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Cars > Peek

Bizzarrini returns with a new sports car designed to resurrect the grand old name

And it’s powered by a Lamborghini V12, no less

The beautiful car in the background is the work of Giotto Bizzarrini. PHOTO FROM BIZZARRINI

The name Giotto Bizzarrini may not be as well-known these days as the ones of Enzo Ferrari or Ferruccio Lamborghini, but the Italian engineer certainly played an important part in the history of Italian sports cars. During his most active years in the 1950s and 1960s, he worked on such notable projects as the Ferrari 250 GTO, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and the Iso Rivolta.

His company was also the one Ferruccio hired to develop one of the most famous engines ever devised: the Lamborghini V12 that was first installed in the 350GT in 1964 and saw use in one shape or another right up to 2010 when it fired the Murcielago along.

Bizzarrini made some of his own machines in the past. PHOTOS FROM BIZZARRINI

Like most car-mad Italian engineers, Bizzarrini also had a go at building his own cars, and did so under his own name between 1964 and 1969. Sadly, his engineering skills were better than his business acumen, and the firm failed in 1969 (but not before it had built a number of stunning vehicles, including the 5300 GT Strada and the P538S).

Despite the fact that the 96-year-old Italian had retired a long time ago, his name will soon be attached to another ferocious and beautiful road car. That’s because the rights to his brand name were acquired by a company called Pegasus Brand a few years ago, and the firm has now released details of the first new model that is set to enter a very limited production run of just 24 vehicles soon.

Strong, curvaceous lines? It's an Italian supercar, no doubt. PHOTOS FROM BIZZARRINI

If you now think electric supercar, then think again: Called the Bizzarrini Giotto, the beast you see here is powered not by some fancy electric or hydrogen drivetrain. Instead, an evolution of Bizzarrini’s most famous engine, that beautiful Lamborghini V12, will power this machine.

The design was also not drawn up by any old designer, but by Giorgetto Giugiaro and his son Fabrizio. Giugiaro Senior had already worked on the design of the Bizzarrini 5300 GT as a Bertone employee at the time, so there could not have been a better man to define the design language of the first all-new Bizzarrini model with its fancy curves and gleaming carbon-fiber body.

The distinctive twin air intakes on the hood of the original Bizzarrinis have been developed further for the Giotto, and give the front end a new visual character that integrates ultra-flat LED headlights. They end in the middle of the hood and enclose a distinctive, centrally placed Bizzarrini emblem, as already seen on the 5300 GT back in the day.

The side view of the Giotto features a reinterpretation of the 5300 GT’s triangular B-pillar and a wraparound rear window. The Giotto has a rear mid-engine and not a front mid-engine like the 5300 GT, and its shapely rear gently tapers and curves into an aerodynamic teardrop shape.

This is just a sketch, but expect the final car to look similar to this. PHOTO FROM BIZZARRINI

The full list of specs will be announced later in the year, and we expect some impressive figures as Bizzarrini revisits its heritage and breathes new life into the naturally aspirated V12 that was first drawn up by the old man himself. The latest incarnation of it is apparently designed to meet Bizzarrini’s specific requirements for performance, drivability, emissions, and emotion, and is mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Powertrain development and all technical aspects of the Giotto are overseen by Chris Porritt, the firm’s newly appointed chief technology officer, who has previously headed the technical departments of Aston Martin, Tesla, and Rimac. There has been no word on price yet either, but who can think of money when you look at these Italian curves?



Frank Schuengel

Frank is a German e-commerce executive who loves his wife, a Filipina, so much he decided to base himself in Manila. He has interesting thoughts on Philippine motoring. He writes the aptly named ‘Frankly’ column.



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