<< Prev Page 2 of 2 The interior also broke with convention as it featured three seats, with the driver located in the middle. This had previously been seen on the Ferrari 365 P Speciale but considering the width of the chassis seemed more than the obvious route. To aid driver access, a relatively small gear-lever was fitted. The collapsable steering wheel featured a long column that extended from the centre of the deep dashboard. Little reminded of the car's racing heritage in the lavishly finished appointed interior that featured ample leather trim.
The Manta was finished in acid green with red accentuated louvres on the tail that resembled the gills on the Manta Ray after which the show car was named. Hard to miss, it was one of the absolute stars at the Turin Motor Show. The first ItalDesign creation also received universal acclaim in the world media, gracing the cover of the March 1969 Road & Track issue for example. Repainted red with contrasting white and blue racing stripes, it was subsequently shown at the Tokyo Racing Car Show and the Los Angeles Auto Expo.
During the return from Los Angeles to Italy, it was lost and not seen again until 1978 or 1979 when it appeared in a Port of Genoa customs auction. It was acquired by an Italian enthusiast, who had it restored by Carrozzeria SD, owned by former Bizzarrini foreman Salvatore Diomante. A few years later it was sold to a Swedish enthusiast, who showed the car at various events including ItalDesign's 20th and 30th year anniversary celebrations. Some years later he sold the car to a Texas-based enthusiast, who in turn sold it to the current owner in 2005.
At that time, the unique Bizzarrini was in the final stages of a thorough restoration to its original, 1968 configuration and colour scheme. Once completed, the Manta was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it won its class. In the following years, it starred at a wide variety of events including the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este and the ItalDesign 40th anniversary celebrations at the Geneva Motor Show. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Manta
The interior also broke with convention as it featured three seats, with the driver located in the middle. This had previously been seen on the Ferrari 365 P Speciale but considering the width of the chassis seemed more than the obvious route. To aid driver access, a relatively small gear-lever was fitted. The collapsable steering wheel featured a long column that extended from the centre of the deep dashboard. Little reminded of the car's racing heritage in the lavishly finished appointed interior that featured ample leather trim.