Most convertibles are just normal cars that got a haircut and immediately started calling themselves lifestyle objects. The Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso is not that. This thing looks like a lost Italian grand tourer escaped from a museum, found a modern carbon-fiber diet plan, and decided it was finally time to become the extremely dramatic open-top roadster it was apparently meant to be all along.
The Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso is a limited-production, open-top interpretation of the 5300 GT Corsa, blending a 1960s Giugiaro-era design idea with modern materials, hidden comfort features, and the sort of hand-built scarcity that makes ordinary parking spaces feel emotionally underqualified. Bizzarrini says the car brings to life a Giorgetto Giugiaro concept that had been waiting in the archives for more than 60 years, which is an elegant way of saying this automobile has been procrastinating longer than most family trees.
At a glance, it keeps the long-hood, low-roof, wide-bodied shape that makes the old 5300 look like it was drawn by someone who believed wind resistance was a personal insult. But the Aperta Lusso is not a simple nostalgia project with better leather. It is built around a single-piece carbon-fiber composite body, stiffened for open-top use, and aimed at buyers who want the romance of a vintage Italian sports car without also subscribing to vintage Italian electrical anxiety as a hobby.
A Lost Targa Fantasy With Modern Manners
The big visual party trick is the roof treatment. Instead of a soft top flapping around like formalwear in a hurricane, the Aperta Lusso uses two removable carbon-fiber roof panels with a structural arch. The idea traces back to the early 1960s, when Giugiaro imagined an open-top solution for the 5300 shape while working at Bertone. The concept was shelved when Bizzarrini’s focus stayed on racing, which is exactly the kind of decision that sounds sensible until six decades later everyone looks at the result and mutters, “Fine, that probably should have happened sooner.”
Bizzarrini describes this first commission as La Dolce Vita, finished in a pale metallic blue called Azzurro Gaia, with the color inspired by the Ligurian Sea. That is much better branding than “expensive blue,” though to be fair, both are doing a lot of work here. The car is meant for rivieras rather than race tracks, which does not mean it is slow. It means it wants to be fast while also looking like it has strong opinions about linen shirts, hotel valet etiquette, and the correct hour for an espresso.
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Here is the practical version of what makes the Aperta Lusso interesting:
- It revives an open-top 5300 GT idea linked to Giorgetto Giugiaro and Giotto Bizzarrini.
- It uses a single-piece carbon-fiber composite body with extra structural reinforcement for roof-off driving.
- It keeps a front-mid-mounted 5.3-liter V8 and manual transmission setup for old-school driver engagement.
- It adds modern comfort details like air conditioning, MagSafe charging, weather sealing, and a concealed sound system with CarPlay.
- It is being built as a tiny run of individually commissioned cars, not a dealership-lot appliance.
Old Shape, New Spine
Under the sculptural bodywork is where this car becomes more than a very pretty throwback. Bizzarrini says the Aperta Lusso uses a semi-monocoque bonded chassis approach, with the body acting as both structure and sculpture. To compensate for the missing fixed roof, the engineers added aerospace-grade steel reinforcement through the transmission tunnel and a cross-body bar, with the goal of surpassing the torsional rigidity of the 1960s coupe.
That matters because roofless sports cars can get a little wobbly when the roof stops being part of the car and starts being luggage. Here, the removable roof panels are carbon fiber and light enough, according to Bizzarrini, for one person to remove and store in the luggage compartment. So yes, the car is wildly exclusive, but at least it is polite enough not to require a pit crew every time the clouds behave.
| Detail | Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso |
|---|---|
| Body | Single-piece carbon-fiber composite body with added open-top reinforcement |
| Engine | 5.3-liter front-mid-mounted V8 producing more than 400 bhp |
| Transmission | Tremec TKX 5-speed manual, with a 6-speed manual option available |
| Top speed | More than 175 mph, according to Bizzarrini |
| Suspension | All-round double wishbone setup with Koni adjustable dampers |
| Production | Initial run limited to 10 individually commissioned examples |
The powertrain is wonderfully blunt in the best possible way. A 5.3-liter V8 sits behind the front axle line, drives through a Tremec TKX five-speed manual, and sends power to a limited-slip differential. Bizzarrini also says a six-speed manual can be specified for buyers who want a more relaxed high-speed character. That is a charmingly adult option, like ordering the thunderstorm with better cruise manners.
