A stunning, yet 'Bizzarre' concept

It seems the in thing at the moment is to create one-off or low-volume sportscars either designed by or named after illustrious stylists/engineers.

Cue the next instalment in the saga, as pictured here is the drop-dead gorgeous Scuderia Bizzarrini P538, a mid-engined supercar named after legendary Italian sports car engineer Giotto Bizzarrini.

The car isn't actually designed by Bizzarrini, nor did he have anything to do with it, but he has apparently given the project his blessings. The chief engineer at Ferrari in the 1950s, Bizzarrini worked on icons such as the 250 GTO. However, he moved on from the prancing horse in 1961 after a major upheaval, and went on to form his own self-named company in 1963. It folded just six years later.

Bizzarrini also had a hand in the design of Lamborghini's enduring V12 engine, an evolution of which still lives on today in the Murcielago.

Getting back to the Scuderia Bizzarrini P538, it's a tribute to the 1960s Bizzarrini P538S, which its creator had conceived for sportscar racing. It may not have covered itself in glory on the racetrack, but the sublimely proportioned roadster is still regarded as a classic design.

In keeping with the Chevy Corvette power of the original car, the modern-day interpretation also derives its propulsion from a mid-mounted 'Vette motor -- specifically, the thumping dry-sumped 7.0-litre LS7 V8 used by the Z06 flagship.

Its chassis is allegedly borrowed from an obscure Thai supercar named the Galmer Arbitrage GT... No, we've never heard of it either.

Scuderia Bizzarrini says the P538 will be formally unveiled at Italy's legendary Nardo test track later this month, but whether or not a limited production run is planned remains unclear.

We're hoping the scissor-doored speedster gets the green light. Anything that looks this good deserves to make the transition to production reality -- at least in small volumes.