by Mike Gulett –
I am in a contrarian mood today. Maybe because earlier this week one of my favorite cats died. She was near 19 years old and died peacefully.
I also am not happy as a Tesla shareholder with the CEO, Elon Musk, who is wasting his time with Twitter when Tesla needs more attention (the Tesla share price is less than half of what it was at the beginning of the year).
However, this is not the subject today. Today I will take out my contrarian mood on others.
High performance SUVs
Do we really need high performance SUVs like the ones being offered by Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Ferrari? Most of us who drive SUVs do so because they are comfortable, easy to use, easy to drive, and they carry stuff we want like people and cargo. We may also want them to be stylish but do we really want them to go extremely fast like a sports car?
Ferrari Purosangue
I have driven a Porsche Mecan GTS for the past 6 years and am quite happy with it as a daily driver. I question if I would be happy with the Lamborghini Urus, Ferrari Purosangue or Aston Martin DBX as daily drivers trying to do the same job as my Porsche Mecan and at a price of 2 to 3 times that of the Porsche.
Lamborghini Urus – photo by Rebecca Fuller
I know there are buyers for whatever models these three makers offer up but I question the need and usefulness of these SUV models.
Aston Martin DBX
Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin seem to be offering SUV models only because they are popular with general car buyers not because their customer base has asked for them. I suspect they could have all sold whatever model they came up with instead of a super performance SUV.
Oh well, I do not own stock in either of these companies so it does not effect my bottom line.
Bizzarrini GT 5300 continuation model
You may have heard that a new Bizzarrini company has developed a continuation model called the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa Revival. It is available now at a whopping price of 1.65 million pounds sterling (~2 million USD). This new British company plans to make no more than 24 examples of this model.
The company Pegasus Brands acquired the rights to the Bizzarrini name and is making a modern copy of the Bizzarrini GT 5300 Corsa (aka Iso A3/C). As far as I know Giotto Bizzarrini is not involved in this venture. So, the only claim to the Bizzarrini heritage is the ownership of the name, which is a financial arrangement.
Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa Revival – image compliments of Bizzarrini.com
I am fine with continuation models and even replicas but I question the very high price for this one, which is more that the price of an original, authentic GT 5300, which was made by Giotto himself. There are usually 2-3 authentic GT 5300s available on the market at any time and they go for much less than $2 million USD. Even when including the price of a complete restoration, if needed, it is less than this. Remember to factor in car shipping costs when making online purchases. You’ll want to strongly consider enclosed transport of your vehicle purchase to protect it against roadside debris during transit. Working with an auto shipping broker can help you find the best deals in car shipping.
Continuation and replica models are bought because they provide a chance to own the desired model at a much lower price than the original. I suggest this Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa Revival should not cost more than $500k USD. Why would anyone pay a premium over an original to own a continuation or replica model?
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
A real Iso Bizzarrini Corsa (No. 0222)
A real Bizzarrini GT 5300 Strada (No. 0256)
I totally agree! Then.again I was skeptical of Porsche.offering SUVs which have been hugely successful.Can you imagine leaning your skis against these massively expensiveSUV at the ski slopes? These buyers either won’t care or ever expose them to the elements. As you say some idiots with too much $$ will buy these silly things.
Mike,
So sorry to hear about your cat. Pets bring so much to life as our most loyal friends. Don’t worry about Tesla. Elon Musk is a genius and a most astute businessman. The stock goes up and down, but mostly up. Sadly, I bought it and sold it twice at much lower levels than today.
The Twitter takeover can only be viewed as a good thing. Previous ownership was working hard to suppress free speech and eliminate people that did not agree with their political agenda. Unlike Tesla stock that will eventually come back, once free speech is lost, it is gone forever.
You are correct that a continuation Bizzarrini should not be worth more than an original. Seems counter intuitive that anyone with that kind of cash would probably want an original. But as long as these cars are built there will be check writers to buy them.
Really sorry to hear about Ella she was a sweet lady. She had a great long life. What pet gets there own 2 bedroom guest house?
