5300 Strada vs the Daytona Ferrari

This is a good example of how Giotto Bizzarrini's mind worked compared to Ferrari SpA and why the GTO became the Icon it is.
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The Bizzarrini is a fantastic looking car but honestly is not much fun to drive on everyday roads. Daytona is a much easier car to live with.

 

The Bizzarini is more a race car than a road car.

You can hardly see out of it, which makes it difficult to place on the road.

It must have been a nightmare in traffic.

 

There are a few who post here from time to time that would disagree. Getting into the car is difficult but once you are in the drivers seat it's fine.

Somehow modern Ferrari or Lamborghini owners are able to deal with the height issue and they drive them on the street. Bizzarrini was just ahead of his time.

 

I sat in one, years ago. I couldn't see the limit of the bonnet, and there was hardly any visibility to the rear. Judging the width was also difficult compared to the 911 I had at the time.
The owner told me he avoided driving it in town.

 

Really? I put 1800 miles on one in a 5 day period a couple of years ago. The Daytona must be quite a car...

 

It is.

 

I'll take the incredible song the Daytona puts out but hands down would rather live with a 5300.

In the city a Daytona is a much more civilized car. Visibility and access are much better. City driving is not where I'd want to drive either of these cars.

You wear a 5300, basically laying down in the cockpit the cars are a delight in the corners. Beartooth Pass, Yellowstone Park and Going to the Sun roads are fond memories. A 350GT accompanied the 5300 and although very accessible as well my vote was for the 5300....by a large margin.

The 5300 never appealed to me in photos.....in the flesh they are impossibly low. Your head is pretty much at the height of the rear tires.

Visibility....schmizibility......rarely is anything beside you

 

Thank You

 

Yeah but he's leaving out the part about how we all had pull him out of the car at every stop! LOL

Just kidding. He's a lot younger than some of us too!

I would think that the 350 is a lot easier to get in and out off but oh that maintenance!

Great sounds though.

My Espada is much easier to get in and out of than my 05 Jag S-type R. Crazy that.

 

What a question: the Daytona is a Ferrari, the other guy was sacked by Enzo

 

...after engineering what is possibly the greatest sports racing car the world has seen...the 250 GTO.

And for the record...no one had to pull me out of that car...ever... And don't sell yourself short Bob...you're not THAT old...

 

Absolutely incorrect, it was called a "walk out" for a reason, they all quit. Enzo didn't win every battle.

Yes the Daytona is just another Ferrari, the Bizzarrini is the work of a genius.

 

LOL, how many 5300 did you own and drive ?
the 5300 is very easy to drive, steering wheel is light compare to the 365
ask real owners to have a proper opinion, it s better

 

I keep an oil painting in the attic ... I can decode if necessary.

 

Wouldn't the Grifo be a better point of comparison? GT versus GT. I don't see the Strada as a true GT. Flame suit on : )
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Probably more of a GT than the Daytona is?

 

700+ miles cruising range and enough trunk space to hold luggage for a couple on a 2-week vacation...I dunno...the Bizzarrini carries the GT persona well, even if it leans more to the "corsa" persona at first glance. Spend a few hours behind the wheel and it becomes a GT. I never once climbed out feeling like I'd had enough. The ride is comfortable. The noise level is quite acceptable and you get to know where to look for mirrors and blind spots. Even city driving isn't terrible as the engine makes enough torque to get you moving without cooking the clutch every time. Sure, the visibility isn't up there with some cars but try driving a Mangusta with no outside mirrors if you want something with no visibility. The Bizzarrini feels like a fishbowl compared to the Mangusta.

The Grifo is a very similar driving experience to the Bizzarrini but the seating position is more upright...more like a Lambo 350 or 400GT. You don't have to be a contortionist to get in or out and visibility is a bit better.

You are right...likely a more apples to apples comparison...

 

According to Bill Noon at Symbolic the Grifo is a much better GT than the Daytona and he has sold hundreds of Daytona's.

In addition the Grifo Bill was comparing to the Daytona's had been sitting for over twenty years too.

The Bizzarrini was sold as a Strada and a few were Corsa.

 

I have a friend who was determined to buy himself a Daytona. He's a very long time car guy, had a Cord Sportsman back in the 50's that he drove in high school that was followed by a Gull Wing and all sorts of Chrysler 300s and Vettes. So a few years after Daytonas hit the marketplace he kept sampling one after another and while he loved the power the ride and brutal controls just didn't suite him at that time. He referred to it as a half hour car. I've since ridden in another friends beautiful Daytona on a cool early spring morning and after hearing a lot of gearbox crunches I decided I'd pass on driving it at that time. Hopefully another opportunity will arrive when it's warmer out. I guess it's that prehistoric transaxle not being warmed up.

But my other friend never did buy a Daytona. Finally in frustration the salesman threw him a set of key yo a very clean Bora and it was instant love for him. Not quite as fast or powerful but close enough.

Different strokes for different folks.

They are ALL beautiful cars, some with a bit different focus of purpose.

 

I haven't heard of many if any disappointed Bora owners, that car has a very loyal following.

 

There's at least one on Fchat who is a much distressed former Merak owner. To hear him everything broke multiple times on that car leading to catastrophic ending. He firmly believes that the Citroen LHM system is the Devil's spawn LOL I don't think he'd like a Bora either.

An awful lot of airplanes used the same exact principle for their hydraulics.

It's usually stupid, ignorant maintenance that is the downfall for those particular models of Maseratis.