During the 1950s, Giotto Bizzarrini worked as chief engineer at Ferrari on such projects as the Ferrari 250 GTO.

In 1961, he left Ferrari and, by 1963, he had formed his own company, Bizzarrini.

In the mid-1950s, Bizzarrini wanted to include a mid-engined racing car to his lineup to help achieve the success that his GT racers were unable to provide.

The GT cars had been able to secure class wins, but Bizzarrini wanted an overall victory.

Design, development and testing of the P538 began in mid-1965, and it took six months for the first chassis to be constructed.

The chassis was a traditional tubular construction with triangle-shaped tubes.

Disc brakes were placed in the front and rear.

The suspension was comprised of double wishbones and the engine was a Chevrolet V8 engine mounted at a 90-degree angle.

It had a 5.3 Liter displacement size and could produce around 365hp.

A 5-speed ZF manual gearbox was mated to the engine and drove the rear wheels.

The body was lightweight bu...