100 years of Bertone - beauty, efficiency and innovation

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100 years of Bertone - beauty, efficiency and innovation

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Created on April 13, 2012

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Archiv Bertone

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Tom Wood (RM Auctions)

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Tom Wood (courtesy RM au)

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Archiv

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Fiat 850 Spider (1965) - from the work of Bertone

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Lancia Stratos HF Zero (1970) - model in front of the Bertone building

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SPA 23S (1921) - from the oeuvre of Bertone

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Fiat 501 Sport Siluro Corsa (1923) - from the work of Bertone

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Ansaldo 6BS (1928) - from the oeuvre of Bertone

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Itala 61 (1928) - from the oeuvre of Bertone

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Lancia Lambda VIII series (1929) - from the work of Bertone

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Lancia Artena quattro posti (1932) - from the work of Bertone

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Fiat 527S Ardita 2500 (1934) - from the work of Bertone

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Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet (1937) - from the work of Bertone

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Lancia Artena Ambulanza (1940) - from the oeuvre of Bertone

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Fiat 2800 Cabriolet (1943) - from the work of Bertone

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Fiat 1100 B Cabriolet (1947) - from the work of Bertone

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Fiat Stanguellini 1100 (1948) - from the work of Bertone

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Arnolt-MG TD (1952) - from the oeuvre of Bertone

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Alfa Romeo BAT 5 (1953) - from the work of Bertone

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Alfa Romeo 2000 Sportiva (1956) - created by Bertone

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Alfa Romeo Giuliette Spider Bertone (1955) - seen at the Geneva Motor Show 2012

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Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint (1954) - from the work of Bertone

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Ferrari 250 GT Prototipo EW Bertone (1961) - One-off from Bertone

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Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS (1957) - from the work of Bertone

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Aston-Martin DB4 GT Jet Bertone (1960) - elegantly designed coupé by Bertone based on Aston-Martin at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show

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BMW 3200 CS (1962) at the Geneva Motor Show - four-seater touring car with maximum performance, built by Bertone

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Simca 1000 Coupé (1962) at the Geneva Motor Show - elegant coupé by Bertone, one of the main attractions

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Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint (1962) at the Geneva Motor Show - front view of the car designed by Bertone

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Ferrari 250 GT Bertone (1962) - from the work of Bertone

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

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Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT (1964) - one of Bertone's most convincing works

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Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Canguro (1964) - beautiful coupé by Bertone

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Ford Mustang (1968) - Bertone's version of a sleek-looking Mustang

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Iso Grifo Coupé (1966) - beautifully shaped coupé with a large eight-cylinder engine

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Iso Grifo Spider (1964) - from the oeuvre of Bertone

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Lamborghini Miura P 400 (1967) - the beginning of the super sports car

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Lamborghini Miura P 400 (1967) - fully opening

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Lamborghini Marzal 1967 - Side rear view

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Fiat 850 Spider (1970) - Production - Assembly of the Spider at Bertone

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Fiat 850 Spider (1970) - Finishing touches, completion of production at Bertone

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Fiat 850 Spider (1970) - Production - the little Fiat in the Bertone livery

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Lamborghini Miura Spider (1968) - from the work of Bertone

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Stratos Bertone (1971) - the ancestor of the Lancia Stratos with Lancia 1600 HF engine - extreme wedge shape - Geneva Motor Show 1971

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Lancia Stratos Zero (1970) - from the work of Bertone, a design by Marcello Gandini

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Maserati Kamshin (1972) - from the oeuvre of Bertone

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Bertone (1974) - Advertising from 1974 - Fiat X 1/9

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Fiat X 1/9 (1976) - "speciale" series, a special model from Bertone

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Fiat X 1/9 (1976) - "speciale" series by Bertone

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Fiat X 1/9 (1976) - Interior of the mid-engined sports car built by Bertone

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Nuccio Bertone in conversation with Niki Lauda

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Lancia Stratos HF (1971) - all the essential design elements of the later Stradale can already be seen

