Scale

Yesterday, I posted a pic which made a tongue-in-cheek reference to a car’s size relative to the human who might drive it:

…and while this Alfa Berlina is not a small car, others of the era certainly are, even though if viewed without some perspective they might seem quite large.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.

I have always loved the concept of Bizzarrini cars:  their breathtaking design, their powerful (American) engines and of course, the astounding automotive engineering skill of Giotto Bizzarrini himself.

Here’s the 1967 Bizzarrini 5300 Strada model:

Now I think we can all agree that this is a gorgeous car, and the 400bhp Corvette engine under the hood doesn’t hurt its appeal, either.  The problem is that the long hood makes the car look quite big — “Corvette big”, even — but when put into perspective, the Strada is anything but:

Now that we’ve established the actual size of the thing, here’s a trio of different Bizzarini Strada models and colors:

…and its interior isn’t at all displeasing:

Finally, allow me to show you the Strada’s racing stablemate, the P538 (which won its class at Le Mans in 1965 and placed ninth overall):

It is not good for this old man’s heart to look upon such things.  I think the word is “palpitations”, and I got ’em.

11 comments

  1. To be a young man and have joints that actually worked so that I could get in and out of those cars. Today I don’t want to call for the Jaws of Life every time I want to take a ride so a red neck F150 fits my arthritic old body lots better. If I’m feeling really adventurous I put the transmission in “sport” mode and watch the shift points change by 100 rpm or so.

  2. Back in college I dated a woman who had a Triumph Spitfire. Understand that, at 5’11”, my in-shape weight was still somewhat north of 200 lbs, and I looked at that car and said “No way am I fitting in that without a shoehorn”. Still, I stepped DOWN from the curb and got in, and found it surprisingly roomy although I felt like my feet were RIGHT behind the front bumper.

    Today I’d need a come-along (am I the last person who still calls it that?) and A-frame to get my fat ass out of such a car.

  3. Yep to all above, I like my F-150 getting in and out and being able to see traffic ahead and behind and my wife’s 4-Runner is not too bad but when I occasionally ride in a smaller car I feel like I am sliding along the pavement which is strange because for years I owned Brit sports cars and in those funny, fun vehicles the ground clearance was rather low and your butt was on a seat that was about four inches above the floor pan with legs sticking straight out in front. No way I would want to drive any of those little things on any major expressway full of large trucks but I am old and not so bold any more.

      1. For me, it was always a toss-up between a Monteverdi, and a Facel-Vega;
        with extra points for the Swiss car because Hollywood never discovered it.
        But, Ferraris are Ferraris!

  4. You need a picture of the Alfa 1750 GTA fastback to go with that Berlina. It also had the aluminum body – which I found out the hard way after I had purchased it and taken it to the local paint shop to be stripped and repainted…

  5. I’m surprised that with the vigor Ferrari defends its out-of-production car designs no one has attempted a fiberglass kit car version of a Bizzarini. They’re certainly every bit as sexy as Ferraris.

  6. Beautiful car but my God! Just looked up the price for one. 1.9 million to 2 million for one.

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