Mike Hailwood’s rare Iso Grifo up for auction

Motorcycling legend’s machine could be yours for £200,000

Even without details of its former owner, this 1966 Iso Grifo GL 350 would be worthy of attention: one of just 26 right-hand drive variants built by the defunct marque, it’s a rare and stunning blend of Italian style and US power.

That it was owned by motorcycling legend Mike Hailwood? Well, that just adds to the provenance of this unique machine.

What’s more, Mike the Bike’s former coupé isn’t just sitting in a museum somewhere, oh no: this 5.3-litre 50-year-old rarity could be yours at Silverstone’s May auction on 19 May – if you have £200,000 going spare.

Read on for all the details.

From bubble to brilliance

Built between 1965 and 1974, the Iso Grifo launched as an unexpected stunner from the manufacturer that had given the world the Isetta bubble car.

Originally shown as a prototype at the 1963 Turing Auto Show, the Grifo was far from a novelty concept: every bit the striking Italian GT, it carried a berlinetta body designed by Bertone.

Italian style, American power

Slightly remodelled for the production version, the Grifo’s beauty was more than skin deep: beneath its Italian shell was a mighty 5.4-litre Chevrolet small-block V8.

Available in 300bhp or 350bhp configuration, coupled with the machine’s relatively low kerb weight the Grifo could hit speeds in excess of 150mph.

Berlinetta beauty

With disc brakes on every corner, better handling than its later big block brethren and a body somewhere between that of a Ferrari and an Aston Martin, it’s little wonder that the Grifo took chunks out of its GT contemporaries.

Just 332 Series I machines were built – and they were arguably the purest in both styling and performance.

Very rare breed

Besides being a Series I example, the model going up for auction is one of only 135 GL 350 models ever made – though that’s not where the rarity ends.

In fact, chassis 660081D is a right-hand-drive Grifo, which puts it into an even smaller category, as a mere 26 such first-series models were built.

Notable owner

Still not uncommon enough? Not to worry: upon its completion in December 1966, this V8-equipped GT was shipped to the then-reigning World Champion of 250cc motorcycle racing, the legendary Mike Hailwood.

For those not familiar with Mike the Bike, he’s arguably the best to have ever ridden on two wheels. Just ask Murray Walker, who deemed him the “greatest motorcycle rider who ever lived”.

Not just good on two

From 14 Isle of Man wins to 9 World Championships – and even a successful stint in Formula 1 – Hailwood was a consummate racer at motorsport’s most dangerous time, even staging a bold return to the TT in 1978 after a debilitating leg injury.

To sit in the driver’s seat of this Grifo, then, is to follow one of racing’s all-time greats.

No garage life for this Grifo

And, far from your average celebrity car – parked or toured around town – Hailwood's machines were worked pretty hard.

Stories of his Iso Grifo outings abound (many of which are noted in the owner’s file supplied at auction), the most notorious involving a high-speed collision with a cow on South Africa’s then-unrestricted open road.

Luckier for some

While that bovine collision totalled Hailwood’s Grifo (and the unfortunate cow), it was thankfully not this GL 350 but another of his several examples that took the blow – which explains how the 350 up for auction (Hailwood’s first) remains in such superb condition today, complete with its original Bianco Polo Park factory finish.

All the documents

Shipped back to the UK in 1970, chassis 081/D is also set to sell with an extensive set of documents and a packed historical file detailing just what its famous former owner did with it.

Besides Hailwood, of course, the Grifo remains a beautiful, lesser-spotted car, deserving of attention on its own merit.

Big money motor

With an interior retrimmed in red leather, this white Iso Grifo is truly a sight to behold, running as it is in remarkable condition, its Italian styling still turning heads today.

Throw in the history with Hailwood and the fact that it’s one of so few right-hand-drive models and you’ve probably got an explanation for its £220,000 lower estimate – and bidding could go even higher come 19 May at Silverstone.