| Posted on 09.1.2013 12:00 by Tom Burkart |
Ever the tornado of creativity and speed, Ferrari was quite a volatile company in the early 1960s. For every race Enzo won, it seems like the Old Man made a few enemies as well. The failed buyout from Ford and the epic "palace revolution" of management resulted in a brain drain at Maranello.
Competing hot-shot engineers would form nearly a dozen competing supercar marques, including: Lamborghini, De Tomaso, Iso, ATS, ASA and Bizzarrini.
Each led by a mastermind engineer, stylist, machinest or visionary, only Lamborghini's brand was strong enough to make it to the 1970s and beyond. The Ferrari exodus left all these talented men with huge ideas, but less of a real concept of how to bring the car to market effectively and resolve development problems outside their specialized area of experience.
Giotto Bizzarriniworked with all of the above firms before eventually launching what would be his best-known model: the 1965 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada Alloy supercar. With all the latest curves, a wide road graphic and a low roof: the Strada was a gorgeous hit right from the start.
Sharing the low nose and mid-engine stance of the Lamborghini Miura, the Strada is actually a front-engine coupe powered by a reliable and torque-rich 5.3-liter Chevrolet small-block V-8.
That's right, the long history of Chevy small-block V-8 engines in bespoke supercars started well before the 2013 Local Motors Rally Fighter's 6.2-liter LS3 motor.
Click past the jump to read more about the 1965 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada Alloy, with high-res images and performance details on its proven 161 mph top speed.
Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada Alloy originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 1 September 2013 12:00 EST.
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