ISO: company history, the designer and the factory drawing
19.08.2026
The ISO page now also tells the story of the company. Renzo Rivolta took over a maker of refrigerators and radiators in 1939; during the war production moved to Bresso near Milan. From 1948 the firm built scooters and lightweight motorcycles, and in 1953 came the Isetta with its front door: numbers stayed modest in Italy, but as the BMW Isetta it became a mass success. With the Rivolta GT, ISO turned in 1962 to grand tourers with V8 engines; in 1974 it was over.
The prototype on the 500 was drawn by Pierluigi Raggi, who headed the design office at ISO and had drawn the body and frame of the Isetta. His factory drawing of 17 June 1961 is shown on a new documentation page.