Finding an exotic car that has fallen on hard times in any condition is enough to make your senses tingle just a bit. Even if you’re a die-hard muscle car enthusiast, seeing a vehicle that was produced in exceedingly limited quantities in stunning Italian sheetmetal end up in nearly unrecognizable condition is a scene that’s almost surreal. This 1967 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada apparently ended up in the hands of a Michigan enthusiast beginning in the 1970s, and remained hidden away in his garage until its recent discovery. See it here on Gooding & Co. website as part of its offerings at the 2026 Retromobile New York auctions.
If the Lamborghini LP400 and Ferrari Daytona were considered prime exotics of the era, the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada was downright evocative in comparison. The bodywork was low and long, and if you’ve ever sat in one of these, you realize instantly a large part of the population will never be able to drive one. It’s sort of like the body type that is equipped to be a professional horse jockey and nothing else; similarly, people who might have been a professional driver for a major racing team in another life are the best candidates for owning a Bizzarrini. The car spent its early years in Italy changing hands between three owners before it was exported to the U.S., where it effectively remained in the hands of one owner for 50 years – and forgotten.
That owner, one Kenneth Ray Caldwell, is where the car’s history effectively ends. Curiously, Gooding included the photo above showing it used as an outdoor lean-to of sorts with a wood crate stacked up against it. Other photos show it in Italy in happier times. The condition today is best described as “full restoration required” with extensive decay throughout. However, other original details remain that point to this being a later car with a high degree of specifications, including a wood veneer dash, electric windows, and a Voxson radio. The listing also notes original Italian parking stickers are still visible on the glass.
Perhaps most importantly, the auction house believes that the Chevrolet 327 V8 is the original engine that the Bizzarrini left the factory with. While I don’t know for certain given the limited production numbers, it seems likely that any car equipped with a domestic V8 from Italy stood a high chance of losing that engine at some point in favor of a fresh unit when they were so widely available. Despite its ugly cosmetics, the matching V8 and original features will surely propel this car into a long-term restoration under the care of its next owner. With 365 horsepower and 376 lb.-ft. of torque, there is no shortage of sensory joy that this Bizzarrini will provide once it is ready to run once again.
Mama Mia, you know, never heard of one, not unusual, but what gets me, is here you have an obvious exotic, from the land of wonderful motors, and an antique US pushrod V8 is used? And this isn’t the only time either. What gives with that? I think it’s safe to say, anyone here probably has not sat in one, or any other exotic, for that matter. If for nothing else, shock value on how such a neat car could be so ignored.
At the time there was a whole cottage industry in Italy building cars with Italian style, craftsmanship and chassis/suspension engineering wrapped around big American V8 muscle that was relatively cheap, reliable and easy to maintain, likely inspired in no small part by the Shelby Cobra formula of stuffing a big Ford V8 into a tiny AC Ace sports car body.
De Tomaso is probably the most famous example with their Mangusta, Pantera, Longchamps and Deauville, but there was also Bizzarrini, Iso, Intermeccanica, Apollo, and probably some even more obscure others slipping my mind at the moment.
Get it running, drive thru the carwash and enjoy!