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Bertone (Chevrolet Corvette) Ramarro - Emeralds and scales

Name: Bertone Ramarro 1984
Brand: Bertone

This article was auto-translated. We apologize if some words are confusing or simply amusing. Would you like to help us improve?

Created on December 2, 2021

Text:

Karl Ludvigsen (Übersetzung: Paul Krüger)

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Ludvigsen Partners

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Ludvigsen Partners

Archiv

The doors first opened outwards a little and then slid forward to reveal the entrance.

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Three-tone paint finish in green, yellow-green and gold metallic

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First sketches for the design of the rear. Later, 1:1 scale models were made.

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The development department of Stile SpA in Caprie: The Ramarro still wears the original Corvette wheels.

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One of the most unusual features of the Ramarro was its one-piece bench seat, which was mounted in the middle on a sliding rail. The seat backrests could be folded forward to give access to the storage space.

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The picture below left illustrates the advantage of the Ramarro's sliding doors compared to a Corvette C4. Top left the door handle, top right the center console, bottom right the bench seat.

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Sketches of the interior design. The movement of the seat backrests, seat adjustment and glove compartment is shown with arrows.

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The prototype workshop at Stile SpA: here the front apron is shaped according to the dimensions marked on the sheet metal.

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Finding the right typography for the model name was no easy task. The dark italic lettering on the right comes closest to the later design - only the lizard tails have fortunately disappeared.

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Tinted windows and dark body parts give the illusion of a large glass dome.

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Two slots in the hood provided ventilation for the V8 engine. GM had provided Bertone with a new power unit in 1985 to keep the Ramarro up to date.

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There it is again, the ubiquitous gravel pit. Unfortunately, the nuances of the three-tone paintwork do not come into their own here.

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The same motif, only alienated. The Ramarro seems to glow.

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The radiator in the rear of the Ramarro, which was blown through by three fans, had a thermostatically controlled cover that regulated the amount of cooling air flowing in as required.

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The warm exhaust air from the radiator flows through the panel, which looks like an electric razor. A small Corvette emblem above it refers to the technical basis.

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The exhaust fumes escape through the slits in the apron. Thanks to the dusty surface, the tread of the TRX tires is clearly visible.

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Sleeping eyes the other way round: the fog lights fold downwards out of the front apron

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Access to the interior was easy with the door fully open. The Corvette's digital instruments were embedded in a dark panel running across the entire width of the dashboard.

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The lizard skin pattern on the covers is clearly visible here.

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Although the roof dome of the Ramarro looked like a single piece from the outside, it had an internal structure of columns and frames. Thanks to the glass central section of the roof, there is still enough light inside.

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Chevrolet Ramarro (1984) - in the Bertone prototype special show - Rétromobile Paris 2020

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Chevrolet Ramarro Bertone (1984) - Part of the ASI Bertone prototype collection - Auto e Moto d'Epoca Padua 2021

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The 1972 Citroën Camargue based on the GS was one of Deschamp's first designs for Bertone.

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Chevrolet Corvette Ramarro Bertone (1984) - Entwurfsskizzen für das Heck

Chevrolet Corvette Ramarro Bertone (1984) - Bau des 1-1-Modells bei Stile SpA in Caprie

Chevrolet Corvette Ramarro Bertone (1984) - Obskur geformte Sitzbank

Chevrolet Corvette Ramarro Bertone (1984) - eingelassener Türgriff, Mittelkonsole, Corvette-Vergleich und Sitzbank

Chevrolet Corvette Ramarro Bertone (1984) - Entwurfsskizzen für den Innenraum

Chevrolet Corvette Ramarro Bertone (1984) - Karosseriebau bei Bertone

Summary

Tom Tjaarda led the way in 1963 in the service of Pininfarina and designed the Italian interpretation of the Corvette Sting Ray with the Rondine. After a delay of 20 years, Carozzeria Bertone drew level with its closest competitor and presented the Ramarro based on the brand new Corvette C4. This article tells the story of the wedge-shaped battleship with the unusual doors and shows it in many historical (and current) pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Second attempt at Bertone
A gift from America
Clearly defined design goals
Transporter doors for thesports car
Clearly defined edges
Bucket seats and racing tires
The perfection

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Marc Deschamps is probably the greatest car designer you've never heard of. After an apprenticeship at Peugeot and Simca, French journalist Jean Bernardet introduced Deschamps, who was born in Belgium in 1944, to the Italian manufacturers. Deschamps then got a job at Ghia, but soon clashed with the owner, the choleric Alejandro de Tomaso. Deschamps then moved to Bertone in Turin, but this proved to be too soon. So he left the company again to help Guy Ligier build his sports and Grand Prix cars. In 1976, a meeting with Robert Opron led to a job at Renault, where Deschamps worked on the Renault 5 Turbo. When Marcello Gandini left Bertone in 1979, Deschamps moved to the renowned Turin-based company for a second time to become chief designer under the direction of Nuccio Bertone.

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