Scuderia Bizzarrini P538: Italian Speed Demon

Motoring Channel Staff - 20/May/2008

Italy — Another day, another reborn super car. The Scuderia Bizzarrini P538 has the telltale signs of being a highly sought-after low volume super car among collectors. Or a raging fizzer.

"The car will speak for itself in a very short time. We will let you be the judge," states the Scuderia Bizzarrini website.

The Scuderia Bizzarrini P538 is automotive erotica with a design sure to have many readers nodding their heads in respect.

Drawing visual inspiration and it's name from the 1966 P538S Le Mans racer, the Scuderia Bizzarrini group will build the super car in extremely limited numbers, or so it claims.

As these images show, the design is quintessentially Italian with flowing curves along the vehicle's lengths and around the front and rear wheels and vertically hinging doors.

The front end blends Porsche Carrera GT-inspired headlights with a Lotus Elise-esque hood, but the overall profile is part club-racer, part Le Mans roadster.

The rear of the car is characterised by a pair of large buttresses that act as roll-over protection and headrests for the driver and his navigator. The circular brake lights give the rear a clean look, while dirty great big exhausts hint at the P538's impressive 373kW+ (500hp+) power output.

Power comes from a modified General Motors small block V8 engine (Chevrolet LS7) that is mid-mounted for improved weight distribution.

A large rear diffuser designed to reduce turbulent airflow suggests the Scuderia Bizzarrini P538 is capable of very high speeds, and its chosen launch location of the Italian high-speed Nardo test track adds further credence.

While many super cars can claim to dwarf the Scuderia Bizzarrini P538's power out of more than 373kW, few will be as light. 

The Italian company behind the exotic sports car claim it will weigh in at less than 800kg, which is remarkable. Measuring 4.46 metres long and 1.95 metres wide, there's quite a bit of car here, so how is the overall weight kept so low?

Carbon fibre and lots of it. Not only is the body work carbon fibre - very much a given for any super car - but the monocoque frame is also claimed to be made of the highly tensile, and highly expensive material.

With a weight of less than 800kg and a power output of more than 350kW, the Scuderia Bizzarrini P538 could be capable of accelerating from zero to 100km/h in less than 3.0 seconds, which would position the world-famous Bugatti Veyron firmly within its firing range.

Though Bizzarrini's founder, Giotto Bizzarrini, was not directly involved with the reborn P538 project, he has given it his approval.

The Italian company has developed a number of exotic and super car prototypes in the past, but none have reached production. But the timing appears to be favourable, as the super car genre has grown substantially in the last decade.

This super light, super quick, super rare, super car is destined for sale in Europe and North America to a select few (very wealthy) clients after it is launched in Italy at the Nardo test track.