1969 Iso Fidia

ISO Fidia (Saloon), 1967-75

The ISO Fidia was in production from 1967-75. Styled by Giugiaro, it is a front-engine, rear wheel drive saloon seating four people.

Pricier than a Rolls-Royce when new, the ISO Fidia didn't actually launch officially until 1969, two years after it had first been shown. Competing with cars like Maserati's Quattroporte, it targeted the great and the good with a blend of power and style. The second Fidia - the first to be built with right hand drive - was sold to John Lennon. Early cars featured a walnut dashboard and acres of hide inside - from 1971 the dashboard was replaced by a leather trimmed equivalent to bring the car into line with the new Lele grand tourer. This was far from the biggest change during the Fidia production run, however - when General Motors changed its terms and insisted on payment for its Chevrolet V8s prior to dispatch, ISO was obliged to seek engines from Ford instead. Late Fidias use the Cleveland in 5.8 litre form in place of the earlier 5.4 litre Chevrolet unit.

The Fidia never sold as well as the Maserati equivalent, and the oil crisis of the early 1970s certainly didn't help matters. In some production years, total Fidia output barely made it beyond one car per month. By the end of production in 1975 just 192 Fidias had been built across a six year production period.

The obvious competitor was Maserati's four door Quattroporte, the car which always outsold the Fidia in their shared market. Also utilising American V8 power was DeTomaso's Deauville, styled to resemble a Jaguar XJ and using Ford componentry. The Citroen SM Opera would have been available to new buyers of the Fidia, but scarcity rules it out as an option today. If you want the same sense of performance and comfort at a lower price point the Jaguar XJ12 and Daimler Double Six were effectively mass-produced iterations of a similar concept. If you can find a Monica 560, this rare French four door supercar is one of the most beguiling alternatives.