The Bizzarini 1900 GT Europa
The Bizzarini 1900 GT Europa was an ex-Ferrari engineer's dream of building a mass market sports car that failed.
The early 1960s were a difficult time for Ferrari. The company was strained financially and faced tough competition from the likes of Jaguar, Aston Martin and later Lamborghini, both on the racetracks and inside showrooms. This situation was further aggravated by Enzo Ferrari’s strong personality and the internal tensions the company faced as a result of it.
The defining incident of the time was the ‘Great Walkout’ of 1961. A group within Ferrari, led by sales manager Girolamo Gardini, with manager Romolo Tavoni, chief engineer Carlo Chiti and experimental sports car development chief Giotto Bizzarrini had become increasingly disgruntled with the interference of Ferrari’s wife, Laura, in the day to day running of the company. Gardini presented an ultimatum to Enzo to either remedy this or risk losing his key men. Enzo Ferrari was not one to respond to threats kindly, he promptly fired Gardini and all his supporters.
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