Bizzarrini 500 macchinetta

Bizzarrini
Bizzarrini 500 macchinetta
500 macchinetta
Presentation year:	1953
Vehicle fair:
Class :	Small car
Body shape :	Coupe
Engine:	Otto engine : 0.6 liters (approx. 30 hp)
Length:	3225 mm
Width:	1270 mm
Height:	1320 mm
Wheelbase:	1990 mm
Empty weight:	500 kg
Production model:	none

The Bizzarrini 500 Macchinetta is the first automobile designed by the Italian engineer Giotto Bizzarrini . The small car , created in 1953, is based on revised large-scale production technology from Fiat and has its own body. Series production did not materialize.

History of origin

Giotto Bizzarrini, born in 1926 near Livorno , studied since 1945 at the Facoltà di Ingegneria (Faculty of Engineering) of the University of Pisa with a focus on mechanical engineering . As a student, he was already doing practical work on automobile engines and increased the performance of Fiat engines in his private life. After completing his training, Bizzarrini designed his first car, which was named 500 Macchinetta (German: Autochen). The car was largely made in Oreste Pasqualetti's workshop in Pisa . The 500 Machinetta remained a one-off. Giotto Bizzarrini used the car as a private vehicle for a number of years from 1953, including during an interview with Enzo Ferrari .

Giotto Bizzarrini became one of the most prominent sports car designers in Italy in the following years. He worked for Alfa Romeo , Ferrari , ATS , Lamborghini and Iso Rivolta before manufacturing sports cars under his own brand in Livorno . Bizzarrini's designs include the Ferrari 250 GTO (1961), the Lamborghini 350 GT (1963) as well as the Iso Grifo (1964) and its offshoot Bizzarrini GT 5300 (1964). His 500 Macchinetta from 1953 is a small car that cannot be compared with these high-performance sports cars; however, it has some design features that are characteristic of later Bizzarrini cars. This includes the emphasis on lightweight construction and the preference for aerodynamically favorable body shapes.

Model description

Aluminum body with a short hatchback

Rear section without bumpers

The chassis of the 500 Macchinetta comes from a Fiat 500 Topolino manufactured in 1949 . Bizzarrini took over the rear transverse leaf spring, but added three rubber cushions. Bizzarrini himself designed the "aerodynamically sophisticated" body. It follows the pontoon style , but has a short hatchback. The radiator opening covered with horizontal struts is oval; it takes up forms that can also be found in contemporary Ferrari and Maserati sports cars . The car has no bumpers in the front or in the back. The body consists of aluminum sheets. It is supported by a tubular frame also designed by Bizzarrini.

Giotto Bizzarrini initially planned a self-designed engine, a 0.75 liter four-cylinder with two overhead camshafts and air cooling. However, the project could not be realized for cost reasons. Instead, Bizzarrini resorted to the conventional inline four-cylinder engine from the Fiat Topolino, which he revised in numerous details. While the standard version of the 16.5 hp Fiat 500 engine has a long stroke (bore × stroke: 53 × 67 mm), Bizzarrini's version is square; Bore and stroke are each 56.5 mm. This results in a slightly reduced displacement (563 instead of 569 cm³). The engine received a Siata cylinder head and dual carburetors from Dell'Orto . Finally, Bizzarrini increased the compression ratio to 7: 1. The performance of the Fiat engine worked on by Bizzarrini is estimated at 25 to 30 hp.

The car weighs around 500 kg in total. Depending on the source, it reaches a top speed of 145, 150 or 155 km / h and is thus 50 to 60 km / h faster than a Fiat Topolino in the production version (95 km / h).

Whereabouts

The 500 Macchinetta has achieved a certain fame in the classic scene as the “baby bizzarrini”. It still exists, is shown repeatedly at exhibitions and has been used occasionally at the Mille Miglia Storica since 2012 . Several manufacturers offer model cars for this.

Technical specifications

Bizzarrini 500 macchinetta
Engine:	Otto engine, four-cylinder in line
Displacement:	563 cc
Bore × stroke:	56.5 × 56.5 mm mm
Power:	25-30 hp
Compression ratio:	7.0: 1
Mixture preparation:	Dell'Orto double carburetor
Valve control:	An overhead camshaft
Cooling:	Water cooling
Transmission:	manual four-speed transmission
Front and rear suspension:	Independently suspended wheels, swing arms, hydraulic shock absorbers, additional rubber cushions at the rear
Brakes:	front and rear drum brakes
Body:	Aluminum on a grid frame
Wheelbase:	1990 mm
Dimensions (length × width × height):	3225 × 1270 × 1320 mm
Empty weight:	500 kg
Top speed:	approx. 145–155 km / h

literature

• Federico Gavazzi: Giotto Bizzarrini. In: Il genio e la macchina: Bizzarrini e Lampredi: due storie dell'auto italiana. Bandecchi & Vivaldi - Editore, 2010, ISBN 978-88-8341-937-1 .
• Michael Hundt: Pisa study. In: Oldtimer Market. February 2012, p. 22 f.
• Philippe Olczyk : Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History , 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0
• Halwart Schrader, Georg Amtmann: Italian sports cars . Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01988-4 .

Web links

Commons : Bizzarrini 500 Macchinetta  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Brief description of the car on the website www.hemmings.com

Individual evidence

1. ^ Halwart Schrader, Georg Amtmann: Italian sports cars . Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01988-4 , p. 88.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Michael Hundt: Pisa study. In: Oldtimer Market. February 2012, p. 24.
3. ^ ^{A b} Philippe Olczyk: Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History , 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 , p. 65.
4. ^ Federico Gavazzi: Giotto Bizzarrini. In: Il genio e la macchina: Bizzarrini e Lampredi: due storie dell'auto italiana. Bandecchi & Vivaldi - Editore, 2010, p. 9.
5. ↑ The Bizzarrini 500 Macchinetta on the website www.autocult.de (accessed on November 11, 2019).
6. ^ Federico Gavazzi: Giotto Bizzarrini. In: Il genio e la macchina: Bizzarrini e Lampredi: due storie dell'auto italiana. Bandecchi & Vivaldi - Editore, 2010, p. 28.