Una Nuova Alba: Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso Combines Modern Luxury with ‘60s Elegance
Brings to life a Giorgetto Giugiaro concept that lived only in the archives and in the mind of a young engineer, today with a focus on bespoke luxury and discreet technology.
Fully bespoke interior hand-trimmed in the finest leather and Zegna fabric. The instrument panel is created from a single piece of European maple, with a unique hand-painted pinstripe.
Featuring air-conditioning, MagSafe Charging, concealed sound system interfaced with CarPlay, and premium OEM standard frameless windows with drop glass functionality to ensure the cabin has the highest grade modern sealing.
Single-piece carbon-fibre composite body with aerospace-grade steel transmission tunnel stiffening for torsional rigidity; two removable roof panels
5.3-litre front-mid V8 producing over 400bhp; 5-speed Tremec manual transmission; top speed in excess of 175mph
All-round double wishbone suspension; cast magnesium Campagnolo centre-lock wheels; Koni adjustable dampers; Inconel valved exhaust system
An initial 10 individually commissioned examples, each to be hand-built to the owner's unique specification.
The first Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso is the La Dolce Vita commission, born from the client’s desire to escape and disconnect from the notifications of modern life, a way to clear his mind and reset through the purity of really driving a car as a choice not a chore.
08 July 2026
For over 60 years a design concept by Giorgetto Giugiaro has remained unrealised , showcasing an open-top interpretation of one of the most beautiful cars ever built: the Bizzarrini 5300 GT.
Giotto Bizzarrini and Giorgetto Giugiaro – both legends of the automotive world – had together envisaged an innovative approach to open-top driving; a removeable roof panel and a beautiful structural arch, lighter and more elegant than a folding hood. This visionary design lived only in an archive, until today when Giorgetto and Giotto’s open-top dream comes to life as the Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso. The first all new production Bizzarrini since the ‘60s, this Nuova Classica combines modern technology and luxury with ‘60s design language and elegance.
Ten initial examples are planned, each hand-built to its owner’s exact specification, designed for rivieras rather than race tracks. The first commission, La Dolce Vita, is the ultimate realisation of the concept, a chance to disconnect from the frantic pace of modern life – endless notifications, 24/7 contactability – and connect instead with the passion and pleasure of driving in its purest form. Its owner envisioned Its owner envisioned taking his car, escaping the city and really driving to Portofino, clearing his mind absorbed and engaged by the drive, the journey rewarded with his Dolce Vita awaiting at the coast.
Origins
Born in Livorno in 1926, Giotto Bizzarrini left Ferrari in the ‘palace revolt’ of 1961 alongside the finest engineers in Maranello. He set up his own design office and built cars on his own terms: aerodynamically sophisticated, technically audacious and achingly desirable. His 5300 GT Corsa won its class at Le Mans in 1965.
The open-topped interpretation of the Corsa was always part of this vision. In 1962, the now famous arch structure was first seen in a prototype by Giorgetto Giugiaro whilst at Bertone. The Bizzarrini company was focused on racing, so the design and drawings for the open car went into the archive, to remain this way following the shuttering of the company in 1969. The best ideas never remain hidden for long, with other manufacturers finding inspiration in the design, and now – decades later – in the company’s resurgent new era those drawings become the foundation for the next evolution and the first modern-day Bizzarrini. The Aperta Lusso is the bond between the heritage and the future of the company, as it works towards production of the Giotto Hyper GT. It is a Nuova Classica; engineered with modern materials, modern construction methods and with subtly incorporated modern technology. To the naked eye it is a ‘60s car, from behind the wheel it offers all the reassurance, comfort and reliability of the 21st Century.
Technology and Luxury in Equal Measure
The interior is a study in Italian luxury: materials chosen for their quality and their beauty, including features detailed in material selected in collaboration with Zegna, ensuring period character is preserved with timeless class. La Dolce Vita, the first commission, features classic Italian styling with modern materials; seats trimmed in the finest leather; door panels in leather and Zegna fabric; the instrument panel sculpted from a single piece of wood; the gear knob crafted in Italian tortoiseshell inlaid with gold details to create the Bizzarrini logo – a reference to the favourite sunglasses of this car’s Italian commissioner. The exterior is finished in a bespoke metallic colour, named Azzurro Gaia in honour of the owner’s daughter. The pale blue is inspired by the waters of the Ligurian Sea, featuring a gold metallic fleck giving dimension and depth, especially against the backdrop of the Italian Riviera -the spiritual home of the car.
