Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso Is A 60-Year-Old Giugiaro Design Finally Brought To Life

I'm not typically one to gawk at zillion-dollar, ultra-limited cars for the super rich because they're basically unobtainium. But dear lord this thing is pretty. And it's actually a really cool idea. In 1962, Giorgetto Giugiaro penned an open-top concept for Bizzarrini's gorgeous 5300 GT, but it never moved past the drawing board. At the time, the legendary Giotto Bizzarrini was focused on racing, having recently left Ferrari to start his own company, so while he loved Giugiaro's design, he decided not to move forward with production. Now, more than six decades later, Bizzarrini broke out Giugiaro's old sketch and brought it to life as the 5300 Aperta Lusso. 

Bizarrini didn't just find a few old 5300 GTs and cut their roofs off. This Aperta might look like it's from the '60s, but it's almost entirely new. It uses a semi-monocoque bonded chassis with a single-piece carbon-fiber composite body. There's something very cool about taking a classic Giugiaro design and making it out of carbon, rather than remaking it with original techniques. This isn't the first time Bizzarrini as done something like this, but it's the most impressive effort yet.

Peer through its targa-style open roof and you'll see what looks like a classic car interior. The thin wood-rimmed steering wheel, massive dashboard panel made from a single piece of wood, and Italian tortoiseshell shift knob all look plucked right out of the '60s. But it has air conditioning, an adjustable steering column, and even freaking MagSafe wireless charging for current iPhones. So it has all of the look and feel of a classic car, with none of the drawbacks. Thankfully, Bizarrini disguised most of the modern tech, calling it "hidden convenience." 

It even has modern window seals and weather stripping, so it should be quieter and less leaky in the rain than typical Italian classics. Those little things prove that Bizzarrini didn't treat this like an easy cash grab for exclusive-starved rich folk, but actually showed Giugiaro's design the reverence it deserves. 

Under that seemingly endless hood is a 5.3-liter V8 that sits entirely behind the front axle, giving it a front-mid-engine layout and a gorgeous dash-to-axle ratio. The engine looks old-school, mimicking the look of Weber carburetors, but it uses port-injection that helps it make 400 horsepower instead of the original 5300 GT's 365 horses. With an Inconel valved exhaust and a catalytic converter, it should sound good without smelling like a typical classic V8, too.

There's no word on exactly what engine it is, but the original had a Chevy 327 as Giotto wanted something reliable and easy to fix instead of a high-strung Italian V12, and Bizzarrini says the Aperta's engine is "the same proven small block unit Giotto Bizzarrini selected in the 1960s." Maybe this has a modern Chevy 5.3-liter V8 small block? Considering how the engine is paired to a Tremec TKX five-speed manual transmission, that seems like a real possibility. There's a limited-slip differential at the rear, and Bizzarrini will even put in a six-speed manual for customers who are more interested in high-speed cruising. Final drive gear ratios can be adjusted for each customer's needs.

Its brakes are an interesting blend of old and new tech, too. Four-piston front calipers and two-piston rears clamp onto ventilated discs, and the rear discs are inboard like a race car's, but there's no servo-assistance, so it should have modern stopping power with an old-school feel. The suspension features double wishbones all around and Koni "red" adjustable dampers, with unique valving specifically for the Aperta. It also rides on magnesium Campagnolo center lock wheels, wrapped in 205/50 Pirellis up front and 255/60s at rear.

Unsurprisingly, only a very small number of very deep-pocketed customers will get their hands on one of these. Bizzarrini is only making 10, all of which will be individually commissioned and hand-built. No price is mentioned but let's be real, no one who can afford it is even going to care. However, this is infinitely more interesting than vast majority of exclusive, low-volume supercars and luxury cars typically seen at concourse events. It faithfully brings a 64-year-old Giugiaro design back to life with modern technology, comfort, and safety. That's a hard line to walk but Bizzarrini seems to have nailed it. Maybe it can do the same with some of its weirder old cars in the future.