The One-Off Bizzarrini Kjara: A Visionary Hybrid Sports Car Years Ahead of Its Time

Futureborn Ingenuity - There’s something magnetic about the way bold ideas in the automotive world tend to resurface decades later as if reminding us that innovation rarely follows a straight line. Today’s surge of electric supercars and experimental drivetrains often feels groundbreaking, yet hints of these concepts were already circulating long before the industry was prepared to embrace them. One of the most fascinating examples emerged at the turn of the millennium, crafted by a mind whose fingerprint is stamped all over some of the greatest performance machines ever built. This singular creation was called the Bizzarrini Kjara.

The Bizzarrini Kjara barchetta while sat on display at the 2019 Concours d'Elegance Paleis Soestdijk, the Netherlands.. (Picture from: Ritzsite.nl)

To understand why the Kjara stands out, it helps to step back to the man at the center of its story: Giotto Bizzarrini. Long before his name appeared on the nose of his own cars, he had already helped shape automotive history from behind the scenes. He contributed to icons such as the Ferrari 250 GTO and the 250 GT SWB “Breadvan,” vehicles that are now inseparable from the folklore of Italian motorsport. 

The Bizzarrini Kjara roadster is the result of a cooperation between Scuderia Bizzarrini and the University of Rome, while its bodywork by Pininfarina. (Picture from: AutoEvolution)

His passion pushed him to establish Bizzarrini SpA with trusted partners, where he introduced the 5300 GT Strada in 1966 and later the smaller 1900 GT Europa. Even in racing, his imagination thrived; the radical P538S laid the groundwork for the wedge-shaped Bizzarrini Manta, brought to life by Giorgetto Giugiaro in 1968. Although the company itself closed in 1969, Bizzarrini’s influence never really faded. 

Actually, the Bizzarrini Kjara is a hybrid sportscar powered by a 2.4 liter Lancia turbo diesel engine combined with 4 electric engines. (Picture from: AutoEvolution)

That persistence becomes even more apparent when the story picks up again in the late 1990s. In 1997, Bizzarrini’s circle extended beyond designers and engineers to include academics. Together with Leone Martellucci of the Technical University of Rome, he embarked on a new experiment—a glimpse at what a forward-thinking sports car could be in the approaching new century. This collaboration led to the development of the Bizzarrini Kjara, its shapely body built by Pininfarina, a studio known for sculpting some of the most elegant automobiles ever to touch the road.

The Bizzarrini Kjara sports car had proven Bizzarrini was way ahead of its time not only in terms of what a supercar could look like, and a knack for vehicle efficiency as well.. (Picture from: AutoEvolution)

For a concept rooted in the year 2000, the Kjara’s technology still feels remarkably contemporary. Beneath its unconventional, roofless form sat a hybrid system centered around a 2.4-liter five-cylinder Lancia JTD diesel engine paired with four electric motors. It was a configuration far ahead of mainstream engineering trends, blending performance with efficiency long before hybrid supercars were a category of their own. The car debuted at the 2000 Turin Motor Show as a pure design and engineering study—never intended for production, but instead to reveal how Bizzarrini envisioned a modern open-top sports car.

The interior is not very well put together since this Bizzarrini Kjara was only meant as a show piece. (Picture from: AutoEvolution)

The Kjara’s exterior reflected that forward-looking purpose. Its aerodynamic bodywork was shaped with cooling pathways optimized for the diesel-electric setup, combining smooth surfaces with aggressive tapering to highlight the car’s experimental character. The interior followed a different logic, leaning into the rawness of a concept vehicle. Essential switches and relays were deliberately exposed, more laboratory than luxury lounge, reinforcing the idea that this machine was a testbed rather than a showroom model.

Here's a 2.4 liter 5-cylinder JTD Lancia diesel engine is the Kjara's drivetrain along with 4 electric motors.. (Picture from: GaleryAaldering)

Over time, the concept saw limited running, and while its electric components are no longer active, the diesel engine has recently come to life again. Naturally, the car exhibits traces of its age and the various hands that interacted with it over the years, but those marks only deepen its narrative. One-off prototypes often disappear into storage or museum vaults; the Kjara, instead, has lived a more tangible existence.

The Bizzarrini Kjara sports car bodywork is therefore very progressive with an advanced  aerodynamically designs, and is also equipped with optimal cooling for the diesel engine coupled with electric motors. (Picture from: AutoEvolution)

That rarity made waves when the car surfaced for sale in March 2022 through Gallery Aaldering in the Netherlands, one of Europe’s largest classic-car specialists. Given its singular nature and Italian lineage, it was bound to carry an impressive price, and though the final figure remains undisclosed, the Kjara quickly found a new owner.

Looking back at the Kjara today, it feels strikingly relevant. In an era obsessed with hybrid systems, experimental aerodynamics, and boundary-pushing design, this forgotten concept car embodies ideas that were simply waiting for their moment. It serves as a reminder of how far ahead Giotto Bizzarrini’s thinking truly was, and how innovation often relies on dreamers willing to sketch the future long before the rest of the world is ready to build it.😌 *** [EKA [25102022] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | GALERY AALDERING | AUTOEVOLUTION | RITZSITE.NL ]

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