Hello everybody, I thought it could be cool sharing that article written by the Belgian journalist Roeland Frère about Salvatore Diomante, who was Bizzarrini's manager. He worked for Bizzarrini for more than 50 years, therefore, to me, he "is" Bizzarrini!! "Salvatore Diomante at Bizzarrini SpA Salvatore Diomante gains his first experiences in Turin with the finishing and painting of small series of special production cars. He meets eng. Giotto Bizzarrini and starts to work for him in Livorno. Bizzarrini, however, goes bankrupt and Salvatore returns to Turin where he sets up his current company, Autocostruzioni SD. 0n June 16, 1956, the 15-year-old Salvatore Diomante arrives in Turin by train from Sicily. The only thing he has is a cardboard suitcase with some clothes and the address of a family member where he can stay. During the first couple of months, he helps out here and there, and in 1957, he starts working at Amandonico. This company is specialized in the finishing of small series of cars. Salvatore works on the first Abarths 500 with fixed roof, the Alfa Romeo 1900 Ministeriale, the extended Fiat 1400 and the Triumph Italia 2000. Their customers include the coachbuilders from Turin such as Allemano, Lombardi and Vignale. In 1963, Salvatore joins Carel as department manager. He is responsible for the painting and finishing. Again, customer names include well-known companies such as Scioneri, Giannini, Intermeccanica, Zagato and Vignale. The naked bodywork is delivered and Carel takes care of finishing doors and bonnet, painting the cars, the entire cabling of the car, fitting the interior, the windows, lights and dashboard. In April 1964, Diomante reckons he gained sufficient experience to be self-employed and, together with Bonifaci, he sets up the company Carbondio (CARrozzeria BONifaci DIOmante). They perform the same activities as Carel and work for Scioneri, Lombardi, Intermeccanica and Giannini. They take care of the finishing of the Titania designed by Scaglione and of the 2 prototypes of the Sirio for SIVA on request of Conrero. At the end of the year, Diomante is asked to personalize 2 Iso Grifos A3/C. One of them is for Gino Baglìo, a famous journalist at the RAI. Salvatore works on the interior in particular and the result is apparently very much appreciated by Giotto Bizzarrini. Sports Cars of Modena stops to build and finish bodies for Bizzarrini in 1965. These activities are transferred to BBM. Despite a well-filled order book, Giotto has ever more problems with his new supplier to deliver the finished bodies on time. Bizzarrini asks Salvatore to organize these activities in Turin. In the beginning of 1966, Diomante retrieves all tools from Modena and starts finishing Bizzarrini bodies supplied by Grosso & Veci. Around the turn of the year 1965-1966, the first targa based of the 5300 GT Strada is built at Sibona & Basano on the initiative of Stile Italia and therefore carries sign SI. The car is presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1966. Afterwards, Carbondio makes some modifications for the Turin Car Show, where also the baby Bizzarrini, the 1500 Berlinetta is put on show. Its production is being prepared in the following months. Salvatore regularly travels on Sundays by train to Livorno, to Labronplastic in order to define the synthetic bodywork in the smallest detail possible. The plan is to realize large production volumes in a dedicated plant, enabled by Government funding. When it becomes clear in the course of 1967 that Bizzarrini should not count on the State aid, he decides to anyhow bring the project to a successful conclusion. In the beginning of 1966, the first P538 is finished. The designation stands for Posteriore (rear engine), 5.3 liter 8 cylinder engine, which is still the entrusted engine from the Chevrolet Corvette. The very first model, however, has a 4-liter Lamborghini V12 engine, the evolution of Giotto's 3.5-liter engine (see our article Lamborghini in 1963). The car, however, misses its very first corner, and has to be totally rebuilt on a new chassis. Giotto builds the third car for himself, with the Corvette engine. This car participates in competition, where it shows its potential. At the end of 1966 Bizzarrini encounters large cash-flow problems. Despite the fact that the production of the 5300 GT Strada has reached a stable volume, his projects have eaten a lot of money. Bizzarrini goes in search of new investors and finds them. The company name is changed into Bizzarrini S.p.A. (Ltd.) with seat in Via della Padula. They decide to concentrate more activities in Livorno and ask Salvatore Diomante to move and join Bizzarrini. Salvatore, along with 4 employees and his brother, accepts. Giotto hires several workshops, and in one of them, Salvatore installs the finishing lines for both models. Labronplastic moves in the same workshop, separated by a wall, for building the synthetic bodyworks of the 1900 GT Europe, the new name of the smaller model of which the mechanics of the Fiat 1500 were replaced by those of Opel. Bizzarrini, however, starts to lose faith in his endeavors. He recommends e.g. his most faithful collaborator, Mauro Prampolini, to leave the company, which he does. The production of the 1900 GT Europe is on