1968 Bizzarrini Manta

Bizzarrini worked at Alfa Romeo and later for Ferrari where he was responsible for developing the 250 GTO. Near the end of 1961, following a dispute, he left Ferrari and became a consultant driven by a desire to build automobiles that would outdo his former employer. Lamborghini commissioned Bizzarrini to modify their V12 power plant, an engine that would be well used in future Lamborghini models.

After leaving Lamborghini, Bizzarrini was offered an opportunity by Renzo Rivolta, the owner of Iso. During his employment with Iso, he created the Iso Rivolta and the Grifo A3 models. The A3C was a GT race car powered by a Chevrolet Corvette engine that had been placed in the front but pushed back to take advantage of weight distribution. The car proved itself at the grueling 24 Hours of LeMans in 1964 where it emerged with a class victory.

By 1966 it had become very evident that a mid-engine sports car was needed to be competitive and to remain at the front of the pack. If an overall victory was to be obtained, a change was needed. This was very unlikely for the small company, as they lacked the necessary resources and time to create a machine that could do well against well-funded and seasoned teams such as Ferrari and Ford.

Design and development began in 1965 with the first chassis being finished near the close of that year. It was given a tubular frame designed to house a Chevrolet V8 engine and a ZF five-speed manual gearbox. The suspension was comprised of double wishbones and disc brakes could be found on all four corners. A lightweight and attractive aluminum body was used and the resulting vehicle was given the name 'P538'. The 'P' was meant to represent the word 'posterior' for its rear-engined placement. The 538 signified its 5.3-liter 8-cylinder engine.

With a workable prototype, the Bizzarrini was ready to attract customers. They found one, who asked if the car could be fitted with a Lamborghini V12 engine. So a new fiberglass body was created and the V12 engine was installed into a rolling chassis.

Upon completion, the car was given to driver Edgar Berney to put it through its paces. The result of the test was indicative of a company that lacked the necessary experience, testing, and fine-tuning, to compete at a level of this magnitude. The prototype was flipped during its inaugural test session, badly damaging the car. Bizzarrini decided to salvage what was left of the wreckage; all usable components were removed and placed on a second chassis.

When the second car was completed, the 400 HP powered machine was sent to its customer. By this point in history, a third car had been created which served as the Works team car. Rapid preparation was made to get it ready for LeMan. It was ready in time for the race, but lacked any real test time. It took only seven laps before the car was brought back into the pits. While in the pits, the car was put on jacks and lifted into the air. During the process, one of the water hose lines inside the triangular tube chassis was damaged which meant it was officially side-lined for the day.

This was unfortunate; the car was very attractive and it had the potential to do well in the race. Had it had the resources available, such as those for the Ford GT40 project of the time, it may have been a serious contender for overall victory.

The problem was repaired, and it raced again later in the year at a much smaller event, earning a respectable fourth-place finish. It was brought back to LeMans in 1967 but mysteriously was not allowed to race.

Rule changes for the 1968 season made the P538 obsolete. Bizzarrini removed the roadster body and replaced it with a coupe body, hoping to attract a wider audience of customers. He found a very interested buyer, the Duke of Aosta, who probably would have purchased the car, had he fit into it. So Bizzarrini created a new chassis, the fourth example, and clothed it in a coupe body specifically designed for the Duke. It was dubbed the 'Duca d'Aosta' Coupe.

Manta
Giorgietto Giugiaro, of Ghia and Bertone fame, was interested in building a show car based on the P538 chassis. Bizzarrini supplied a chassis, and Giugiaro was to create the body. The profits made from the sale of the car were to be split between the two. The chassis supplied was the LeMans car, which had its body removed and sent to the newly formed ItalDesign Company. The resulting design was dubbed the 'Manta'.

The public was given their first glimpse of the car at the 1968 Turin Motorshow. It was painted lime-green and was certainly one of the highlights of the show. The car was later sent to the United States; while en route, it was lost and not seen again until the close of the 1970s. When found, it was treated to a new paint job, this time in silver. It was shown again at the 20th-anniversary party of Italdesign in 1988 as one of the highlights of the events.

Recently, the car has been treated to a restoration that brought it back to its 1968 livery. After its restoration, it was shown at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it was awarded a much-deserved First in Class.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2008