Bizzarrini – die Sammlung

Es ist dies wieder einmal ein Fahrzeug, zu dem wahrscheinlich mehr als nur eine Geschichte existiert. Aber wer weiss das schon – wir beginnen mit den Angaben von Jack Koobs de Hartog.

Chassis-Nummer: #IA3*0248

Motoren-Nummer*: #

Typ*: Strada

Heckfenster*: konventionell

Armaturenbrett*: Serie 1

Hinterachse*: DeDion

Vergaser*: Holley

Karosserie*: Aluminium

Original-Farbe*: Schwarz

Original-Interieur*: Schwarz

zum ersten Mal erwähnt*: –

ausgeliefert*: –

erster Besitzer*: –

weitere Besitzer/Besonderheiten*:
1976: von Ian Nilsson aus der Schweiz nach Schweden importiert; Mr. Svanbäck; Lars Wildenborg; Jan Lillieskold

Aus einem Brief von Jan Svanback, Stockholm, 6.8.2026: «I bought this car 1975 from Mr. Ivan in Locarno.. I paid custom for it and I registered the car in my name; Jan Nilsson was never owner of this car. The photos of the car in the article with swedish plates are from Rallye Cognac in France where I won the Slalom and took a shared 4th place in the hillclimb in Coursac, beating 70 Ferrari; the cars with better times were 2 Ferrari Daytona Gr. 4 and one Boxer Gr. 4; my car had a badly running engine…»

2002: Restauration
2007: Nik Hannah, Schweden (verkauft für 200’000 Euro)
2007: Philippe Olczyk, Belgien (angeboten für 330’000 Euro)
2009: Monaco
Danach in Deutschland, anscheinend mit dem Kennzeichen M-QC 79H

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Doch dann gibt es noch diese zweite Geschichte, die verfasst wurde, als RM Sotheby’s 2015 die Fendt-Sammlung in London versteigerte (Schätzpreis 495’000 bis 700’000 Pfund, nicht verkauft). Wir wollen sie hier unkommentiert stehen lassen:

Chassis-Nummer: #IA3*0248

Motoren-Nummer*: 1242 0418 HT

Karosserie-Nummer: 248

«Giotto Bizzarrini worked for Renzo Rivolta, the Italian refrigerator, motorcycle, and automobile manufacturer, at Iso SpA in Milan. Rivolta had moved on from the Isetta mini-cars of the 1950s, selling the rights to BMW, and settled in to build supercars using potent and reliable American powerplants. Bizzarrini, as chief engineer, developed the Iso Rivolta, a Chevrolet-powered four-passenger GT coupé with a Bertone unibody that had been styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro. A successor two-seat model, the Iso Grifo, was developed in 1963.
The basic Grifo was the A3/L street model, but Bizzarrini favoured a competition version, which he developed as A3/C. This had a dramatically modified alloy body, designed and built by Piero Drogo, which allowed the engine to move aft by some 16 inches, giving rise to the “front-mid-engined” configuration that became popular.
Bizzarrini worked hard to promote the A3/C, which caused some discontent with Renzo Rivolta. After 22 A3/Cs had been built, a falling out with Rivolta led Bizzarrini to leave and form his own company, Prototipi Bizzarrini SpA, at Livorno in 1965. There, he released a street version of the Iso Grifo A3/C as the Bizzarrini GT Strada 5300. At just 43 inches high, it has been described as “power-packed yet sensuous”. Just 133 Bizzarrini GT Strada 5300s were built up until 1968. Bizzarrini also scaled down the 5300 as a 1900 GT Europa for Opel and had developed a rear-mid-engine race car, the P538, before winding down Prototipi Bizzarrini in 1969.
This Bizzarrini GT Strada, chassis number 0248, was first titled in Italy in 1966, although the original owner is unknown. As a very early alloy example, it was actually built by Bizzarrini himself before Salvatore Diomante became the factory manager. It is believed that the car was raced in local hill climbs and rallies throughout Italy and France during the 1960s and ’70s. In 1975, it was purchased by Swiss historian Rob de la Rive Box and sold shortly thereafter to Jan Lilliesköld, of Stockholm. The Fendt Collection acquired it in 2007.
Between 2008 and 2010, it was restored by Hans Wittenzellner in Munich. Mr Wittenzellner had worked on Iso Rivoltas and Bizzarrinis during the 1960s and ’70s with Auto König in Munich. The work was carefully done, taking into account the nice original patina found on the original instruments, glass, door handles, wheels, and the like. The underlying structure and panels were restored by Kupka Karosseriebau, of Hebertshausen, Germany, to better-than-new condition.
During the car’s lifetime, it has experienced a few changes. The original engine was replaced with a 350-horsepower, 327-cubic inch Chevrolet V-8, with a steel crankshaft, from an Iso Grifo, chassis number 218, which was a 1968 car that was scrapped. The original manifold and Holley carburettor were swapped for a 600 CFM Edelbrock unit for more spirited driving on the German autobahn, although the manifold remains with the car. Larger, metric-size tyres are now fitted: 205/70 R15 in the front and 215/70 R15 in the rear. It is also finished in its original black-over-black combination with gold-painted wheels, as it appears in historic photographs.
The car completed the FIVA Concours d’Elegance Schloss Dyck in 2011, achieving Second Place in Class 1, Rare GTs, as well as First Place in the Sports Origin class. It is accompanied by historic photos and a FIVA Identity Card, category D/4, and is eligible for all sanctioned events. With the installation of the original manifold and a correct Holley carburettor, which is easy to source, the car would be eligible for A/3 categorisation.
The Bizzarini 5300 GT was created from the great mind that gave us the fabled Ferrari 250 GTO, and as such, it has equally aggressive looks and the race-bred performance of one of the most successful and highly prized of all 1960s sports cars.

