Editor’s Note: Many a European exotic car builder during the 1960s and 1970s decided that the best way to get their sleek and sexy cars in production would be to use a tried and true American powerplant. Author Mike Gulett of the My Car Quest blog recently penned a book dedicated to these European-American hybrids, and we asked him to share an excerpt from that book with us. In this section, he discusses the “hybrid” cars of Bizzarrini.

Bizzarrini S.p.A. was an automotive manufacturer in the 1960s, founded by former Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Iso engineer, Giotto Bizzarrini. The company produced a small number of high performance GT sports cars and racing cars before going out of business in 1969. The company was originally named Prototipi Bizzarrini s.r.l. The name was changed to Bizzarrini S.p.A. in 1966.

Bizzarrini graduated, with an engineering degree, from the University of Pisa in 1953 and joined Alfa Romeo in 1954 and then he joined Ferrari in 1957. He worked at Ferrari as a developer, designer, test driver, and chief engineer for five years. His work there included the Ferrari 250 TR, the Ferrari 250 GT SWB (Short Wheelbase Berlinetta), and the famous 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.

Bizzarrini was fired by Enzo Ferrari, along with several others, during the infamous “palace revolt” of 1961. He briefly became part of Automobili Turismo e Sport (ATS), a company started by the ex-Ferrari engineers.

Bizzarrini’s engineering company, Societa Autostar, was hired to design a V12 engine for a new GT car to be built by Ferruccio Lamborghini. This engine was used for the Lamborghini GT350, Lamborghini’s first car, and many other models of Lamborghini cars including the great Miura.

Bizzarrini GT 5300
Beginning in 1964 Bizzarrini worked for Renzo Rivolta at his company, Iso Rivolta, and there he was instrumental in developing three Iso models: the Iso Rivolta GT, Iso Grifo both A3/L and A3/C versions. The A3/C would later become the Bizzarrini GT 5300 (see the Iso chapter).

Iso Grifo A3/C

Bizzarrini split with Rivolta in 1964 and founded his own company that produced approximately 140 cars through 1969 at its Livorno, Italy factory. In 1966 Bizzarrini S.p.A. released a beautiful street legal Grifo A3/C badged as the Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada (or Bizzarrini GT America, depending on the market).

1966 Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada

A race version of the Bizzarrini GT 5300 won its class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965 and finished ninth overall.

Most of the GT 5300 Stradas had an aluminum body and most of the GT Americas had a fiberglass body. The mechanicals were basically unchanged from the A3/C except that a single Holly carburetor was available as an option in place of the four Weber carburetors that were standard on the A3/C.

There were a total of approximately 115 made combining the A3/C and GT 5300 versions. These are very rare and desirable collector cars today. No one knows how many GT 5300s are still in existence because the Bizzarrini factory records have not survived.

Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada Engine

Three GT 5300s were built as beautiful Style Italia designed Spyders (with a targa like top), all of which survive today.

One of the three Bizzarrini Spyders

Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa
Bizzarrini also created a scaled down, low cost alternative to the GT 5300 designed for GM-Opel based on the Opel 1900 platform.  Bizzarrini produced this fiberglass-bodied car as the Bizzarrini GT 1900 Europa. The engine is an inline 4-cylinder 1.9 liter Opel with a power output of 110 hp and a claimed top speed of 128 MPH.

Unfortunately there were approximately only 17 examples of the Europa made between 1966 and 1969.

Road & Track wrote in April 1971 “the Bizzarrini GT 1900 Europa is the kind of Opel GT that GM should have built in the first place.” By the time this article was published the Europa was out of production.

Bizzarrini P538
The American racing driver, Mike Gammino, asked Giotto Bizzarrini to make a car for him to race in the North American Can-Am series. This request resulted in the Bizzarrini P538, which is a mid-engine racecar without a top. Originally two were made with a Lamborghini V12 engine and two were made with the Corvette 327 cid (5.3 liter) V8.

The body is fiberglass over a tubular steel chassis. This is a stunning car in person; however, it did not have a successful race career. Originally introduced in 1965 there have been several continuation cars made since the original four.

Bizzarrini P538

The P538 known as the “Duca d’Aosta” was made for Amedeo Duca d’Aosta, a member of European royalty. It is the only P538 that was legal to drive on the street and that has a proper hardtop.

P538 “Duca d’Aosta”

Bizzarrini Manta
The Bizzarrini Manta is a one off design exercise by the famous Giorgetto Giugiaro. It was the very first design for his new company Italdesign Giugiaro.

The Manta was made in 1968 and uses a unique center driver seating position with a passenger on each side of the driver. An arrangement that was used by the McLaren F1 more than 20 years later. It is a mid-engine configuration and has a very low roofline.

Bizzarrini Manta

This beautiful car has been restored to its original condition and has a Corvette 327 cid engine. Over its lifetime it has been painted silver, red, green and it is now back to its original color of “blue green aqua,” a turquoise color.

This car has won many awards and was shown at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2008.

Bizzarrini S.p.A went out of business in 1969.

Mike Gulett started publishing his blog, My Car Quest, in November 2010 and he wrote European Style with American Muscle in 2011. He developed an interest in these European-American “hybrid” cars over the years as a car lover and he now owns a 1966 Bizzarrini GT 5300 and a 1968 Iso Grifo. He just recently sold a 1965 Iso Rivolta GT.

He has more than thirty years experience in the technology business and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and a few cats. European Style with American Muscle is his first book.