Gruppo Bertone
The Italian company Bertone, founded under the name Carrozzeria Bertone, is a manufacturer and designer of car bodies and models of various car brands. Bertone was in its history for many famous companies in the automotive industry operates (including Fiat, Lamborghini, Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Volvo, Lancia, Opel, BMW).
The Carrozzeria Bertone from the wheelwright Bertone (1884-1972) founded in 1912. However, it took until 1921 before the body shop got the first contract to build the body of the torpedo model based on a SPA 23S for SPA. In the automotive manufacturing to an increasingly industrial production began to develop, and the methods of the body shop had to adapt to this development. The wooden bodies were now connected using assembly line techniques with the iron chassis. In addition, the bodies according to the ever-increasing speed of the vehicles had to be considerably strengthened. As a result, Bertone designed a series of hardtop -like roof structures to make cars like Vincenzo Lancia Lambda robust and safer sedans.
In the following decade, Bertone company developed from a craft business into a real body shop.
Giovanni Bertone Giuseppe Bertone son nicknamed " Nuccio " (1914-1997) rose in 1934 in the family business, and three years later the company won with the streamlined body for the Fiat 1500 the Turin styling competition. As a corporate boss Nuccio Bertone transformed the company into one of the world's leading design agencies for automobiles.
1954 was presented at the Turin Motor Show, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, and tailored by Bertone body of this car was the epitome of Italian design of the post-war period. In the 1960s, Bertone models developed for Alfa Romeo, Fiat, BMW, Aston Martin and Ferrari and experienced great appreciation for the Lamborghini Miura, which was presented in 1966. Two years later signaled Bertone's futuristic styling for the Alfa Romeo Carabo the beginning of the new wedge Trends, whose most famous representative of the Lancia Stratos. This was also built by Bertone. 1971 earned the subscribed by Bertone first prototype of the Lamborghini Countach in his imagination a lot of praise, but after the oil crisis of 1972, Bertone had on cars for daily needs such as the Volkswagen Polo ( 1975) concentrate. Under its own brand name, the Cabriolet were X1 / 9 as Bertone X1 / 9 produced at Fiat Ritmo Bertone Cabriolet basis as well as from 1982 the Fiat. The Daihatsu SUV Rocky and Feroza gave it as license production under the names Bertone free climbers and free climbers II mainly for the Italian market. Opel was at Bertone, the Kadett E Cabriolet, which finished Astra F Cabriolet and the sporty Astra G Coupe (2000-2004) and the Astra-G - Convertible ( 2001-2005).
The most influential designer in the " Stile Bertone ," the Styling Center of Bertone, were in the 1950s, Franco Scaglione (Alfa Romeo BAT and Giulietta Sprint, NSU Sport Prinz ), in the 1960s Giorgio Giugiaro ( Alfa Romeo 2000 Sprint and 2600, Giulia GT, Iso Rivolta and BMW 3200 CS ) and in the 1960s and 1970s, Marcello Gandini ( Lamborghini Miura and Diablo, Citroen BX). Also Giovanni Michelotti (1921-1980) and Sergio Pininfarina worked temporarily in the " Stile Bertone ".
The studio Bertone has developed its own, individual design language for such diverse vehicles as the Ferrari Dino 308 GT 4 (1973 ), the Lancia Stratos (1973 ) and the Volvo 780 Coupe (1985).
Special attention Bertone scored again through extraordinary and automotive design influencing prototypes and concept cars, such as the Testudo of 1961. Too, the BMW C1 scooter was manufactured by Bertone. The weddings of the company up to 70,000 units at Bertone produced annually. On the occasion of the 90th birthday of the company in 2000, the study of Bertone Novanta (Eng. " ninety " ) presented at the Geneva Motor Show on Saab 9 -5- base.
Due to the car sales crisis in the mid 2000s, the group Bertone like other European independent coachbuilders came (eg Karmann ) in payment difficulties, went bankrupt and was smashed. Only the Design Center Stile Bertone in Caprie is still independent and is headed by Ermelinda Bertone, the widow Nuccios. The 1958 -based Carrozzeria Bertone SpA body shop Grugliasco in which to weddings from 1300 to 1500 Employees manufactured 14000-15000 cars annually, is now Fiat. His future is uncertain because there is no more vehicles were produced in 2007 and 2010 asked the prospect investment of 600 million euros by Fiat is now called into question again. On 21 May 2011, some of the famous styling studies were auctioned from the Bertone Museum, including the Lamborghini Marzal ( for around 1.5 million euros ) and the Lancia Stratos Zero ( about 760,000 Euros ).
Lancia Stratos Bertone Museum
Bertone Birusa (2003)