Giotto Bizzarrini didn’t just touch the Italian auto industry. He changed it. Then his company vanished after a few years.
But here we are, looking at the Bizzarrini Aptera Lusso. A design from the late sixties that never happened is now real. Thanks to a brand resurrection in 2020 this targa-topped beast is finally seeing sunlight.
Mid-1960s Giotto was golden. He engineered the 250 GTO for Ferrari, now the king of collectors. Later he gave Lamborghini the V12 heart that beat in the first GT cars and eventually the Miura. Think about it. Same man, legendary cars, different employers. Like if Da Vinci painted both masterpieces instead of one.
Except he left some sketches unfinished. In 1967 he started Bizzarrini S.p.A to build his own supercars. The 5300 GT came out of it. A handful were built. They were stunning, low to the ground, powered by a Chevy 327 cubic-inch V8 that screamed reliably. Only four years of production.
Then there was the Aptera. Bizzarrini drew up a targa-top version before he moved on to the AMX/3 for AMC. No prototype. No build. Just an idea sitting on a table while Italy’s great engineer went elsewhere.
The company was dead. Then it wasn’t. Revived in 2020 with plans for a new V12 monster. Before launching that they did something smarter. They went back to the archive. They picked up the 5300 Aptera Lusso project and finished it. Using old looks with new tech.
It looks like it crawled out of The Italian Job. The body though is entirely carbon fiber. Bonded to a semi-monocoque steel chassis. The roof? Two carbon pieces that pop off and stow in the back.
All the better to let that 8-cylinder rumble fill your ears as you burn down the coast.
Modern fuel injection replaces the carbs. You can grab a 5-speed or a 6-speed manual. 400 horses moving very little mass. 175mph top speed. Not just for show either. The suspension hides adjustable Koni dampers. Brakes ventilate heat away. There’s a limited-slip differential too.
Inside it’s cozy but connected. Real air conditioning. A decent stereo. Phone chargers. The upholstery is a partnership with Zegna so you get that classic leather and wood elegance without smelling like 1972 stale tobacco.
Ten examples will be made. The price tag will likely give you hives. The rest of us are stuck modifying Corvettes to hear a Chevy V8 scream.
This one? It’s restraint. Bringing a 1969 sketch into 2024 without ruining the soul.
Did the man approve? Probably. Though he’d probably complain the suspension was too soft.
What else is out there sitting in a garage drawer
