Sports car brand Bizzarrini may return. Former Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez and a Kuwaiti investor are currently working on that, according to Autonews . It is not yet known what kind of cars the reborn brand will build, but it is already certain that Bizzarrini will produce in very low volumes and that price tags with seven figures on them will be placed under the windscreen.
The Bizzarrini revival looks set to be an Aston Martin party. Ulrich Bez, CEO of the British sports car brand from 2000 to 2013, will become chairman of the new Bizzarrini. Day-to-day management will be in the hands of Christopher Sheppard. He is currently a board member at Aston Martin Works, the brand’s restoration division. The investor who will provide the necessary start-up capital is Rezam Alroumi, who separated Aston Martin from Ford in 2007 with Adeem Investments. He recently sold his shares in Aston Martin, but he is still a 50 percent shareholder in Aston Martin Works.
It is not yet known exactly what Bizzarrini will build for cars. According to a spokesman for the new company, this can go both ways. On the one hand, there is the possibility that continuation cars will be built from the original Bizzarrini’s, a tradition that is particularly popular among British brands. However, a completely new model is also possible. The Bizzarrini’s will roll off the line in very low volumes and will have a hefty price tag of at least seven figures. The brand wants to show a first prototype to the public next year. No decision has yet been made about the production location. Giotto Bizzarrini, the original founder of the brand, is not involved in the new company.
Rich history
Giotto Bizzarrini can safely be called a legend in the automotive industry. The Italian is now 94 years old and designed his first car in 1949, at the age of 23. The Bizzarrini 500 was a small sports car based on the Fiat 500. In the following period, Bizzarrini worked for Alfa Romeo and Ferrari. At the Prancing Horse brand, he was responsible for the design of the 250 GTO and the 250 Testa Rossa engine. In 1961 he left Ferrari after a disagreement with Il Commendatore Enzo Ferrari. He then developed the first Lamborghini V12 and designed the Iso Grifo.
Giotto Bizzarrini
His ambitions did not stop there, as in 1963 he showed the Bizzarrini Grifo at the Turin Motor Show, heralding the 5300 GT Strada. A few more models followed, but the Bizzarrini brand never became big. In 1969 it passed away and in the meantime several attempts have been made to revive the brand. Whether Bez and his friends will succeed? Time will tell.