Premium

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone - designer turtle with a long-term effect

Name: Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone 1963
Brand: Chevrolet

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

Created on September 7, 2017

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Tom Wood (RM Auctions)

Tom Wood - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Archiv Reinhard / Max Pichler

National Automobile Museum Turin

Archiv Bertone

Grand Basel / diephotodesigner.de

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Tom Wood (RM Auctions)

Tom Wood - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Archiv Reinhard / Max Pichler

National Automobile Museum Turin

Archiv Bertone

Grand Basel / diephotodesigner.de

Archiv

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the glass dome opens wide for easy access

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Giorgetto Giugiaro and the Chevrolet Corvair Testudo - Grand Basel Preview 2017

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - exhibited at the preview of "Grand Basel"

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The Chevrolet Corvair Testudo by Bertone from 1962/63 - designed by the young Giorgetto Giugiaro - Grand Basel Preview 2017

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the windshield is made of glass, the upper part of the roof is made of plastic

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the continuous line that divides the upper and lower halves of the car can later be found on the Ferrari

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the flounder is only just over one meter high

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - shows a friendly face

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - it seems to be smiling

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - driver and passenger are almost lying down

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the cockpit with the L-shaped dashboard and the rectangular steering wheel

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the chrome-plated steering wheel was probably not as pleasant to the touch as it might have been

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the spoke wheels replaced the Corvair steel wheels that were originally fitted

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the folding headlights cannot be opened

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - this point of view shows parallels to the later Miura

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - fully integrated indicators and parking lights - also not common at the beginning of the sixties

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - I wonder how old these tires are?

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - built by Bertone

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - View from behind into the cockpit

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the glass dome can be locked and unlocked using the handle to the right of the lock

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - sports cars did not have a glazed tailgate until much later

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the turtle as namesake

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo at the Giorgetto Giugiaro exhibition

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - photographed at the Turin Automobile Museum in 2016

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - he who loves, pushes - photographed at the Turin Automobile Museum in 2016

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - before the auction in 2011

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Testudo 1963 - Detail vehicle dome

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - Giugiaro's sketch shows where compromises had to be made with the windshield

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the car was completely restored in the 1990s

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - View into the cockpit

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the Bertone-B in the steering wheel

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the non-folding pop-up headlights

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - the air intakes that were later seen again on the Miura

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - View of the six-cylinder engine with 81 hp in the rear

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Testudo 1963 - Testudo, Torino and Bertone logos

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - early photo, still with the Corvair lettering on the nose

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - with opened glass dome

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - early factory photo, still with the Corvair wheels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo (1963) - from the work of Bertone

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo (1963) - concept cars from Bertone with unusual design details

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo (1963) - breathtaking study by Bertone

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo (1963) - highly acclaimed prototype by Bertone

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo (1963) - the Bertone concept car is entered via the opening driver's cab

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo (1963) - elegant rear design of the Bertone one-off

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo (1963) - square steering wheel in the prototype

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo (1963) - the headlights are folded out electrically

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - on display, showing the wooden negative used in its construction in the background

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - at an exhibition

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - signed sketch by Giugiaro

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone (1963) - sketch from back then

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

You have only

2 out of 65

images seen in high resolution

Summary

At the 1963 Geneva Motor Show, the Chevrolet Corvair Testudo Bertone was presented as a concept car that would influence cars and designers for decades to come. The fact that designer Giorgetto Giugiaro was just 20 years old when he designed it is just as astonishing as the fact that the car was fully drivable and was driven by Nuccio Bertone on the road from Turin to Geneva. This report looks back at the history of the Chevrolet Corvair Testudo's creation and life and shows the car in many historical and current pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Premiere at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show
Pioneering design
Crashed and put away
Restored to Pebble Beach
Auctioned
Further information

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

According to Giorgetto Giugiaro, he was around 20 years old when he sketched the basic design of the Chevrolet Corvair Testudo. At that time, he had no idea about the installation position of the engine and other details. The design was simply a finger exercise and was intended to convince Nuccio Bertone, to whom he showed the work. This was apparently successful, as Giugiaro worked for the master coachbuilder Bertone from that time onwards. The opportunity to turn the design into a complete car probably came at the end of 1962. Bertone was working closely with General Motors and its head of design Bill Mitchell at the time and the idea of redesigning the Chevrolet Corvair into a European version was born. A chassis was delivered to Bertone, GM designer Chuck Jordan, who later became Opel's head of design, came to Europe for three months, and in just two months a show car was created that was to shake up the design world, the Testudo.

Welcome to Zwischengas!