Few auto manufacturers stir the soul of petrolheads as Bizzarrini does. From 1964 to 1969, the Livorno-based company founded by Giotto Bizzarrini gave us a total of three reasons to live and breathe cars. The disappointing 1900 GT Europa, the Corvette V8-engined P538S race car, and the jaw-dropping 5300 GT series. What those models have in common is their predecessor - the white-knuckle Bizzarrini A3C.
After graduating as an engineer in 1953, Giotto joined Alfa Romeo. By 1957, he got a job at Ferrari, where he headed the development of experimental, GT, and sports cars. The Ferrari 250 TR, 250 GT SWB, and the 250 GTO are some of the cars developed by Bizzarrini and his team. Unfortunately, Giotto was fired by Ferrari during the palace revolt of 1961. After short stints at ATS and Lamborghini, he started working for boutique automaker Iso.
Bizzarrini as a marque was born when Iso’s founder and Giotto Bizzarrini split ways in 1965. The rupture resulted in the separate production of the Iso Grifo GL and the rival Bizzarrini A3C. Thanks to continuous development, the A3C eventually became the world-renowned Bizzarrini 5300 Strada and 5300 Corsa. In plain English, the A3C is Genesis for the legendary Italian brand and racing team.
This example offered now for sale by DK Engineering in England is one of the earliest A3Cs made by Bizzarrini. Shortly after it was built, the all-aluminum A3C was exported to California. It was shipped back to Europe in 2002 when the current owner purchased the car. A total restoration to the specification of the first Iso A3C Corsa has been performed, and would you just look at the patina of this thing?
I mean, just take a minute to admire the beautiful contrast between the race-prepped interior and the leather-appointed cabin. Other than the visually enticing propositions of the interior and exterior, this historic machine also packs a small-block punch thanks to the 5.3-liter Chevrolet V8 under its low-slung hood. For all the right reasons, including cornering at full opposite lock at Goodwood Revival 2014, this blast from the past should be on the short list of every classic car collector out there.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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