New Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa Revival Prototype Goes For Testing
The prototype of the new Revival Bizzarini 5300 GT Corsa pre-production car goes for testing having been developed in the UK.
Bizzarini is an Italian marque founded in 1964 by the legendary and possibly one of the world’s most talented engineers, Giotto Bizzarini. A name synonymous with automotive history and Bizzarini was responsible for the design of the Lamborghini V12, he also worked on the Ferrari 250 GTO and the Breadvan.
Bizzarini had al bult disappeared and in 2020 was reborn under new ownership in the Midlands, England.
The new 5300 GT Corsa Revival is the recreation of the first car to ever bear the name of the company founder and designer, Bizzarini. The prototype has taken to the road for the first time since completion and is undergoing testing before production of the customer cars are completed.
Built using the original blueprints in a new dedicated facility, the new 5300 GT Corsa is an interpretation of the original with a few key differences. The materials have been sourced from original suppliers where used and modern safety methods have been incorporated as necessary.
Take the fuel tanks, on the original they sat in the sills and behind the driver and could hold around 130 litres. The new ones sit inside the chassis voids thanks to some 3D scanning, an intricate design of tank was created. Something that the original designers couldn’t do or manufacture it to much tighter tolerances. It still holds a decent 95 litres which keeps it within the requirements of some racing series.
The revival uses the same shade of red as the original, with the team tracking down an original which had been hidden away from the light since new and colour matched it. The Rosso Corse colour has a long history, and many different shades claim to be the original, so it was important to find a Bizzarini with the best preserved Rosso Corse 222, what the factory applied in the paint shop in 1965.
The car was originally developed as a high performance version of the Iso Grifo A3C, the 5300 GT Corse being designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and refined by Piero Drogo of Carrozzeria Sports Cars. using the well proven American V8 powerplant the car was light and fast, but also reliable.
The car performed exceptionally well in the 1965 Le Mans, chassis 0222 with French racing drivers Regis Fraissinet and Jean de Mortemart winning the over 5 litre class and ninth overall. They even managed a race average speed of 169 km/h.
Giotto Bizzarini even drove the car back to Northern Italy after the race.
The Corse was adapted for track use with Bizzarini fitting bespoke independent rear suspension and moved the font mounted engine as far back in the chassis as possible. this was a new approach in weight distribution and gave a key advantage over other front mounted cars who carried far more weight further out.
The Revival has 25% of its weight over each wheel highlighting the technical genius of the original design from back in 1965 could be perfectly balanced today.
The Revival will be a series of 24 vehicles, hand built with a single one piece composite body fitted over a steel frame. A six point roll cage is integrated into the car and surrounds the two seats, and the new fuel cell meets FIA Appendix K historic racing regulations.
The testing has showed the car to be a little bit more rigid that the original. The Corse suspension is to the original specification of Giotto Bizzarini and has disc brakes all round. Fitted up front is a period spec 5,300 cc V8 with 45 DCOE (Doppio Corpo Orizzontale E) carburettors producing over 400 horsepower. With the weight at just 1250 kg, the Bizzarini 5300 GT Corse Revival has a decent power to weight ratio.
Bizzarini was known for pushing the limits of engineering capabilities and the 5300 GT used one of the strongest lightweight materials of the time, glass fibre.
“Had it been available, we believe Giotto Bizzarrini would almost certainly have deployed carbon fibre in his racing cars,” said Richard Quinlan COO of Bizzarrini. “As a result, the 5300 GT Revival Corsa will be offered with a full carbon fibre bodyshell as standard for those customers who do not need to conform to Historic Racing regulations.”
For the first time in over 15 year there is a new Bizzarini, offered as acontemporary interpretation of the 1965 Le Mans class winner. Of course each car can be tailored to the owners specification, including building the closest thing to the original that meets FIA specifications, and comes with the all important glass fibre body.
“The car is of course engineered for racing,” said Richard Quinlan “but we will also be able to satisfy the desire of any customer who wishes to drive this spectacular car on the road.”
Simon Busby, Bizzarrini CMO said, “We have an ambitious long-term vision for the Bizzarrini brand, and the 5300GT Corsa Revival serves as either an introduction or a reminder of the storied heritage of Bizzarrini. We were thrilled with the car’s performance during endurance testing, delivering the same adrenaline-fueled driving experience as Giotto Bizzarrini’s original design. Now, as we complete the process of building the cars for our customers throughout the world, we are refining the initial engineering and design proposals for our modern supercar. Utilising the very latest technologies, and built with the ethos, passion and values of our founding genius, this will truly be a Bizzarrini for a new generation.”
Giotto worked at Ferrari until being fired unexpectedly during a damaging moment in Ferrari history known as before being fired by Ferrari during the ‘Palace Revolt ‘ of 1961. Apparently four of Ferrari’s top engineers, including Giotto, revolted against Enzo Ferrari’s running of the business and the sacking of the commercial director Girolami Gardini. He responded by firing them too.
To settle the score Giotto created the 5300 GT Corse to beat Ferrari at Le Mans in 1965, which of course it did.
The first customer cars are scheduled for handover from May 2022. Now, how do I get a go in one?
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