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Lancia Stratos HF (1971) - not far from the later production model

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Lancia Stratos HF (1971) - side view of the prototype

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Lancia Stratos HF (1971) - rear view of the prototype of the later rally winner

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Lamborghini Countach (1971) - the prototype by Bertone, without road accessories

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Lancia Stratos (1973) - the basis for rally victories

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Lancia Stratos HF (1975) - from the work of Bertone

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Bertone Ritmo 75 CL Cabrio (1979) - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1979

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Lamborghini Urraco P 250 2+2 at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show - clear lines in the Bertone design of the small Lamborghini with 2.5-liter engine

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Citroën Camargue at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show - compact coupé by Bertone based on the Citroën GS

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Lamborghini Bravo (1974) - the Bertone prototype from the hand of Marcello Gandini is already wearing its third color in 2011

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Lamborghini Bravo (1974) - the width of the body is only noticeable from above - Bertone press photo

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Lamborghini Bravo (1970) - Bertone prototypes in rank and file

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Lancia Stratos Stradale (1975) - Marcello Gandini's Bertone designs Lancia Stratos and Alfa Romeo Carabo side by side

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Ferrari Rainbow (1978) - bold prototype by Bertone based on the 308 GT 4

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Fiat X 1/9 (1980) - from the work of Bertone

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Fiat X 1/9 (1980) - modified second series of the Fiat mid-engined sports car

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Mini Mille (1980) - from the oeuvre of Bertone

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Lamborghini Athon (1980) - Bertone prototype built on the basis of the Urraco

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Bertone Navajo (1976) - some people today would probably prefer a standard Radale on the same chassis, but this prototype had revolutionary lines for the time

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NSU RO 80 Trapeze (1973) - interesting prototype with use of the NSU Ro80 mechanics

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Lancia Sibilo Bertone (1978) - modernist concept car - exhibited at the 1978 Turin Motor Show

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Lancia Sibilo Bertone (1978) - the futuristic interior - exhibited at the 1978 Turin Motor Show

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Citroën BX (1982) - from the work of Bertone

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Opel Kadett Cabrio (1985) - from the work of Bertone

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Volvo 780 Coupé (1985) - from the work of Bertone

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Bertone ZER (1994) - from the oeuvre of Bertone

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Lancia Kayak (1995) - from the oeuvre of Bertone

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Summary

Bertone celebrated its centenary in 2012. In 1912, Giovanni Bertone opened his first atelier in Turin to build carriages and cars. Over the next hundred years, he and his son Nuccio would go on to create cars that would amaze the world and influence designers all over the world. Vehicles such as the Chevrolet Corvair Testudo, the BAT models and the Lamborghini Miura are unforgotten. This report summarizes the history of the Bertone company's impact, but in particular shows examples of the Bertone dynasty's work in over 100 pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

High-quality horse-drawn carriages as a starting point
The first cars from 1920
Through the twenties with Fiat and Lancia
Unscathed by the crisis of 1929
Nuccio Bertone takes to the stage
Difficult times
Racing cars and Nuccio as a racing driver
Orders from abroad for the first time
No luck with Ferrari
Close collaboration with Lamborghini
The Stratos Zero and the Lancia Stratos
Volvo and the expansion of the range of activities
Cooperation with Citroën and General Motors

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

With three workers, Giovanni Bertone opened a "Carradore" company in 1912 at the age of 28, a business that built and repaired animal-drawn means of transportation. At that time, there were hardly any cars in Turin and the roads were mainly used by horse-drawn carriages. High-quality horse-drawn carriages as a starting point From the very beginning, Bertone's designs were characterized by high quality craftsmanship and stability. In 1914, Giovanni's wife gave birth to a son, who was christened Giuseppe, but was called Nuccio by everyone. The first cars from 1920 The First World War also left its mark on Italy and Giovanni Bertone had to close his business. After the end of the war, in 1920, he started again at "Via Monginevro 119", soon hired 20 workers and began to focus exclusively on motorized vehicles.

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