“I always had a hunger to understand why something was wrong. So I could also invent the solution.” – Giotto Bizzarini.
“Death is just another way. What we all have to overcome…”
Inspiring countless people in the universe he created, JRR Tolkien defines death in a very meaningful way in his “Lord of the Rings” series. Together with those who look at the process from this window, we will take a short trip to the legacy left behind by a legend in parallel with the development that will upset automobile enthusiasts today. We learned that Giotto Bizzarini, one of the geniuses who left his mark on the Italian automotive industry, passed away at the age of 96 in the light of the information shared recently. Set out for a new adventure in Tolkien’s window, Bizzarini will undoubtedly never be erased from the minds of what he left behind. Giotto Bizzarini, who started his career in Alfa Romeo at a young age and continued as an engineer at Ferrari, continues to be an icon on the streets today, as well as his assistance to Lamborghini in the process. In this article, headlines from Bizzari’s life we focus.
Giotto Bizzarini; the quest to push the limits and the Ferrari 250 GTO
Born in Qurcianella, Tuscany in 1926, Bizzarini completed his education in engineering. The fact that Bizzari, who has been interested in automobiles since his student years, has done his dissertation on the development of Fiat Topolino also reveals this. His passion for pushing the limits of automobiles crossed paths with Alfa Romeo after graduating from the University of Pisa. Founded in 1910, Alfa’s name like Enzo Ferrari and the importance it gave to motor sports undoubtedly included Bizzarini in a brand new school. The process of being included in the Alpha team; “As an engineer with a strict adherence to mathematical principles, I coincidentally took on the task of a test pilot here. I always had a hunger to understand why something was wrong. So I could also invent the solution.” explains in sentences. One of Bizzari’s first works in Alfa remains as the development process of Giulietta.
It doesn’t take long for Enzo to catch his attention with his success in Alpha and his problem-solving skills. Giotto Bizzarini, who was included in the Ferrari team in 1957, did not know that he would mark the history of automobiles during his five-year stay here. Bizzarini, who has his signature in the 250 family, one of the most valuable series in Ferrari history today, is also one of the names behind the 250 GTO, which is one of the most expensive. The 250 GTO, which is positioned in front of the 3.0-liter machine, which is the best combination of the V12 engine for some, almost shatters its era on the tracks. We can say that Bizzari’s fondness and interest in GT cars has been crowned with a tangible success with the GTO, the car in which the body-integrated spoiler design was applied for the first time. The body of the 250 SWB, which was based on the emergence of the car, shows that Bizzari’s dream of pushing the limits by improving a product he was fond of during his school years has never ceased.
By a twist of fate
It is a twist of fate to cross with another legend on the escape route of Bizzarini, who has come to a new crossroads for himself after his disagreements with Enzo. As a matter of fact, here we come across Ferruccio Lamborghini. Despite being a tractor manufacturer, Lamborghini has a great interest in sports cars and the legendary dialogue with Enzo Ferrari is in the minds of many of us. Ferruccio, whose offer to Enzo was sarcastically rejected in order to solve the powertrain problem he was experiencing in a model he owned, today presents us with one of the most special competitions in the world. For Ferruccio Lamborghini, who knew very well that there was a GT car gap between Ferrari and Maserati at that time that would appeal to more general users, Bizzari, one of Enzo’s right-hand men, was a perfect fit. As we have just mentioned, it would not be wrong to call it a twist of fate.
Bizzarini, who rolled up his sleeves for the first model of the sports car brand that Lamborghini will bring to life under his own name, is actually responding to Enzo with his own genius, with the 350 GT, the first model of the brand. It is inevitable that the heated disagreement between Enzo and Ferruccio will be reflected in the production process of this engine. Ferruccio Lamborghini’s message to Bizzarini is very clear; “Extra bonus for every horsepower produced by the Ferrari V12 engine!”
We see the DNA of the Bizzarini engine, which is the cornerstone of the Italian manufacturer’s twelve-cylinder legend, in a wide band that extends to Miura, Diablo and even Murcielago in the millennium. As a matter of fact, this machine goes down in history by presenting a mid-engined Italian car for the first time in Miura. The presence of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Lamborghini in the adventure Bizzari left behind in such a short period of time also helps draw boundaries that many engineers cannot possibly imagine.
a new way
Bizzarini, who is in search of a freer playground with his ties with Lamborghini, also carried out works for other manufacturers in the brand he founded under the name of Societa Autostar. Today, we can still see the results of these partnerships on the streets through Iso Rivolta and Iso Grifo. Continuing directly under his own name in the next period, Giotto maintained a long-lasting friendship and cooperation with Giorgetto Giugiaro, a name that left its mark not only in Italy but also in the entire automobile industry. As a matter of fact, when these two geniuses came together, another GT car, the Bizzarrini 5300GT, emerged. The 5300GT, which we see produced 133 units in the records, manages to become the champion of its own classification in the LeMans races of 1965 with its 5.4-liter V8 Chevrolet engine.
Car = GT
Tuiavii, chief of the Tiavea tribe existing in the depths of Samoa, has the chance to meet the modern world for the first time on his journey to the European continent. Tuiavii, who got rid of the primitive and so natural conditions in his own life and in a sense, got rid of his shell, it is almost as if he has passed into another universe. In this adventure, which brings to mind the discovery of mankind to the Moon, we see how different the world we are accustomed to is through the eyes of Tuiavii. For Tuiavii, who likens shoes to a canoe, modern human clothing consists of a sheath covering the body. For Giotto Bizzarini, who left unforgettable stories in the automobile world in his 96 years of life, the word automobile meant GT in a sense. His passion, which began when he was a student, reflects unforgettable GT cars in our window today as a result of his perspective. With our respects to Bizzarini, who turned into an inspiring legend from the path of the legends he inspired…