1968 Bizzarrini GT America 2+2 Prototype

Chassis No. IGM0593VT
Engine No. JE5010V0T9HD

Automotive history is full of unlikely stories sparked by the brilliant passion of a few extraordinary people. Few, however, burn as brightly as the story of Bizzarrini S.p.A. Founded by Giotto Bizzarrini, the company existed for only a handful of years, but in that short span it produced cars of remarkable character; machines whose engineering pedigree was strong enough to earn class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Giotto Bizzarrini, was first and foremost an engineer driven by an uncompromising passion for performance. After working at Alfa Romeo in the 1950s, he joined Ferrari, where he contributed to the development of some of the marque's most celebrated cars, including the Testa Rossa and the Ferrari 250 GTO. He later moved to Iso, where he engineered the Iso Grifo A3C. Entered by Iso Prototipi Bizzarrini, the A3C won its class at Le Mans in 1965 in the over-5.0-liter category and finished ninth overall. From that competition-bred foundation came the Bizzarrini 5300 GT America, a road-legal version of the A3C.

Among the final creations of Bizzarrini S.p.A., before Giotto Bizzarrini went on to pursue consulting work for other manufacturers, stands a prototype of the GT America reimagined to accommodate two rear seats while retaining its grand touring character. Presented at the 1968 Turin Motor Show alongside the Bizzarrini Manta, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Italdesign, the 2+2 Prototype represented an ambitious extension of the earlier GT America series.

Elegant yet formidable, the GT America 2+2 Prototype was as much an object of design as it was a machine of power. Finished in Champagne Metallic over brown leather, its aluminum coachwork was further enhanced by magnesium knock-off wheels, lending the car a presence at once refined, purposeful, and unmistakably Italian.

Under the hood was a proven and reliable 5,354-cc Chevrolet Corvette V8, the 327 cubic-inch GM engine producing approximately 355 horsepower. Fed by a single four-barrel carburetor and mated to a four-speed Borg-Warner manual transmission, it embodied the robust performance that defined Bizzarrini's grand touring philosophy. Independent front suspension, a de Dion rear axle, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes completed a mechanical specification directly tied to the principles of the 5300 GT.

The car was acquired in 1970 by Mauro Chigiotti, the owner of several other Bizzarrinis, while it was still incomplete, following the company's bankruptcy. A few months later, it was moved to South Africa, where it passed into the ownership of Mr. and Mrs. Louw. In 1982, it was offered for sale through Road & Track, at which time it reportedly showed just 4,500 km. It was subsequently acquired by Ian R. Elliot of Johannesburg, before passing in 1984 to Gerhard Malherbe, remaining in South Africa throughout.

Over the following years, the car received successive registrations before undergoing a restoration in 2008 at Reali in Livorno, Italy. Still registered in South Africa that year, the car was assigned an administrative identity bearing the newly stamped chassis number IGM0593VT.

In May 2017, this unique Bizzarrini GT America 2+2 Prototype crossed the Atlantic to the United States. A rare surviving expression of Giotto Bizzarrini's uncompromising engineering vision, it stands as a remarkable testament to one of Italy's most fascinating and short-lived automotive chapters and is now offered for public sale for the first time.