Resurrected Bizzarrini Delivers First 5300GT Continuation, Plans Supercar Next

A little-known but important Italian sports car brand is back and has just completed delivery of its first new car in decades.

Bizzarrini was founded in 1964 by Ferrari 250 GTO engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, who was responsible for the stunning 5300 GT sports car.

The original Bizzarrini only survived until 1969, but the company will return in 2020, and its new owner, Kuwaiti investor Rezam Al Roumi, plans to offer both a continuation of the 5300GT and a modern supercar.

The continuation, known as the Bizzarrini 5300GT Revival Corsa, is a freshly delivered car. It will be produced at Bizzarrini's newly established factory in the UK and will be delivered until 2023.

In developing the continuation car and its production process, Bizzarrini's team consulted over 1000 original drawings and documents, as well as the 1965 5300 GT Corsa race car. They also had access to the opinions of those who had worked on the original car in the 1960s.

In addition, the modern-day Bizzarrini studied an early model of the 5300GT that won its class and finished ninth overall in the 1965 Le Mans 24-hour race, and recreated several elements from that successful racer for the continuation car. Impressively, the team also obtained original body panels that had long been hidden from the light, which were color-matched to achieve the Rosso Corsa shade applied to all 5300GT Revival Corsas. Each car was also fitted with a white numbered round cell, allowing the owner to designate the number assigned to his or her car.

The resulting design is faithful to the original, except for the changes required by modern regulations, particularly the FIA's Appendix K regulations for Historic racing events. New items include a roll cage, independent rear suspension, and disc brakes at each corner. The modern Bizzarrini also designed a new fuel tank specifically designed to fit into the chassis cavity, as opposed to the original fuel tank, which was located behind the driver and deep in the sill.

Like the original, the 5300 GT Revival Corsa uses a tubular steel frame. It was also powered by a 5.3-liter V-8 engine of the period with Weber carburetors and maximum output ranging between 400 hp and 480 hp. Considering that the car weighs only 2,711 pounds, performance should be spectacular.

If customers so desire, the car can be built to 5300 GT Strada specifications for use on public roads; Bizzarrini will also build the body in carbon fiber, unless the buyer wants to check historic racing regulations.

Prices start at 1.65 million British pounds (about $1.67 million). However, as is often the case with such cars, it is likely that all production slots are already gone.

As for what's next, Simon Busby, Bizzarrini's head of marketing, confirmed the supercar.

"We relaunched Bizzarrini earlier this year as the beginning of a long-term vision. This first customer delivery is an important step along the road to fully realizing that vision," he said." As we continue to produce the remaining vehicles in the series, we will continue to build on the passion and values of our founders in the next stage of our ongoing development of modern supercars."