The GM 327 cubic inch engine holds a soft spot for many Aussie hearts, particularly those who follow the Holden brand and in particular the first Bathurst 1968 Monaro coupe, the HK 327. For others, the 5.4 litre engine powered Chevrolet offerings such as the Corvette, Bel Air and Impala.

With Australia's long association with US marques it was no surprise we turned to the US when we got serious about V8 power. No point in reinventing the wheel. What may come as some surprise is that we were not the first country to use the 327 powerplant when we needed enough horses to kick the barn down ... or win one of the world's great races as the Monaro 327 did in 1968.

Enter the Italians, in particular Iso founder, Renzo Rivolta. Like the Italian soccer team they also pushed the boundaries, when it came to what went under the bonnet of a classic Italian design from Bertone. We found a 327 small block lurking beneath this superb Bertone-designed Iso Rivolta at the RACQ's Motorfest in July 2010. As much as we are loyal and love our early Monaros – having owned a HK 327 – this Bertone Rivolta coupe is simply something else.

This car is owned by Brian Scott who believes Renzo Rivolta probably did not trust Italian mechanicals to complete the job he wanted. This becomes more evident when you look further under the Rivolta. Jaguar supplied most of the suspension including the de Dion axles and the all-round disc brakes. It may sound like a mongrel but has the looks of a purebred, the performance of a Corvette and the handling of a Jaguar coming as it did, shortly after Jaguar's succession of Le Mans wins.

The car was first shown at the Torino Motor Show in 1962. Our featured car is a 1964 model, one of only around 700 Iso Rivoltas that made it off the production line. While the car was Rivolta's concept, the execution was left to Iso chief engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, a former Ferrari engineer, and chassis designer Giorgetto Giugiaro with Bertone adding the stylish body of the coupe and GT version.

It was Bizzarrini who selected the small block 327 (5.4 litre) Turbofire Chevrolet engine which at the time was slotted into the 1962 Corvette, replacing the 283 cubic inch V8. The four speed manual shifter from Corvette was also utilised. Rivolta wanted a car light enough to make the most of the engine, while the engineer Bizzarrini had to come up with a design that was strong enough to maintain torsional rigidity. The end result was a superb chassis of pressed steel and welded panels. It went on to become a highly acclaimed piece of engineering in the cut-throat world of European grand touring cars.

Iso advertisements tell a story of a marriage made in heaven – something akin to Sophia Loren marries Clark Gable – beauty weds power, with the bridesmaids supplied by Jaguar. The bottom line is impressive: 0-60 mph in just 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 130 mph. Those lucky enough to drive one found themselves surrounded in Connolly leather.

Perhaps the most incredible aspect of the remarkable Iso Rivolta actually has nothing to do with that car. Iso started as a small manufacturer of motorcycles, possibly best described as scooters and many closer to the mopeds now famous, or infamous, on Australia's Gold Coast. The natural extension of the scooter idea was a motorcycle-based micro car. Iso combined with aeronautical engineer Ermenegildo to design the strange little Isetta. Isetta stands for `Little Iso' and this little marvel was made famous not by Iso, but BMW who bought the rights to the design and the BMW Isetta became famous throughout the world.

What is remarkable about this is that a company capable of producing the Isetta – a minuscule vehicle that saved BMW's bacon after WW2 – could turn it's attention to a car that would house an American muscle-car engine. The reality is the licensing income from BMW allowed Iso to look at more exotic models and the Rivolta came along after taking short, but not imprudent, cuts with the engine, gearbox and suspension. Despite the high-performance, handling and styling the Iso Rivolta was a failure where it mattered – on, or should we say off, the showroom floor. It is, however, one of the more interesting Italian cars – with extended links to our own HK Monaro. To pigeon hole the Rivolta it is simply a little known classic waiting to be discovered.