Air-con, premium frameless windows and modern weather sealing, adjustable steering column, MagSafe charging and sound system are discreetly integrated into the cockpit, ensuring the period feel of the car is undisturbed. The Aperta Lusso was conceived with hidden convenience; almost every part is reengineered, but at a glance it looks like it could have just driven out of Giotto’s factory six decades ago. The focus of the car is driver engagement, offering the comfort and performance of a modern car, without modern driving intrusions.
All-round double wishbone suspension is engineered to Giotto Bizzarrini’s original Le Mans-proven specification, with Koni ‘red’ adjustable dampers valved specifically for the Aperta Lusso. The wheels are cast magnesium Campagnolo centre-lock items, fitted with Pirelli tyres sized 205/50 front and 255/60 rear, chosen to deliver an engaging, authentic driving experience with more contemporary levels of grip and traction.
Braking is by ventilated discs all round, with inboard rear discs in the race tradition. Four-piston Alcon calipers front, two-piston Brembo rear; no servo assistance. Braking feel comes directly through the pedal, exactly as it did in the original car.
Steering is rack and pinion, a significant advance on the original’s steering box, with electrohydraulic power assistance applied to the rack rather than the column to preserve feel. Calibrated to progressively reduce assistance above 40mph, it delivers light, precise maneuverability at low speeds and proper road weighting on the open road. The column adjusts for reach and rake, positioning the Nardi wood-rimmed wheel exactly where it belongs.
Body Structure
The Aperta Lusso is built around a single-piece carbon-fibre composite body, one of the largest of its type in the world, and a distinctly different engineering proposition to the carbon tubs in which subframes are simply bolted. Bizzarrini’s semi-monocoque bonded chassis approach yields a body that is simultaneously structure and sculpture.
Removing a roof from any vehicle almost always compromises structural integrity. Here, a bespoke steel reinforcement assembly, designed by Bizzarrini’s engineers, optimised through finite element analysis and fabricated from aerospace-grade material, is added to the transmission tunnel along with a cross-body bar to surpass the torsional rigidity of the 60’s coupe.
The two roof panels are themselves carbon fibre, light enough to be removed and stowed in the luggage compartment by one person. To ensure perfect sealing with the frameless glass windows, preventing water ingress and maintaining low cabin noise at high cruising speeds, the entire sealing system was designed from a clean sheet by Bizzarrini engineers to current best in class standards.
Powertrain
The Aperta Lusso is powered by a 5.3-litre front-mid V8, the same proven small block unit Giotto Bizzarrini selected in the 1960s, positioned entirely behind the front axle centreline for ideal weight distribution. It produces well over 400bhp, drives through a Tremec TKX five-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential, and will carry the Aperta Lusso to more than 175mph. The short-throw gear lever connects directly into the gearbox for a crisp, mechanical shift. A six-speed manual is available for those who prefer higher-speed refinement; final drive ratios can be specified to suit individual requirements.
Port fuel injection replaces the famous Weber 40DCOEs of the GT Corsa Revival, in favour of modern day-to-day usability, though the system has been carefully designed to look, to the eye, as though carburetors are fitted. The valved exhaust is hand-fabricated in Inconel, the high-nickel alloy typically reserved for race engines. Even with catalytic converters fitted as standard, it has been tuned to deliver a visceral note under load and a refined burble at idle.
Production
Production is limited to ten initial examples, each one a personal commission built to the owner’s exact specification. Further commissioning slots will be available with cars arriving in 2027.
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ABOUT BIZZARRINI
Bizzarrini is the Italian luxury marque founded in 1964 by legendary engineer, Giotto Bizzarrini, an iconic name in Italian automotive history. The marque was reborn in 2020 under new ownership to bring together virtuoso design, craftsmanship and engineering excellence for a new generation of collectors and enthusiasts. www.Bizzarrini.com Instagram: @BizzarriniDesign | Facebook: @BizzarriniDesign | LinkedIn: Bizzarrini Wikipedia: Bizzarrini
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