The engine swaps vintage carburetors for port fuel injection, but the system is designed to look period-correct at a glance. That is exactly the kind of detail that separates tasteful modernization from the automotive equivalent of putting a tablet on a Victorian desk and calling it heritage. The exhaust is hand-fabricated in Inconel, with catalytic converters fitted as standard and a valved setup intended to balance civilized idle behavior with a more visceral note when the driver stops pretending to be calm.
The Cabin Still Believes In Theater
Inside, the Aperta Lusso seems determined to prove that modern convenience does not have to arrive dressed like a microwave. The first La Dolce Vita commission uses leather, Zegna fabric, and a single-piece European maple instrument panel with a hand-painted pinstripe. There is also a Nardi wood-rimmed wheel, a tortoiseshell-style gear knob with gold detailing, and enough warm material contrast to make the average touchscreen dashboard look like a dentist’s waiting room.
Still, the car is not pretending that 1960s comfort standards were secretly perfect. Bizzarrini lists air conditioning, frameless windows with drop-glass functionality, premium weather sealing, MagSafe charging, an adjustable steering column, and a concealed sound system interfaced with CarPlay. The result is a cabin that wants to feel old enough to make you dress better, but not so old that your phone dies halfway to the coast while you are explaining to a passenger why this car has a structural arch.
The suspension and brakes also stay serious. The car uses all-round double wishbones, cast magnesium Campagnolo center-lock wheels, Pirelli tires, Koni adjustable dampers, ventilated discs all around, four-piston Alcon front calipers, and two-piston Brembo rear calipers. Bizzarrini says the brakes have no servo assistance, which means pedal feel is part of the point. This is not a machine built to isolate you from the act of driving. It is a machine built to make you aware that you are doing something expensive, mechanical, and probably very difficult to explain to your accountant.
Availability, Price, and Who This Is For
Production is limited to an initial 10 examples, each hand-built to its owner’s specification. Bizzarrini says further commissioning slots will be available with cars arriving in 2027. The company has not announced a public price, which is usually the luxury-car world’s way of saying that if you need a number before developing feelings, you may not be the intended emotional victim.
Key product details and features:
- Product: Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso open-top carbon-fiber roadster
- Core idea: 1960s 5300 GT Corsa-inspired design with removable carbon-fiber roof panels
- Power: More than 400 bhp from a 5.3-liter front-mid-mounted V8
- Transmission: 5-speed Tremec manual, with a 6-speed manual option
- Luxury details: Leather, Zegna fabric, European maple dashboard, hidden modern convenience tech
- Availability: Initial 10 hand-built commissions, with further slots expected for 2027 arrivals
- Price: Not publicly announced by Bizzarrini
If your dream car is a silent electric pod that makes all decisions for you, this is probably not your chariot. If your dream car is a hand-built Italian roadster that looks like it should be parked outside a cliffside hotel while someone in sunglasses makes a questionable life choice, the Aperta Lusso is very much speaking your language. Images courtesy of Bizzarrini.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Stunning open-top revival of the 5300 GT Corsa shape | Initial production is limited to only 10 examples |
| Carbon-fiber body and reinforced structure modernize the classic concept | No public pricing has been announced |
| Manual V8 drivetrain keeps the driving experience mechanical and involved | Extreme rarity means it will be out of reach for nearly everyone |
| Interior mixes leather, Zegna fabric, maple, and hidden modern tech | Commission-based build means availability depends on Bizzarrini slots |
| Removable carbon-fiber roof panels preserve the dramatic targa-style profile | Collectors may treat it too carefully for everyday use |