by Mike –
This is one of the best Bizzarrini GT 5300 Stradas anywhere – it is highly original with only three owners from new. It is also the logo for My Car Quest at the top of this page. Click on the images for a larger view.
There has not been a Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada of this caliber for public sale, to my knowledge, since I bought this one in August 2008 and for several years before that (I searched for more than four years before I bought this beauty).
This is a rare and unique opportunity.
Make: Bizzarrini
Model: GT 5300 Strada
Year: 1966
Chassis number: IA3*0256
Exterior: Alloy body painted silver
Interior: Black suede leather
Engine: Corvette 327 cid
Engine No.: 009-F0604-HT
Odometer: 47,209 kilometers (29,334 miles)
Number made: Approximately 115 of all types
Multiple Award Winner
Price: POAIf you have a serious interest in this very special Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada then send an email to Mike Gulett at michael.gulett@gmail.com with your phone number and a good time for a phone call (I am in California).
This car was bought new in Rome, Italy by an American and was immediately shipped to the East Coast of the US. This car has the early style door handles and the early style dashboard, which are both rare.
The first owner owned the car for 36 years, which may be a record ownership time of a Bizzarrini. The car was sold to a collector in 2004 and moved to Southern California. An extensive and beautiful restoration of the exterior of the car was performed in 2006 by the second owner.
Forty-five plus year old interior, except the steering wheel
The Series 1 Dashboard
The car has never had any body damage, has never been raced and is in outstanding condition. The engine and transmission are original.
I bought this Bizzarrini in August 2008 after more than a four-year search for the right Bizzarrini Strada. I sourced and installed the Bizzarrini intake manifold with four Weber carburetors.
This Bizzarrini has won numerous awards: it was the Bizzarrini Class Winner at The Quail, A Motor Sport Gathering in August 2012 and it won the Owner’s Choice Award at The Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in August 2011 (this is like winning the Oscars). This Bizzarrini GT 5300 has also received many other awards over the years.
This Bizzarrini is in spectacular condition and runs perfectly. It is ready for show or a 1,000-mile drive. It is one of the finest and most authentic Bizzarrini GT 5300 Stradas in existence and Bizzarrinis of this character rarely come up for sale.
The original sales receipt from Rome, Italy comes with the car, as does the Bizzarrini Owner’s Manual that originally came with this car from the factory. The Owner’s Manual is rare itself and when they can be found they sell for a few thousand US dollars. Having the Owner’s Manual that originally came with this car is extra special.
This special Bizzarrini GT 5300 was featured on the Speed Channel TV Show My Classic Car With Dennis Gage in July 2009.
It was written up in the November 2008 issue of Sports Car Market magazine where Donald Osborne had this to say about Bizzarrini GT 5300 No. 0256,
“… the market has come to realize how good the best of these Italo-American hybrids can be, and for my money, this is arguably the best of them all to have. It’s a Giugiaro design, has Le Mans success, rarity, and it bears the name of the man responsible for some of the most memorable cars ever conceived. The price paid seems just right, if not a bit low for all the Strada 5300 has to offer.”
Jack Koobs de Hartog, the noted Bizzarrini historian and author of several books on Bizzarrini cars says,
“Bizzarrini No. 0256 is one of the best and most original in the world.”
More information, a video and photos of Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada No. 0256 are here.
The Series 1 Door Handles Are Beautiful Italian Sculpture
Exclusive
The Bizzarrini GT 5300 provides a ticket to an ultra exclusive club – with approximately 115 of all types produced and an estimate of less than 100 still in existence, a Bizzarrini GT 5300 is always a rare car at any event.
If you go to any Concours d’Elegance you are far more likely to see one, or several, of the cars listed below than a single Bizzarrini GT 5300:
– Ferrari 275 GTB, or 275 GTB/4, or 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe, or 330 GTC, or 246 GTS Dino Spyder, or F40, or F50, or Enzo
– Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, or 300SL Roadster
– Shelby Cobra 289, or Cobra 427
– Aston Martin DB4 Coupe, or DB5 Coupe, or DB6 Coupe
– Lamborghini Miura
The Bizzarrini GT 5300 stands out in any class
Picking Up The Class Award At The Quail, A Motor Sport Gathering in August 2012
More information, a video and photos of Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada No. 0256 are here.
If you have a serious interest in this very special Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada then send an email to Mike Gulett at michael.gulett@gmail.com with your phone number and a good time for a phone call (I am in California).
Giotto Bizzarrini and Bizzarrini GT 5300 Background
Bizzarrini S.p.A. was an automotive manufacturer in the 1960s, founded by former Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Iso engineer, Giotto Bizzarrini. The company produced a small number of high performance GT sports cars and racing cars before going out of business in 1969. Giotto Bizzarrini is well known for his engineering work on some of Ferrari’s most successful cars in the late 1950s and early 1960s most notably the Ferrari 250 GTO.
When he left Ferrari in the “palace revolt” he did some work for Iso, which eventually led to the Iso Grifo A3/C, which later became the Bizzarrini GT 5300 when Giotto Bizzarrini split with Renzo Rivolta.
The Iso Grifo A3/C (C for Corsa) is a race car. It has a different body design than the Iso Grifo A3/L (L for Lusso) and Giorgetto Giugiaro, of Bertone, was responsible for the styling of both versions. The Iso Grifo A3/C has an aluminum alloy body and everything about it was designed to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
It is low to the ground, lightweight, uses under the car aerodynamics and the engine sits very far back in the chassis resulting in a front-mid-engine placement. The engine is placed so far back that the distributor is under the dashboard and a panel on the dashboard is removed to access the distributor.
The result is almost a 50/50 weight distribution front to back. The door sills are also gas tanks for improved weight distribution, this increased the gas capacity to thirty-five gallons. The Iso Grifo A3/C and Bizzarrini GT 5300 race cars have a top speed of 170 MPH and are competitive in historic racing today.
Race Car
A Bizzarrini GT 5300 won it’s class and was ninth overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965.
Yes one of the best, there is much to like about this car. It’s in a class by itself for it’s originality, known ownership and mechanics.
Really a very nice car, always great pictures you had. I hope you don’t feel too sad after selling.
I am sad now.
~ surprised you are letting it go , Mike. a very fortunate new owner!
Many people are surprised and yes the new owner will be a lucky person.