Does the world really need another supercar? Yes, of course, it does. Even if you’re not wealthy enough to buy one, supercars bring joy to the world, so a world with more can only be a happier place. Well, that’s the theory. And the Bizzarrini Giotto is just a theory at the moment, but we’re told that it absolutely will be a reality soon enough. The company apparently has orders already. And it’s not one for vacuous promises, having produced a car already: the rather gorgeous Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa Revival.
It's not hard to see why the Giotto is attracting people's hard-earned. It’s equally as striking to look at as the 5300, only in a very modern sense. It’s equipped with lovely details, but without straying over the line of good taste and being overburdened with look-at-me gaudiness. Hardly surprising, when you understand whose handiwork is behind it. That's Giorgetto Giugiaro, who, as a young man, was involved in drawing the original 5300 GT, and has been working alongside his son, Fabrizio, to come up with this design for the company’s first all-new model since it was reformed.
As you might imagine, then, for the Giotto, the Giugiaros have taken elements of the 5300 GT Corsa and integrated them into the new car. Details such as the double vent in the nose, which were a feature of the original Bizzarrini designs, but here have been adapted to accommodate the ultra-slim LED headlights.
“To have the opportunity to design an entirely new car from Bizzarrini is a privilege," noted Giorgetto Giugiaro. "Our two names are united in nearly six decades of history and a series of now iconic designs. With the Giotto, we honour the past but we focus wholly on the future. Designed for purpose, and incorporating active aerodynamic technologies, we have created something that is both recognisably Bizzarrini and totally relevant for an entirely new era of this cherished Italian brand.”
Speaking of its relevance for a new era, the body is entirely carbon fibre and wrapped around a composite structure, with the engine mid-mounted rather than positioned up front, as it was in the 5300. However, the Giotto promises to be wonderfully old-school in other ways, such as its drivetrain. This isn’t one of the latest crop of electric hypercars; instead, the new car sticks with something that was always close to Giotto Bizzarrini’s heart - the V12.
Bizzarrini graduated from the University of Pisa in 1953 with a degree in engineering. He ended up at Alfa Romeo, working on chassis development for the Giulietta, which gained him a reputation not just as skilled engineer but an adept test driver. Those skills caught the attention of Enzo Ferrari, who headhunted him to work at Maranello. He became chief engineer at Ferrari, and his eye for engineering detail influenced several models, but his crowning achievement was the development of the 250 GTO in ’62.
After falling out with Ferrari (as most people seemed to do) he ended up contracted by Ferruccio Lamborghini, who was also famously upset by the Old Man, to design Lamborghini's first V12. That engine was used in the 350GT of ’64, and its basic design was still being deployed right up until the Murciélago in 2010. And with his Lamborghini V12 legend as inspiration, what else could the Giotto use but a naturally aspirated V12?
So far, all we know is that it will be an ‘exclusive’ engine to Bizzarrini, and that it’s ‘designed to meet Bizzarrini-specific performance, drivability, emissions compliance and emotional targets’. We also know that it will drive through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, and leading the development of the powertrain will be the company’s new CTO, Chris Porritt. Porritt, who's previously of Aston Martin, Tesla and Rimac, speaks the kind of language that many PHers will appreciate. He said, ‘We now very deliberately and authentically recreate Giotto’s vision, choosing not to chase acceleration times or lap records, but to develop a car that appeals to those experienced drivers seeking purity, authenticity and rarity’. Amen to that.
Bizzarrini is still busy fulfilling orders for the 24 planned 5300 GT Corsa Revivals, but said further technical details for the Giotto will be revealed throughout this year, with testing will beginning in 2024.
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