Click to view the Scuderia Bizzarrini P538 in hi-res
Any day with a new Italian supercar is a good day. Today, then, is such a day, brought to you by one of the most stoic names inside or outside the business. Those in the know will recognize the name as belonging to Giotto Bizzarrini, the sportscar guru whose career brought him to the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo and Iso. Among his most famous creations were the iconic Ferrari 250 GTO and the enduring Lamborghini V12 whose latest evolution can still be found in the Murcielago and Reventon. In the 1960's Bizzarrini went independent and built, among others, the original P538S. Although it didn't do very well at Le Mans – spinning at the start of the 1966 running and failing to start in '67 – the P538S gathered a following as one of Bizzarrini's greatest designs.
What you see above is a modern interpretation of that legendary vehicle. The new Scuderia Bizzarrini P538 borrows its chassis from the Galmer Arbitrage GT, the wicked-looking Thai supercar we brought you nearly two years ago. Like the Arbitrage, and following the spirit of the original Corvette-powered P538S, the new Bizzarrini prototype is powered by a mid-mounted Chevrolet LS7 V8. Bodywork is suitably stunning, looking something like a cross between a Lotus, a Koenigsegg and a Porsche Carrera GT, but with its own unique flavor. Although it does not seem that Giotto Bizzarrini was involved in the project himself, he is said to have given his approval.
This isn't the first effort to revive the Bizzarrini name since the company folded in 1969, but if it actually rolls into even limited production after its official unveiling (scheduled for this month at Italy's famed Nardo high-speed test track) this month, it may succeed where other efforts – including the 1998 Kjara hybrid sportscar and the GT Strada 4.1 concept shown at Geneva '05 – previously failed.
Check out the image gallery to view 25 computer renderings of the new concept. Thanks for the tip, Ketan!
[Source: DieselStation and Scuderia Bizzarrini]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
tanjim @ May 19th 2008 8:43PM
Wow.
Cary @ May 19th 2008 8:52PM
I like it. It's like a Tesla, except you can believe this will actually be built and delivered.
ugg.tryptophan @ May 19th 2008 8:59PM
...to rich people
Lee Gibson @ May 19th 2008 10:03PM
Like a Tesla, only without the electric power system, so it's like the Elise, only it costs way more and is way less available than the Elise...?
Huh?
dac @ May 19th 2008 9:05PM
Love those bad ass intake headers.
Mi key @ May 19th 2008 9:14PM
Windshields looks kinda low, but nice design overall.
edd @ May 19th 2008 10:01PM
very Carrera GT in the front.
mk @ May 19th 2008 10:32PM
Interesting.
Some of it is a bit gratuitous, but a lot of it is actually quite well developed with nice proportions.
The front is attractive enough, but the back is fantastic.
the side profile is not bad, but the side intake is almost too prominent.
the doors should either be lambo-style scissor, or McLaren F1/SLR-like butterfly doors. the rendering looks oddly splayed.
I know I will probably be flamed, and I know that the original Bizzarrini was also pushrod corvette powered... but aren't there more interesting V8 power units out there? It could definitely be worse, though.
it is very reminiscent of a Lola T70 can-am car, though, and that is not a bad thing at all.
Dave @ May 20th 2008 8:35AM
Not really. Performance and reliability is what counts in a sports car that is why it is the preferred engine in a lot of small market exotic cars. GM has been supplying V8 engines to European auto companies since the 1950's and probably even longer because of their great reputation.
RobertDrake @ May 19th 2008 10:44PM
Sweet, but does it get better mileage than my moped.
www.sweetredwines.info
Allan @ May 20th 2008 7:54AM
It gets better mileage than the stupid URL you're spamming.
Js @ May 20th 2008 12:06AM
Hmm...it would be interesting if they made a few special editions with Lambo engines just like with the old P538 (although only 2 with Lambo V12's ever existed)...
But the V8 is good enough for me... One in white please...
Dustin @ May 20th 2008 12:15AM
Make sure you click through the link to the scuderia site, there are a few more pics on there as well as this:
Scuderia Bizzarrini
Has authorized the announcement of the newly designed and nearly completed Scuderia Bizzarrini P538.
The New P538 will be available for viewing at the Nardo Ring in May of 2008.
* Full carbon monocoque
* Full carbon Body work
* 500+ Horsepower (standard)
* Total weight under 800kg
* 4460*1950*1160
dac @ May 20th 2008 1:26AM
That's over 625 hp per metric ton. That's almost as good the atom and it has no body!
HotRodzNKustoms @ May 20th 2008 12:23AM
Tradition says to be a Bizzarrini it must have a Chevy motor mounted ludicrously midship in front of the driver.
Funny part is that he who designed the famed Ferrari V-12 and Lamborghini V-12 chose the small block Chevy as his power plant of choice for everything from his road cars to the Formula 1 car he built.
mk @ May 20th 2008 2:10PM
Part of that, might be that Bizzarrini LEFT both of those companies.
Burning bridges doesn't exactly make sharing parts easy.
Not only that, but in 1960s europe, Ferrari and Lamborghini were probably doing all they could to build enough expensive V12s for themselves to use, let alone to license out to ANYONE else.
Enzo Ferrari and Ferruccio Lamborghini were notoriously headstrong anyway, and were probably not keen on diluting their businesses by letting an ex-patriated employee, even the engine's designer, put them into his own competing product.
GM had their small-block on the market for ten years, and had capacity and history of exporting and licensing them to others to use, it was probably the only feasible option, regardless of more detailed technical analysis and comparison to expensive, rare engines that Bizzarrini may have designed for other companies with more capital than he had himself.
So to say that his decision shows that the SBC was superior, or even more desireable than the Ferrari or Lamborghini V12s, or even other engines, might be a bit superficial of a judgement.
Duncan @ May 20th 2008 12:31AM
To all the LS motor fanbois out there: Today is your day, revel in it. This is one thread on the internet where you won't have to say "That car is ok, but it would be better if it had an LS7."
HotRodzNKustoms @ May 20th 2008 12:38AM
As I noted above: He who designed the famed Ferrari V-12 and Lamborghini V-12 chose the small block Chevy as his power plant of choice for everything from his road cars to the Formula 1 car he built.
tequila @ May 20th 2008 5:14AM
I don't like it. As stated in the article, it looks like several design ideas from other supercars mixed together. The overall line reminds me a lot of the Spyker C8. The hood (and other parts from the front) is a pure Elise copy. The humps in the back come straight from a Carrera GT. That side intake is ridiculous (look at the doorstep). etc. Where you guys found a similarity with the Koenigsegg beats me. I think it's fairly obvious the guy himself wasn't involved in designing the thing.
And in a car like this i don't want to wear a helmet, cause that's what you're gonna have to do with a windscreen like that.
Rob @ May 20th 2008 6:35AM
It's a lamborgotti fasterosa XT550 with ABS Sport-tec package!