hold, and, ideally, a successor for the 5300 GT Strada should be developed; but that requires another fortune Furthermore, in 1967 his P538 isnt allowed to participate in the 24 hours of Le Mans, upon which Giotto decides to abandon the racing program. Still in 1967, Grossi & Veci goes bankrupt and Subalpina of the Cuneo province is withheld as new supplier of the naked bodies. Later on, when Iso stops delivering the frames, Subalpina will also take over that task. Bizzarrini is told in 1968 his credit lines are no longer renewed and his suppliers are not paid. His company is involved in a pyramid of fictitious money and that system collapses. After an unsuccessful attempt to sell his company to American Motor Corporation, Bizzarrini S.p.A. has to close down and a trustee is appointed in the 3rd quarter of 1968. The trustee requires the several 5300 GT Stradas whose production has started to be finished and sold, as well as the 4th P538 (aka Duca d'Aosta). Salvatore Diomante gets in charge after he takes over the workshop and founds his company Auto-Officina SD. The race version of the P538 from Giotto is already dismantled, and Giugiaro uses its chassis to build a coupé, the Manta. The prototype of the 5300 GT 2 + 2 that never was tested on the road is sold. Salvatore buys the equipment and parts for the 1900 GT Europa and 5300 GT Strada and starts maintaining Bizzarrini cars. American Motor Corporation meanwhile goes ahead with the AM/X project. The first prototype is built in Via della Padula in Livorno, and there will be a total of 9 cars to survive this adventure. But that is stuff for another article. In February 1970, Salvatore leaves Livorno and returns to Turin. He sets up the company Autoconstruzioni SD in Moncalieri and works there with Giotto Bizzarrini as external consultant. Giotto operates under the corporate name Z2. They build the GT Europe with rear engine based on the Fiat 128 and propose this car to Fiat, but at Mirafiori people are already working on a similar model (the later Lancia Beta Montecarlo). Both of them also work as consultants for Scioneri, Coriasco, Lombardi and Iso. In 1972, Salvatore builds the Sinthesis, the first car in history with airbags, after a project of eng. Giacobbi and a design by Tom Tjaarda. Giotto returns to Iso to build the prototype of the Varedo, after a design by Ercole Spada. The body consists entirely of glass fiber reinforced plastic. The car is presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1972. In 1973, Salvatore Diomante moves to Nichelino and specializes in the maintenance of Bizzarrini cars. In 1976, Salvatore builds some extended versions of the Fiat 131. This turns out to be a new niche segment, and in 1982, the Royal family of Saudi Arabia asks him to extend their Rolls Royce Silver Spirit. In the following years, Salvatore builds extended versions of the Fiat Campagnola and the Maserati Quattroporte, several right hand drive Maserati's for the Sultan of Brunei and some special Lamborghini LM 002's. Today, he focuses on the restoration of classics such as the Lamborghini Miura and of course Bizzarrini's and ISOs. Furthermore, you can contact Salvatore to build a prototype or to personalize your own classic. His son Massimiliano is meanwhile learning all the ins and outs of this business in order to continue the tradition." by Roeland Frère Here are some pictures of Diomante's work : -Bentley Turbo R based Torpedo 4 door Convertible by Salvatore Diomante for the sultan of Brunei -Lamborghini LM002 Station Wagon by Salvatore Diomante for the Sultan of Brunei -1968 Bizzarrini 5300 GT chassis 314 fully restaured by Diomante - Ferrari Dino 246 GTS restaured by Diomante Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Pic 1, 2 and 3 : Diomante in the early 80s Pic 4 : Diomante built the prototype of the Pantera 2000 for de Tomaso (end of the 90s) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
People who dont know try to look clever and make up their own story to please their ego. Here are the 2 admission collectors for Bizzarrini 5300. The first version had a lot of defects, which caused some fire and had lots of problems. The second version was modified by Diomante who removed all the problems. It has been used with great pleasure by the Bizzarrini owners. As Diomante was working at Bizzarrini since 1965, all upgrades are FACTORY and if you look correctly both are stamped CAMPAGNOLO. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Original Bizzarrini tools from 1965, bought during Bizzarrini bankrupsy Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here is another picture of the second version of the intake manifold. As said in the previous post, the first version had some defects that would cause fire. Diomante changed the angle of inclination so that the gasoline would not leak on the exhaust anymore (and therefore avoid to lead to fire). The intake manifold is wrongly called "Diomante" which is ridiculous as it was made by Campagnolo. But the second version is available at Diomante's because he is the one who designed it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi! So the article was published on the web site : passioneautomobile.com Unfortunately, it looks that the site down.. I don't know why.
