Renzo Rivolta was born in Desio, a town just north of Milan, into a family of well-respected industrialists who were very active in the community. https://www.isorivoltaofficial.com/
In 1936 Renzo married Marion Barberi, whose family was based in Turin, shared a similar heritage and also was known for its historic, cultural and artistic tradition. Renzo and Marion both exhibited an appreciation f
or nature and for beautiful, fascinating things—if only you know where to look and devote yourself to discovering them. The core business of the Rivolta family was in milling wood and related products. This instilled in Renzo a deep respect for trees, which he planted everywhere he could; but he also had a passion for speed and mechanical devices, which was the true spark that ignited the IsoRivolta story for Renzo and his son Piero. In 1939 Renzo bought a company called Isothermos that was producing refrigerators and heaters. Later he consolidated the business and his home life into one location—a 17th-century villa surrounded by a large tract of land just a short distance from Milan. Renzo and Marion put a lot of love and effort into restoring the classic mansion, which is known to this day as Villa Rivolta. They also planted many new trees on the grounds of the existing estate to create a lovely area that eventually was dubbed the Renzo Rivolta Public Park, following Piero’s wishes. In line with the family’s industrialist nature, they built the company’s new factory next to this park. Being a field that had attracted Renzo since his youth, he eagerly dedicated himself to building scooters, motorcycles, small vehicles and the famous Isetta Bubble Car. It was during this evolution that the company’s name was shortened to simply “Iso.”
In 1962 the time was ripe for a sports car venture, and so the first Gran Turismo, called the IsoRivolta GT, was completed. She was based on a visionary concept for that time: Combine a large-capacity, powerful and reliable engine with an exceptionally performing automobile that is pleasant and safe to drive, especially at high speeds. Following that theme in the mid-1960s, Renzo’s son Piero, who had a PhD in engineering, took the helm of the company and continued to produce a series of exciting new models. It was at this time that the company assumed the final name of IsoRivolta, in tribute to the first GT. In 1971 a new, more modern factory was built in a nearby town called Varedo. By that time, IsoRivolta had become famous among sophisticated, international automotive enthusiasts for its innovative approach in marrying Italian design with American power train, thus producing exceptional and reliable performance cars. IsoRivolta sports and racing cars participated in some of the world's greatest sports car competitions, such as the 12 Hours of Sebring, 1000 Km of Nurburgring, 24 Hours of Le Mans and two seasons in the Formula One racing circuit under the sponsorship of Marlboro.
