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After a five
year hiatus the Bizzarrini name is set to once again
reappear on the occasion of the upcoming 75th Geneva Salon.
The new owners
of the historical brand, which shot to global fame in the
1960s with a series of attention-grabbing powerful sports
cars, will present a new concept that is as yet firmly under
wraps, although they have outlined exciting plans for this
revival which include a new motorbike, remaking two of the
brand's classic models, and a new 'modern' sports car.
The firmest of the sketchy details revealed so far centre
around plans for a new bi-cylinder motorcycle. With an
engine reportedly somewhere between 500 to 600cc, it is
described by Bizzarrini as 'innovative' and destined for
Supermotorad competition.
The new owners
of the Bizzarrini name describe the most recent incantation
of the marque as follows: "Thanks to a
friendship among real estate entrepreneurs, we made the
acquaintance of Mr. Mariani, owner of the Bizzarrini
trademark.
"Mr. Viti and Mr. Mariani immediately got along very well and
the both contributed to the creation, on 30th April 2002, of
a company called VGM Motors s.r.l., located in Siziano (PV),
Number 2 Via Guido Rossa," they conclude.
The new company,
which took over ownership of the Bizzarrini name claims that
it "aims at bringing this once well-favoured
brand to its former reputation."
From new,
purpose-built workshops, VGM Motors plan to begin building
the famous GT Strada and P 538 models, while a 'new edition'
of the former, with modern features and technology is also
planned.
These ambitious plans look set the thrust the famous and
still highly regarded Bizzarrini name, with all its
fascinating and tortuous history, firmly back into the
public eye once again.
BIZZARRINI -
BRIEF HISTORY 1963 TO 1969
With a
background at Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Iso (plus his first
car which was a sport coupe based on a second-hand Fiat 500B
in 1949), Giotto Bizzarrini was a talented and experienced
engineer.
In the early 1960's he decided to design and build
his own car, at Livorno. The Grifo A3, later known as the
5300 GT Strada, was released at the 1963 Turin Motorshow and
borrowed heavily from Bizzarini's then most recent creation,
the Iso Grifo.
Apparently, according to reports, "the show car was finished
right at the last minute, its bare aluminium bodywork being
shown with a distinctive glossed cork finish achieved by
polishing the panels with cork mats on the end of electric
drills!"
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Most famous of the Bizzarrini line was the 5300 GT
Strada, which was built between 1964 and 1968, while
the new owners of the brand name plan to build this
car once again |
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Recent
attempts to revive the Bizzarrini name have included
the BZ2001 (top) in 1990, and ten years later the
Bebi (above) |
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A similar suspension layout, including de Dion rear setup,
was accompanied by a similar (albeit more highly tuned)
5358cc Chevrolet V8 pushrod engine, now producing 365bhp.
This drove through a strengthened four speed manual gearbox
and a limited-slip differential, whilst four disc brakes
provided the retardation. The steel platform chassis was
clothed in an alloy body, designed by Bertone.
Accomodation for two was provided in the cockpit, as was a
small luggage compartment. Production ran from 1964 to 1968,
with a total of 133 examples being produced, and the
ambitious new plans called for a modern-day version of this
car to see the light of day. In 1966 a
spider variant
was seen.
Later cars were badged
Bizzarrini Grifo and later (most of them) 5300 GT. A smaller
version was presented in 1966, powered by a 1481cc Fiat four
cylinder engine (around 5 built) followed by the 'Europa',
the same car powered by a 1897cc Opel unit (around 15
built).
Bizzarrini also
strayed into competition, building the rear engined P538
which appeared in 1966, and is the second model that the new
owners of the brand hope to reproduce. Its powerplant was a
4000cc Lamborghini V12 (450bhp @ 10,000rpm) coupled to a ZF
5-speed 'box. The glass-fibre body was bonded to the steel
chassis whilst independent suspension was used all round as
were disc brakes (those at the rear inboard). The fuel tanks
were located in the sills. The wheelbase was 2500mm, the
tracks (front/rear) were 1481mm/1486mm, the overall height
was a mere 970mm and the weight 700kg.
By 1969 Bizzarrini has succumbed to that Italian Motor
Industry devil, financial problems, and little was heard for
many years, apart from a 'Barchetta', powered by a 1.3-litre
Fiat 128 engine and designed by his son, which appeared at
the Turin Motor Show in 1972.
BZ2001 AND BEBI - MODERN DAY ATTEMPTS TO REVIVE THE
BIZZARINI NAME
Modern day
efforts to revive the Bizzarrini name kicked off back in 1990
when a Ferrari Testarossa-based sportscar, called the
BZ2001, broke cover. This V12 engined concept was actually
designed by Giotto Bizzarrini, but progressed no further.
The latest
attempt to bring back the brand took place at the 2000 Turin
Motorshow, where the Bizzarrini stand showed a prototype of
a new model. The Bebi was an ultra-lightweight (390kg)
motorbike powered (175bhp) two seater. The chassis was a
tubular frame whilst the engine was positioned at the rear.
Again nothing of this project was then heard of.
by Edd Ellison
Bizzarrini
history courtesy of
CarsFromItaly |
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