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Dann: Broad Arrow, Zoute 2026, Schätzpreis 700’000 bis 850’000 Euro, mit diesen Angaben: «Among these approximately 133 examples, our car, chassis number IA30248, was built in 1966 with its aluminum body finished in black and complemented by black upholstery—a combination at once aggressive, elegant, and understated, which the car retains to this day. The car is understood to have been delivered new in Italy before making its way to Italian-speaking Switzerland, in Ticino, where it was registered as TI 47829. In 1975, it belonged to Rob de la Rive Box, a Swiss automotive historian and writer. Then, it was imported in 1976 into Sweden by Ian Nilsson and Jan Svanbäck, who in June of the same year entered it in the Rallye de Cognac, carrying competition number 110. The event was organized by the Club Bugatti France and the enthusiasts of the Cavallino Rampante. The Bizzarrini would then retreat from the road, spending more than three decades in storage under its Swedish registration, JHK 502. In 2007 and 2008, it passed from hand to hand as a restoration project, before ultimately finding its way to Johann Georg and Corinna Fendt, German enthusiasts with a deep appreciation for Italian automobiles. The car was then entrusted to Hans Wittenzellner and Kupka Karosseriebau in Germany for the comprehensive restoration it deserved, carried out under the supervision of Jörg Elsenbach, Corinna’s husband and technical manager of the Iso Rivolta Club Germany. The restoration was carried out as closely as possible to the original specifications, with comparable vehicles of similar delivery dates also inspected for reference. The engine fitted at that time, which was not the original unit, was replaced with an original Iso Grifo engine of the correct type, bearing identification 1242 V0418HT, from the vehicle with chassis number 218. The original Holley carburetor was replaced with an Edelbrock 600 cfm unit to increase usability. Various components on the dashboard were retained in their original state, with a fine patina, including the rare leather steering wheel and an original horn button from the early series, which was replaced on the later series by a wooden one. The current owner acquired the car more than a decade ago and, following its restoration, took the opportunity to present the Bizzarrini at some concours in Europe. Among its notable accolades was Best of Class at the Masterpieces & Style at Schloss Dyck on 15 June 2015, awarded in the class “Travelling the Continent – The Gentlemen’s Car of the Sixties 1950–1968”.»

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*gemäss: Jack Koobs de Hartog, Bizzarrini – Facts and Figures, 2017

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Der Überblick über unsere Bizzarrini-Sammlung: hier. Und unsere anderen Sammlungen: hier. Mehr schöne Klassiker: Archiv.