Iso Lele

The Iso Lele (also: Iso Rivolta Lele Lele IR6 ) was a 1969-1974 sports coupe built by the Italian company Iso Rivolta. The dramatically designed Lele was available with Chevrolet and Ford engines. He was the last new model, which the brand presented prior to entry in 1974.

• 3.1 The basic model
• 3.2 The Lele Marlboro

Background

The Lele goes back to a one-off that had iso 1969 made ​​for an American customer. On the technical base of the Iso Rivolta 300 Marcello Gandini for Bertone designed a stylistically independent hatchback coupe. The car was exhibited at the 1969 Turin Motor Show and received an unexpectedly large consent, so that Piero Rivolta, who took over after his father's death in 1966 the management of the company, decided to mass production.

The Lele was available from May 1970; the first copy with the chassis number 500001 was completed on May 2, 1970. The name of the car was a tribute to Piero Rivoltas wife Rachele, commonly " Lele " was called.

In the model range of the brand Iso Lele of the four-seat between the two-seater high -performance sports car Grifo and the four-door sedan Fidia was positioned. So he took up the position of 1963 featured IR 300, whose production ceased Iso few months after the launch of the Lele.

Construction and Technology

The body

The essentially new at Lele was the body. The lines were a mélange of curves and sharp angles. The front end offered dual headlights that were hidden under a flap built into the hood in half. When activated, the lid lifted slightly. This design feature was later adopted for the revised Iso Grifo and later copied by several competitors. Thus, half-hidden headlights also found on the Lamborghini Jarama, also a Gandini design, further to a design by Pietro Frua for a second series of the Maserati Quattroporte and finally to an individual piece of AC Cars called 429, which was based on a Monteverdi High Speed ​​375 and was also designed by Frua. Also notable was the side line of the Lele. Of the high-set side posts, the waistline dropped from first to the stern to rise again. This motif was repeated during a lateral bead, and also at the line of bumpers. The vehicle ended with a wide overhanging hatchback, into which a small trunk lid was integrated. The tail lights finally came from the Fiat 124 Coupé of the first series. This corresponded to the rear design to that of Iso Fidia.

Of particular elegance was the interior, which made ​​a very valuable impression through the lavish use of leather and the skillful use of understated wood inlays. This interior design was adopted for the sedan Iso Fidia shortly thereafter. However, the somewhat random placement of acting also sharp levers and switches has been criticized in the press. The models Lele Lele Marlboro and sport had a differing therefrom dashboard.

The technique

Chassis and Chassis corresponded largely to the Iso Rivolta IR 300 Regarding the engines made ​​the Lele do the same as the Lele and the limousine Fidia with: After initially Chevrolet engines were built, put iso 1971 on eight-cylinder engines from Ford were reason for this repeated financial difficulties Isos and the fact that General Motors demanded a payment on receipt of order with regard to it.

There were each different power levels that could be associated with different final drive ratios. The 7.0 used in the Iso Grifo - or 7.4 -liter versions of these engines were in Lele, however, not available. The following engine and transmission options were proposed:

• Iso Lele 300 with a 304 SAE hp 5.3 or 5.8 liter Chevrolet V8 ( Chevrolet Corvette Turbo Fire 327 ) and manual four-speed transmission by Chevrolet or automatic three-speed transmission by General Motors.
• Iso Lele 350 with a tuned to 335 and 350 PS 5.3 or 5.8 liter Chevrolet V8 ( Chevrolet Corvette Turbo Fire 327 ) and manual four-speed transmission by Chevrolet or a manual five-speed transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen.
• Iso Lele IR6 with a 330 SAE hp Ford Cleveland V8 ( 5.8 liters ) combined with a manual five-speed transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen or a Cruise -O -Matic three -speed automatic transmission from Ford
• Iso Lele Sport or Iso Lele Marlboro with a tuned to 360 hp Cobra Jet eight-cylinder engine from Ford and a manual five-speed transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen.

In addition, the Lele used numerous other technology components from different suppliers. The differential was obtained from Salisbury, the steering column corresponded to that of Fiat 130

The versions

The basic model

The basic vehicle was first sold as Iso Rivolta Lele. From 1971 the model was the addition IR6 without that - apart from the fact - anything would have changed.

The Lele Marlboro

1973 appeared a Lele Marlboro called version with a tuned engine. This version was designed by Giotto Bizzarrini and Giuseppe Caso. The engine was revised; which particularly affected the intake and exhaust ports. The work was the engine power to 360 hp. At the same time the weight of the Lele was waiver of insulating material and a lighter interior, which mainly consisted of a simple -designed dashboard lowered. The bumpers were made of plastic, and installed on the front end Caso Bizzarrini and a simple but striking black front spoiler. The Lele Marlboro version should make a direct reference to the same time initiated Formula 1 gig of Iso Rivolta, the the work undertaken together with the British team, Frank Williams Racing Cars and the cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris International in the 1973 season. Early publicity photos showed Piero Rivolta and Frank Williams next one (but normal equipped ) Lele, later created images in which a Lele Marlboro was mapped together with the racer Arturo Merzario and a Formula 1 car of type Iso - Marlboro IR1.

By the end of the Formula 1 involvement only a few copies of Lele Marlboro, which were delivered primarily to representatives of Philip Morris created. In the motor sports literature a span of two to five copies is called. One of the vehicles was delivered to the Formula 1 racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi.

The presented Lele Sport 1974 continued the concept of Lele Marlboro. The car met technically in almost all the details Lele Marlboro. It was - to a very high original price - available for the general clientele; in view of the oil crisis, which reached its peak in 1974 and the demand for high-performance sports car was falling heavily, but few vehicles emerged. Taken together, probably about 20 copies of the Lele Lele Marlboro and sports have arisen.

The British automobile magazine Car tested a Lele Sport in the summer of 1974. The testers questioned the accuracy of the published performance data from the factory and were given the measured acceleration values ​​of the view that the actual value of which amounted to less than 300 hp. The driving behavior was described as " lively, but not uncomfortable ." The engine on climb " unwillingly " the level of 5,400 revolutions per minute, but the maximum power at 5,800 revolutions per minute will delivered. The drive train of the vehicle under test was faulty. The testers complained jerk movements and sounds when the load changes, and after running for 7000 miles broke the clutch. Overall, the testers gave it the Lele Sport for a disappointing car.

In spring 2011, one of the rare Lele Sport for the price of £ 52,000 has been offered for sale.

The production figures

The Lele was not a success in commercial terms. A total of no more than 295 vehicles were produced in all versions between 1969 and 1974. The production figures broken down as follows:

Production figures for the different versions:

• Prototype Chevrolet 5.3 liter engine 300 hp: 1
• Chevrolet 5.3 liter engine 300 hp: 42
• Chevrolet 5.3 liter engine 350 hp: 6
• Chevrolet 5.8 liter engine 300 hp: 74
• Chevrolet 5.8 liter engine 350 hp: 4
• Ford 5.8 liter engine 325 hp: 129
• Ford 5.8 liter engine 360 hp "Sport": 24
• Ford 5.8 liter engine 360 hp " Marlboro ": 5
• Configuration is not known: 9
• Unfinished Karosserieen: 16 (incl. FGN 500317 )

The Ennezeta Lele

The former ISO employee Roberto Negri and Maurizio Zanisi founded in 1976 in Paderno Dugnano the new company Ennezeta Srl and presented to 1979 some copies of her models Grifo, Fidia and Lele.