BIZZARRINI - Following the unveiling of the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa Revival earlier this year, the first of 24 production cars has today left Bizzarrini’s dedicated UK facility. This first customer car has been delivered to its new owner with further examples being completed and shipped until the limited production run is fully delivered in 2023.
Each of the 24 continuation models is finished in
Bizzarrini Rosso Corsa, with white numbered roundels – each client able to
choose his own unique number to be hand-applied to their car. This livery, and
indeed, the total number of cars being built is an homage to the 5300 GT Corsa
chassis #0222, which achieved legendary status at the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours,
when French racing drivers Regis Fraissinet and Jean de Mortemart drove the
5300 to finish first in its class. Not only did Chassis #0222 run the race at
an average speed of 169km/h, Giotto Bizzarrini himself then drove the car back
home to Northern Italy immediately after the race.
Each car in the Revival series represents the most
authentic interpretation of the 5300 GT Corsa available. Built using the
original blueprints, utilising components from original suppliers, with the
input of experts originally involved in the 5300 GT project, it is as
representative of the original as possible, while conforming to modern safety
standards. To ensure the car looks exactly as it would have on the starting
line at Le Mans in 1965, the Bizzarrini team became automotive archaeologists
tracking down those responsible for restoration of chassis #0222 where layers
of paint had been painstakingly stripped back and back to reveal the original
racing red paint. This shade was then colour-matched for the Revival to create
Rosso Corsa Bizzarrini 222.
The hand-built vehicles use a lightweight single piece
composite body, over a steel frame giving an overall weight in the region of
1230kg. Inside, the two seats are protected by a more comprehensive six-point
roll cage and safety fuel cell, meeting FIA Appendix K historic racing
regulations. Independent rear suspension to Giotto’s Corsa specification and
all-round disc brakes are paired with a period-specific 5,300 cubic centimeter
V8 with Weber 45 DCOE (Doppio Corpo Orizzontale E) carburettors developing over
400 horsepower to give a power to weight ratio comparable with a
modern-day supercar.
Simon
Busby, Bizzarrini CMO said, “The
team are incredibly proud to see the first 5300GT Corsa Revival leave the
factory on the way to its new owner. We relaunched Bizzarrini earlier this year
as the start of a long-term vision, this first customer delivery is an
important step along the road to fully realizing that vision. As we continue to
produce the rest of this series of vehicles we will continue building on the
passion and values of the founder with the next stage of the ongoing
development of our modern supercar.”
Bizzarrini will show a full production specification
model of the revival series at the Concours of Excellence at Hampton Court 2nd-4th
September 2022.