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Giuseppe “Nuccio” Bertone (1914 - 1997)

Bertone was founded in November 1912, when Giovanni Bertone, then aged 28, opened a workshop specialising in the construction and repair of horse-drawn carriages. He started out with three workers.

At the beginning of the 20th century cars were a rarity in Turin. The traffic on the roads was nearly all carriages, and the ones built by Bertone stood out immediately for their careful craftsmanship, sturdiness and high quality. The experts soon came to recognise the sound of a Bertone going by on the cobbled streets. In 1914 Giuseppe, the second son in the Bertone family, was born. Everyone took to calling him Nuccio, the nickname which was to stay with him for the rest of his life, and become synonymous with Italian style throughout the world. But the joy at Nuccio’s birth was overshadowed by the outbreak of the first World War, which spelled hard times for Giovanni Bertone, who was forced to shut up shop.

The end of the war, however, signalled a turning point for Bertone: the company expanded and focused its attentions on the motor-car. The new offices at number 119 Via Monginevro opened in 1920 with a workforce of 20. A year later the first important job arrived: the construction of a Torpedo on an SPA 23S base, immediately followed by a Fiat 501 Sport Siluro Corsa, the first in a long line of high performing sports cars which would come to represent the Bertone name in the years to come.

During the Twenties Bertone formed partnerships with almost all the manufacturers of the day. Turin came to represent the heart of the car industry and Giovanni Bertone began doing bodywork on Fast, Chiribiri, Aurea, SCAT and Diatto chassis. The most important partnerships, however, were those with the two biggest Turin manufacturers: Fiat and Lancia.

Vincenzo Lancia realised straight away that Giovanni Bertone was a skilled craftsman with a great future ahead of him. Affectionately nicknaming him “Bertunot”, he commissioned Bertone to create complete car bodies, above all for the limited series that the companies of the day were not always equipped to produce. This was Bertone’s first opportunity to carry out limited production of special cars on standard mechanical bases, and signalled the beginning of a great career.

And while these were great years for Bertone himself, they were also fundamental years from a styling point of view: car body shapes were slowly evolving, losing the angular shapes of previous models, with the wings starting to be joined together. Giovanni Bertone produced torpedo and saloon bodies for Fiat and Lancia, and also for Itala, Diatto and SPA. And of course he also worked on commissions for private customers eager for exclusivity. Alongside the sports models like the 1928 Ansaldo 6BS, Giovanni Bertone also designed luxury cars like the Fiat 505 limousine and the Itala 51S, both in 1924, and the Lancia Lambda VIII Series in 1928.

Despite the fact that the great depression of 1929 had brought many Turin carmakers to their knees, Giovanni Bertone’s shrewd management meant that his company was able to carry on creating cars with great appeal. In 1932, for example, he designed the imposingly elegant Lancia Artena. But the most important news for the Carrozzeria came in the following year, 1933, when young Nuccio, then aged 19, officially began working in his father’s company.

In the meantime Bertone began working on commercial vehicles too, and as the business grew, new premises were needed. The company moved to 225 Corso Peschiera. There were now 50 people on the staff.

In 1934 Bertone created the extraordinary Fiat 527S Ardita 2500, which was a real turning point in car design, with some incredible new details such as the stunning front headlights with fairing along the bonnet. The Ardita signalled the start of a new kind of style, which was destined to take off towards the end of the decade, with Fiat and Lancia models which were astounding for their day. Examples were the “six window” Fiat 1500 Aerodinamica, the dignified, opulent Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet and the novel Fiat 1500 Torpedo, with constructional features that had never been seen before, such as the fold-away hood which stowed away entirely inside the car. With his bold innovations and elegant creations, Bertone was beginning to make a name for himself with critics and motoring fans alike. At the outbreak of World War II, the car market experienced a sudden, drastic downturn. Almost all the bodywork manufacturers, including Bertone, reacted to the crisis by turning to military vehicles of various kinds (such as the Bertone ambulance on Lancia Artena base).

