Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada
he Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada was developed by the same engineer who created the Ferrari Breadvan, the original Lamborghini V12 engine, and the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO.
When he was developing the 5300 GT Strada, Giotto Bizzarrini drew on all of the lessons he had learned working at Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Lamborghini to create a vehicle that was essentially a new and improved 250 GTO designed for endurance racing.
Fast Facts – The Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada
- Although it’s far less famous than the 250 GTO, the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada is viewed today as a sibling of Ferrari’s legendary racer.
- Both cars were developed by Giotto Bizzarrini, and both used a long nose, a low roofline, a long sweeping roofline, and an engine mounted so far back it’s classed as front-mid-engined.
- Italian automaker Bizzarrini would build 133 examples of the Bizzarrini 5300 GT during its 1964 to 1968 production run making it the company’s most successful model.
- Rather than using a complex overhead cam V12, Giotto Bizzarrini opted to use a much simpler pushrod American V8 that offered excellent power output in a more reliable package.
Giotto Bizzarrini And The Night Of The Long Knives
Known as the “Night Of The Long Knives,” the walkout of senior engineers and a number of other staff from Ferrari in 1961 changed the face of the Italian automaker forever.
The 5300 GT has excellent aerodynamics by the standards of the 1960s, Bizzarrini used all the lessons he learned developing the Ferrari 250 GTO in the development of the new Le Mans challenger.
The events had been caused by friction between Enzo Ferrari’s wife and sales manager Girolamo Gardini – the two had frequent, heated disagreements about company operations.
Finally it reached boiling point and Girolamo Gardini co-signed a letter to Enzo Ferrari regarding the problems. Other signatories included Romolo Tavoni, chief engineer Carlo Chiti, and experimental sports car development chief Giotto Bizzarrini.
Enzo Ferrari called a meeting, the result of which was a mass walkout of critically important staff. Many believed it would be the end of Ferrari, but the company survived and the engineers who left went on to have a major impact on the Italian automotive world outside of Ferrari.
The Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada
If it wasn’t for the above events the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada would likely never have been built. Giotto Bizzarrini had been a critical development engineer at Ferrari, he created the 250 GTO prototype using his own personal 250 GT SWB as a mule that he would nickname “Il Mostro” or “The Monster” due to its unappealing looks.