974.

But despite all that, the Iso Grifo is still one of the best looking and better performing sports cars around. Heck, it could even compete with the best of them at any given day.

Sources: How Stuff Works, Wikipedia