Image Credit: Broad Arrow Auctions.Pop the hood of this curvy Italian grand tourer, and you'll find something much more familiar than its exotic bodywork suggests. Sitting underneath is a 327-cubic-inch Chevrolet V8, the same basic engine family found in Corvettes of the era.The combination of Italian styling and American muscle wasn't some backyard engine swap. It came directly from Bizzarrini, the short-lived manufacturer founded by engineer Giotto Bizzarrini.This particular car is even rarer than the company's already scarce production models. It's the one-off 1967 Bizzarrini GT America 2+2 Prototype, built to add a pair of rear seats to the company's grand touring formula.According to the Broad Arrow Auctions listing, it's now being offered for public sale for the first time. The auction house estimates it could bring between $400,000 and $500,000.A Corvette V8 Lives UnderneathImage Credit: Broad Arrow Auctions.Power comes from a 327-cu-in, or 5.4-liter, Chevrolet Corvette V8 producing approximately 355 horsepower. A four-speed Borg-Warner manual transmission sends that power to the rear wheels.The rest of the hardware is suitably exotic for a 1960s Italian GT. There's independent front suspension, a de Dion rear axle, and hydraulic disc brakes at all four corners.Its aluminum body is finished in Champagne Metallic and sits over magnesium knock-off wheels. Inside, brown leather covers the cabin, including the two small rear seats that separate this prototype from the regular GT America.It Was Built For The Turin Motor ShowImage Credit: Broad Arrow Auctions.The 2+2 was created as an evolution of Bizzarrini's GT America, itself descended from the Iso Grifo A3C. That competition car scored a class victory at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing ninth overall.Bizzarrini displayed the prototype at the 1968 Turin Motor Show alongside the Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed Bizzarrini Manta. The company wouldn't survive much longer, making this car one of its final creations.Giotto Bizzarrini had already built an impressive résumé before starting his own company. His previous work included time at Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, where he contributed to cars including the 250 GTO, before moving to Iso.This Bizzarrini Has Traveled The WorldImage Credit: Broad Arrow Auctions.The unfinished prototype was acquired in 1970 by Mauro Chigiotti following Bizzarrini's bankruptcy. It was moved to South Africa shortly afterward and passed through several owners there.A restoration was completed by Reali in Livorno, Italy, in 2008. The car eventually arrived in the United States in May 2017.There's one administrative detail for potential buyers to consider. Broad Arrow says the Bizzarrini is being offered on a bill of sale, although the auction house will assist its new owner with applying for a title if desired.For anyone tempted, Broad Arrow is offering the prototype at its Audrain Auction in Newport, Rhode Island. Half a million dollars is serious Corvette money, although very few Chevy V8s come wrapped in one-off Italian aluminum bodywork.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.