But times were hard and the scarcity of work was exacerbated by the lack of raw materials and labour, which meant that it was difficult to meet orders from the army. But even with all the problems, production did not cease in the Corso Peschiera factory, with the luxurious Lancia Aprilias and the unique, extremely elegant long chassis Fiat 2800 cabriolet, the only one of its kind, built on commission for race driver and motoring journalist Giovanni Lurani Cernuschi.

After the war, as the long slow process of reconstruction began in Europe, the big industrial companies gradually upped production levels, and the bodyworks got back to work. During these difficult years Nuccio Bertone created cars like the Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet and the racing Fiat 1100 Stanguellini, cars which were precursors to some of the design trends of the following decade.

At the end of the Forties, Nuccio Bertone turned to racing, at the wheel of a number of different cars, including a Fiat 500 barchetta he built himself. At the end of the decade the meeting with Vittorio Stanguellini led to the creation of a coupé with a Fiat 1100 chassis which was to be a great success with the public.

The Fifties brought in the first orders from abroad, in particular from MG and Bristol in 1952. The following year Nuccio Bertone designed the prototype for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, which was presented at the 1954 Turin Motor Show. A production of 1000 was originally planned, but in the end nearly 40,000 vehicles were made between 1954 and 1965.

The relationship between Bertone and Alfa Romeo reached its creative peak with the Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica (BAT) concept cars which pushed back the boundaries of car design and aerodynamics: the BAT 5 (1953), the BAT 7 (1954), and the BAT 9 (1955). Research into aerodynamics culminated in the production of the Abarth 750 Record in 1956, built on a Fiat 600 chassis and tested on the high speed track at Monza. This Abarth set an impressive ten world records, including doing 4,000 km at an average of 156.36 km/h and covering 10,125.26 km in 72 hours.

In the meantime, in 1957 the company expanded to take on the production of the NSU Sport Prinz. The factory in Corso Peschiera started to feel a little small, and work began on a new factory in Grugliasco on the outskirts of Turin. The new premises became operative in 1959, with a workforce of 550.

At the end of the Fifties Bertone came up with some sports berlinettas which were to make history, such as the Giulietta Sprint Special, the Aston Martin DB2/4 and the Maserati 3500 GT.

The Sixties were the years of the Italian-style GT. Nuccio Bertone came up with five variations on the theme which would always be dear to his heart, in the shape of five extremely racy GT models: the Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint, in coupé and cabriolet versions, two Ferrari 250 GTs, one named ‘Wax’ after the commissioning client, and the other for the Maestro’s personal use, the Aston Martin DB4 GT “Jet” and the Maserati 5000 GT.

At the same time two new industrial partnerships were getting under way, with the work on the Simca 1000 Coupé and the BMW 3200 CS limited series, as was the important but unfortunate ASA 1000, better known as the “Ferrarina”, or “little Ferrari” (as the project originated with Enzo Ferrari), which, despite the high expectations of the public, never made it to the market.

The Iso-Rivolta GT 300 and 340 and the Iso Grifo were also created in this period. Nuccio Bertone also designed a prototype cabriolet of the latter and a racing version known as the A3C. The Grifo years were also the years of the Corvair Testudo, driven personally by Nuccio Bertone to the Geneva Motor Show in 1963. The following year saw the Alfa Romeo Canguro, followed in 1965 by the Alfa Romeo Giulia GT, rightful heir of the Giulietta Sprint.

In the same year Carrozzeria Bertone experienced a major turning-point, with the launch of the Fiat 850 Spider. The commercial success of this model led Nuccio Bertone to increase the company’s production capacity to 120 units per day (between 1965 and 1972 nearly 140,000 were produced). With the 850 Spider the company took a giant leap forward in terms of production volumes, from the 13,000 bodies produced in 1966 to nearly 30,000 in 1968, an increase of 40 percent.

