12 August 2022
Understandably, the relatively sober styling of the Lamborghini Islero means it doesn’t get the acknowledgement it deserves.
Lamborghini was responsible for such beautiful designs as the Miura, the Countach, the Diablo, and even the Lamborghini 350 GT.
The 350 GT was built between 1964 and 1966 and was considered the epitome of style.
But for one man, in particular, one who could see behind the façade, the man Ferruccio Lamborghini.
In early May 1968, Lamborghini had just unveiled the successor to the 400GT 2+2 at the Geneva Motor Show, the Islero GT designed by the Marazzi brothers.
Ferruccio was driving an Islero to Lake Iseo in Lombardy to meet a little boat manufacturer by the name of Carlo Riva. Ferruccio was there to order his own Riva Aquarama. Still, typical of Mr Lamborghini, he wanted his Riva powered by a brace of 4-litre Lamborghini V12s rather than the usual Chevy V8s. Carlo Riva unsurprisingly agreed.
Ferruccio was so impressed with the Islero that he instructed Ubaldo Sgarzi, Lamborghini’s head of sales, to have a tailor-made version of the Islero to match his new Riva boat.
The car was registered to Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini SpA (only two Lamborghinis were ever registered in Ferruccio’s name: a Miura SV and a Countach LP 400).
Ferruccio enjoyed his Islero GT for over 20 months, driving it like a ‘Toreador’ for 4,000 km until he replaced it with the then-new Jarama.
