The stunning Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso is a supercar 60 years in the making

11th July 2026

Seán Ward

To any car enthusiast in the 1960s, the name ‘Bizzarrini’ would be a familiar one. Founded in 1964 but with roots in the late 1950s, the company and its founder Giotto Bizzarrini are responsible for some of the most beautiful and exciting cars of the period. One design of the time, however, was archived and never made it to production until now: the Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso.

If you’ve been to a Goodwood event before you’ll have no doubt seen (and heard) a Bizzarrini. A drop-dead-gorgeous Bizzarrini P538S, for example, contested the 2023 Goodwood Revival but originally raced in the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours. Other stunning Bizzarrini models, such as the 5300 GT Corsa, have blitzed the Goodwood Motor Circuit or powered their way up the Hill at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard over the years, too. But a new Bizzarrini? That’s not something we’d have had on our motoring bingo card.

At a glance, this is a stylish, open-top 1960s sportscar built with modern engineering technologies and precision, with a front-mid-mounted 400PS (294kW), 5.3-litre V8 and rear-wheel-drive. But there’s more to the Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso than meets the eye; there’s a fascinating backstory to unwind.

Giotto Bizzarrini and legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro developed the concept in the mid-1960s, a convertible sportscar with a removable hard-top roof and a fixed, supporting arch behind, something akin to a targa in modern terms. Such a structure would be lightweight in comparison to a folding drop-top, and deliver greater structural rigidity, not to mention a unique, beautiful silhouette. But the sketches were filed away as other projects rolled into motion, and the designs remained in storage when the Bizzarrini business closed its doors in 1969.

Wind the clocks forward to 2020 and a new Bizzarrini company was formed before the 5300 GT Corsa Revival was unveiled in 2022. As the name suggests, this is a handmade tribute to the 1965 Le Mans class-winner, with 24 examples available, all complete with a 400PS, 5.3-litre V8 nestled in a tubular steel frame with an exquisite composite body.

A year later we got our first glance of the Bizzarrini Giotto, a V12-engined supercar that will, one day, deliver a thoroughly modern interpretation of what a Bizzarrini can be. But in the archives remained the drawings of that open-top wonder.

After years of development, what has become the Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso has at last seen the light of day. It truly isn’t an old design brought to life six decades after it was conceived, however, but a hybrid-mix of 1960s form and personality combined with modern technology and features.

As we’ve said, there’s a 5.3-litre V8 driving the rear wheels. There’s also a Tremec TKX five-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential. But the car is built around a single-piece carbon-fibre body with a bespoke steel reinforcement structure around the transmission tunnel.

The two roof panels are carbon-fibre, too, and can be stored in the luggage compartment. Then there’s a modern air conditioning system tucked away behind an exceptionally finished dashboard, with an adjustable steering column, wireless phone charging and a thoroughly modern sound system with Apple CarPlay. Not that you need it, really, with that big V8 rumbling away ahead of you, teamed with a valved Inconel exhaust.

Supporting the car is an all-round double-wishbone suspension system using Koni red adjustable dampers, while the wheels are charming, cast-magnesium centre-lock Campagnolo items shod with Pirelli tyres. Ventilated discs are fitted at all four corners, with inboard units at the back, working alongside four-piston Alcon calipers up front and two-piston Brembo calipers at the rear. There’s no servo assistance, which should mean a delightfully predictable response at any speed.

It’s the steering that intrigues us perhaps most of all, however, as there’s a rack-and-pinion system with electrohydraulic power assistance applied to the rack rather than the column. The end result should be a light but precise feel at low speed and, as Bizzarrini has calibrated the system to massively reduce its assistance above 40mph, direct and intuitive handling as the numbers on the speedometer climb.

The cabin is almost indescribably good-looking. The first commission, ‘La Dolce Vita’ you see here, has been trimmed in collaboration with Zegna, with high-quality leathers and fabrics, an instrument panel made from a single piece of maple, a tortoiseshell gear lever inlaid with a gold Bizzarrini logo, plus a Nardi wood-rimmed steering wheel for good measure.

Ten examples have been commissioned so far, but the key word from our point of view is that these are an ‘initial’ ten. So were you to want a 5300 Aperta Lusso in your life, it would almost certainly be worth having a conversation with Bizzarrini. Having seen this car, and knowing it’s a story and design that’s been 60 years in the making, we wouldn’t blame you for wanting one.