Regarding the price of the SUV’s, Maserati came out with the Lavante several years ago, with a Ferrari engine. Expensive SUV’s are nothing new. A buyer is paying for bragging rights while driving his/her crew to dinner or parties. Everything is relative. My wife drives a 2014 Ford explorer in emaculate condition. When I show her pictures of Italian cars going for hundreds of thousands of dollars up to multi millions of dollars she responds with “that’s ridiculous, who needs to pay that much for a car”.
Regarding the continuation and replica models I agree with you about the pricing. We will soon know how many they sell at that price.
Although not a continuation car, but influenced by the Rivolta A3C, I haven’t heard the Zagato Rivolta GT is selling like hot cakes and it is selling for a million dollars I believe.
Regarding the Superfast SUV’s, I totally agree – with one exception.
When Ferrari came out with their FF model, my heart fluttered….
Finally a true Super Sports Car with a practical back end!!
A Great way to Vacation….. get to the Yacht… the Jet… go Shopping.
I also love the Ferrari FF. I do not consider this an SUV but a modern version of the Lamborghini Espada (4 adult seats and 2 doors), which I wish Lamborghini would make.
Continuation cars are a four wheeled conundrum. What concours would let them in? It’s unfair to owners of the real car when they spent thousands on rust repair, new panel making, upholstery, etc.Then too will racing organizations with vintage events let the newly created D-types, Bizzzarrinis etc. compete against originals? Reminds me of the time I went to a “historic” race in Chicago and saw a 250LM leading the race but then was disappointed when I found out it was but a replica.
Channel 4 TV in the UK made a documentary a few years ago about Jaguar making “continuation” E-type Lightweights. These were factory built versions of the familiar road car made from scratch specifically for racing in the 1960s. These new cars were painstaking replicas of the originals. They were unable to be registered for road use in the European Union, because they did not meet current construction and use regulations. They were aimed at a select group of wealthy collectors. It was explained in the course of the programme that the materials used to construct the original cars – mainly aluminium alloys – would have suffered fatigue over the near sixty years since they were built. So, to race one of those originals may well be dangerous unless they were subjected to rigorous inspection and possibly extensive surgery. One of the new cars would have no such caveats, but it would need a change of heart on the part of the FIA before they could be raced. Owners of originals who were currently racing their Lightweight E-types were not amused by the prospect of competing against these new versions. If they are not to be permitted to race then the wealthy patrons would merely have bought an ornament. What’s your view on this conundrum?
Hi Mike, Sorry to see the news about your cat.
You raise good questions about insanely fast and pricey SUVs. We had a Lambo clocked at 150+ mph on Hwy 154 here over the weekend. Speed limit is 55 mph. The highway cuts across the Santa Ynez Valley and crosses the slow-paced wine tastings towns of Santa Ynez and Los Olivos. As much as I love high-performance cars I have no tolerance for drivers showing off on public roads. It’s only a matter of time before a sizzlin’ SUV wreaks havoc. (Then again, I suppose you can create chaos in a Prius.)
Regarding the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Corsa Revival, I’m guessing a wealthy owner might feel more inclined to drive the continuation car more often – that it is less of a museum piece – and possibly more dependable.
Have a nice Thanksgiving!
~Jim
You got it right, Mike. I have a 2009 KIA Sorento, bought used for $5K! Great ski car, trash hauler, lawn tool transporter, etc. All around nice truck, and comfortable to boot. And if you put your foot down, it actually goes pretty good too.
Cannot think of a single reason to paint it red and put a many-K-$$ Prancing Horse sticker on it!!
LP
This discussion about modern replicas vs old cars sounds like boys swimming on the girls team.
Live in Whistler–ski country with salted roads–rented our suite to a couple –My wife told the chap that’s a nice SUV–he says oh it’s my wife’s car –when my partner came up she said the car had a bull on the front–I said wow it’s a Lamborghini
Later the guy shows up with his car a Bentley SUV. They never seemed to ski till noon. They were robbed at their residence in Vancouver–sort of an ad “come and rob us”. with those cars in the driveway.. Our governments have put a 25% extra sales tax on these Show off cars–one tax I agree with.
Sorry to hear about your cat, Mike. At 19, you guys were blessed to enjoy her that long. And I heard she even had her own furnished house so she sure had a long and good one!
