This is a 1:1 scale Bizzarrini 5300 Strada body buck, it was made by the team at Carrozzeria Auto Sport, it’s finished in painted dark blue with an Italian tricolore, and it’s price estimate is £10,000 to £15,000.
The Bizzarrini 5300 Strada was developed by former Ferrari chief engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, the man who had developed the now legendary Ferrari 250 GTO using his own Ferrari 250 GT as a test mule. After leaving Ferrari he developed the Bizzarrini 5300 Strada incorporating all of the lessons he’d learned on the 250 GTO, however now instead of using a Ferrari V12 it would be fitted with an American V8.
After Ferrari, Giotto Bizzarrini had worked with Italian automaker Iso Autoveicoli on the Iso Grifo, the Bizzarrini 5300 Strada was originally released as the Iso Grifo A3C, however a difference of option between Bizzarrini and Iso founder Renzo Rivolta ended with Bizzarrini leaving and releasing the car as his own unique model.
Initially the 5300 Strada was fitted with the 327 cu. in. Chevrolet small-block V8 (5.4 litres) with 365 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque. The car could do the 0 to 60 mph dash in under 7 seconds with a top speed of 280 km/h (174 mph). Later cars used a 7 litre big-block V8 producing notably more power.
The car is remembered today for its exceptionally low-slung styling and there are a number of examples currently being used in vintage motorsport competition with much success. Due to a number of factors the cars had limited racing success in the 1960s however the key factor was a lack of funding relative to the better funded manufacturer’s teams. That said – the Iso version of the car, the Iso Grifo A3C, took a class win at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans with French drivers Régis Fraissinet and Jean de Mortemart behind the wheel.
Under its hand-formed aluminum alloy body the 5300 Strada had Dunlop four-wheel disc brakes, a BorgWarner T-10 four-speed manual transmission, de Dion tube rear suspension, and a limited slip differential. From 1964 to 1968 133 examples were produced, and today they’re highly sought after by collectors.
Click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s.
Images: Diana Varga ©2020 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
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