And here is another one. All defects removed (angle of intake changed to avoid fire, bigger diameter for better mixing and more torque, plus others modifications), this intake is used by a lot of American Bizzarrini owners. Still available at Diomante factory and done by Campagnolo. Of course, you can buy cheaper intake in the USA but fire on your car will cost you much more.. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm confused by this statement. American made intake manifolds for American V8s cause fires or just the original Bizzarrini design? Where does the "cheaper American" blame originate in all of this?
A friend of mine forwarded me this morning the latest commercial spam sent out by "tom", yet signed "Philippe" and containing Olczyk's phone number as contact. The interesting part reads: "Please call me 00 33 613 916 500 if interest A Mc Laren F1 is worth 9 millions $, the available Jaguar XJR15 is same designer, same carbon construction but less cars built ...delivery mileage Bizzarrini 5300 Stradale restored by the #de facto# Bizzarrini factory, read the article of journalist Frere http://www.diomante.com/home-casa/history-storia/" There you find an edited version of the text above, credited to Frere. Should you browse through that site, you would - again - find traces of that very peculiar form of "english" typical of Mr Olczyk's writing. This seems to provide some further evidence that "ClassicAB" is someone translating Mr Olczyk's prose into plain english, and that it is a pity he didn't hire the same person to write down the supposedly Diomante's website he hastily put together.
How can fuel drip on the exhaust with a v8? Exhaust is outside of the v ... Are there photos showing the assembled engines so we can see the differences. Pete
The old Maserati V8 has a hole drilled from the top of the V in the rear at an angle that exits just above the crankshaft seal. I dumped nearly 3/4 of a tank down that hole one warm summer day as a result of a loose banjo fitting on a DCNF. Without that hole the car would have been toast and I the butter. But I hadn't heard that this was an American V8 trait though I don't think that in American guise webers with banjo fittings and paper O-rings were ever a manufacturer's choice.
To me it looks like the water ports on the original manifold were mis aligned with the block, so the manifold was ported to line up with the block. How this causes fires I am not sure. The other issue with the early manifolds was that there wasn't enough room for a larger distributor.
About the intake manifold, the carburator in the first version was placed horizontaly therefore, the gazoline would overflow, outside the carburator and leak on the exhaust. By changing the angle of inclination, the problem was solved. I am not sure to understand how is Olczyk relevant in this topic. We both used Frere's article because it was a good one. At least, in this article,there are no settling of scores, no strategy, it is just about information and knowledge. I am not taking part in those little games. I just care about facts. It is normal that Olczyk also mentions Diomante as he is the reference for Bizzarrini and has been so for 50 years.
And to end the day on good note... here is the ISO Grifo Targa, restored by the same Diomante Image Unavailable, Please Login
The amazing Bentley Convertible by Salvatore Diomante for the sultan of Brunei D Image Unavailable, Please Login
Bizzarrini 314 sold yesterday for $ 784,784! New World Record ! This is the evidence that, on the one hand, there are judgments, comments and opinions from people who are obviously no expert and on the other hands, there are the actions : actions of people who do spend money and invest. It shows well that Diomante is the best and that collectors know it.
Oh, that's an easy one. The answer is to be found in this thread on this forum . And tire kicker (no matter how you spell it) is a favourite expression of Olczyk: see here or here.
You must be on Diamonte's payroll. You're making the assumption that just because someone spends a lot of money on a car they're some sort of expert. Perhaps the situation is quite the opposite? The knowledgeable people kept their money and the non-experts are those that are spending their money...less than wisely. Those people are out there. Look at what the Amelia Island Grifo brought. It was the opinion of many (experts) that, regardless of who did the restoration, 314 had strayed a long ways from what it left the factory like. If a freshly restored Bizzarrini that was violated as much as 314 was, brought this much, imagine what a correctly restored example might have brought. The number means nothing in my opinion. Some wealthy guy wanted a nice shiny piece of jewelry...