The only comment I have about the new Bizzarrinis is that the original cars that Giotto built have an mysticism and authenticity about them these new ones can never achieve. The hand of the “Ingegnere” shows in many details when one knows where to look. Thus IMHO any direct comparison between these versions makes no sense.
Forgive me if I used this example before but once I went to an informal car show in Beverly Hills and there was a Marilyn look-alike. We met and began strolling around the show, with me amazed at the exactness of her charade–down to the mole on her cheek. Everybody was looking at us and I felt like we had just entered the Oscars. Then I remembered that the REAL Marilyn is interred just a few blocks away from Beverly Hills and felt a little guilty for being seduced by this one.
The only person I know in this category is a local rich guy who bought (probably leased) an Aston Martin SUV for his mistress. Not exactly under the radar! This could be their market? She must be hot!
I did think of a reasonable market for the existance of upscale SUVs and the Porsche Cayenne is the best example. at first the Porsche the ourists decried the Porsche name on a family SUV but that vehicle sold so many it saved Porsche and allowed them to engineer nd dedisn new “pure” sports cars. Secondly let’s say you are a very busy executive/doctor/lawyer/Indian chief. You only get say six weekends a year where you have time to go the family cabin at Telluride, Big Bear, Sun Valley, etc. You love your Porsche, Ferrari, etc. but don’t get time to drive the street car (or not practical for street driving daily or taking clients to lunch)So at least your favorite marque is tackling an SUV and has
-the same designers
-the same engineers
and no doubt the result will still reflect the bloodline of the maker. Sure it won’t be something you can race at LeMans but why not have the people who make the car you admire most make something you can use for family recreational trips?
Unfortunately, there is only a limited market for fast, two-seat sports cars, and a large market for SUVs. The Porsche Cayenne basically saved Porsche from bankruptcy, while doubling its number of vehicle sales. The reality is at this point, that more than 2 out of 3 vehicles sold in the United States is some form of SUV, Crossover, or Pick-Up truck, and we can forget about regular automobile coupes and sedans for the most part from every major manufacturer. It has been the end of the sedan/coupe era pretty much for over 5 years now, and I don’t know when such vehicles will be in fashion again. You can also kiss any version of a station wagon goodbye as well, pretty much, with the exception of the Audi All-Road, which is a crossover in a station wagon’s clothes. Glenn in Brooklyn, NY.
Mike, I like you, was doubtful as to the purpose of producing another Bizzarrini, in the UK (Wellingborough) with modern tools and techniques. I am not all that versed in Bizzarrinis, and have no intention of becoming versed in them as they are so far above my pay grade. However, I have had the pleasure of being driven recently in Negri created, Piero Rivolta sanctioned, recreation Grifo A3/C, and greatly enjoyed the experience and was amazed at how refined and of a single piece the car felt. Much less raw than I expected.
I expressed my doubts about the Bizzarrini project to a Bizzarrini expert who recently visited the Wellingborough site, and he expressed that he had also gone with similar expectations to mine, and had changed his mind as a result of the visit. Apparently, management in Wellingborough are in awe of the Bizzarrini heritage and are attempting to make these as true to the original they are copying as possible. I also understand that a significant donation is made to the University of Pisa (Bizzarrini’s University) Engineering Department for student bursaries, with each car sold.
Without the activities mentioned above, I would have parked this project as one providing very rich people with toys while fleecing them. With these, i am now unsure of what I think of the project, but certainly my level of scepticism is substantially reduced.
I applaud the donation to The School that Made Him, so to speak, in the hopes that from that school, another maverick engineer will emerge with innovative ideas like Bizzarrini had in his era. Thinking outside the box should be encouraged as we are entering an era with a lot of challenges and can’t keep doing things the old-fashioned way
I to would like to pass on my condolences ! From one cat lover to another I know your pain..Jack
I believe the market for the new Bizzarrini is racing. For the type of person that has the money likes the car, wants to race, but cant find one. And if he were able to find one how much money would he have to toss at it the make it right ?The market price for used Bizzarrini race cars w history is much different than your standard 5300 Strada. These new cars are just what you would expect straight , well built and durable, something a fifty year old car isn’t. How many will they sell? Not many IMO, so that doesn’t help the price either.