The end of the Sixties saw the beginning of the partnership with Ferruccio Lamborghini that was destined to make history in the car world. The first vehicle to come out of this was the Miura, presented at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show, which reinvented the design concept of a high performance coupé. The Miura was followed by the Marzal (1967) and the Espada (1968). In the same period two other coupés appeared: the Alfa Romeo Montreal and the Fiat Dino Coupé, both out in 1967. Astounding, ground-breaking cars, inventing their own language for the design of the future: these were Nuccio Bertone’s trademarks. At the Paris Motor Show of 1968 he presented the Carabo concept car, which was built on an Alfa 33 chassis.

By 1970 Bertone had a workforce of 1500 and the Grugliasco factory covered an area of 267,000 sq.m. The partnership with Lamborghini led to the development of the Jarama and the Urraco. With the astounding Stratos Zero prototype, built on a Lancia Fulvia 1.6 HF base, Bertone came to represent a new point of reference in modern art, as well as on the international car design scene. The Stratos Zero, which was presented at the 1970 Turin Motor Show, went beyond mere questions of style to create a timeless blend of architecture, sculpture and industrial design. The following year, with some of the Zero’s styling cues as a starting point, Bertone created the Lancia Stratos Stradale, a compact saloon destined mainly for the racing circuit, and which in fact went on to bring home numerous victories in various rally world championships.

In 1972, at the age of 88, Giovanni Bertone passed away. In the same year, as a kind of tacit tribute to the company’s founder, the Maserati Kamshin and the Fiat X1/9 came out. The latter, foreshadowed by the Runabout concept car, was the heir of the 850 Spider, and went on to enjoy the same runaway commercial success. Based on the Fiat 128 chassis, but with a mid-rear engine, the X1/9 went into production in 1972 and 160,000 units had been manufactured by the time production stopped in 1988.

Meanwhile Nuccio Bertone’s prolific drawing board saw a succession of supercars, runabouts and provocative style concepts: the Lamborghini Countach and the Dino Ferrari 308 GT4 (1973), the Audi 50 and Innocenti Mini 90 (1974), the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally (1975) and the prototype Alfa Romeo Navajo (1976).

In the same year, the company began working for Volvo, on the 264 TE. The Volvo 262 C, which was presented at the 1977 Geneva Motor Show, was entirely manufactured by Bertone, from the assembly of the basic body to the fitting of the mechanical components and the road trials. This procedural turning point had a big hand in transforming the company, which was now all set to become a car manufacturer in its own right. From the beginning of the Eighties the Ritmo Cabrio and the X1/9 were produced and sold directly under the Bertone marque, meaning that the company was now responsible not only for production but also for the sales network and after-sales assistance for the two models.

In 1982 Nuccio Bertone turned out another important design, the Citroen BX. After entering into a joint-venture with Volvo in 1985 the company began production of the 780, an elegant two-door saloon entirely created by Nuccio Bertone, from the formal design of the model to the full production cycle.

A new commercial agreement drawn up with General Motors Europe in 1987 saw production of the Kadett Cabrio handed over to Bertone. The partnership with Opel continued with the first generation of the Astra Cabrio, and up to the present with the new versions of the Astra Coupé and Cabriolet. The end of the eighties saw the Citroen XM, and the Freeclimber off-roader.

Without abandoning its commitment to exploring the new languages of car design, Bertone entered the last decade of the century with its focus very much on technological innovations. Capturing the attention of public and experts alike at the 1992 Turin Motor Show was the aggressively futuristic Blitz barchetta, a showpiece which featured an electric engine and avant-garde construction solutions: a tubular chassis in special steel integrated into sandwich-structure fibre glass panels, bodywork in composite materials and carbon interiors.

In 1993 the Opel Astra Cabrio and the Fiat Punto Cabrio went into production, with the entire production cycle for both cars at the Grugliasco factory: assembly of the bodywork, fitting of the mechanical components, paintwork and fittings. A complete production cycle, ending with the final testing process, which is carried out according to the procedures and standards of the commissioning companies.

Continuing its research into low environmental-impact vehicles, in 1994 Bertone presented the ZER (Zero Emission Record), a futuristic reinterpretation of the unforgettable Abarth 750 Record. Expressly conceived and created to yield the highest performance levels in the electric car sector, the ZER (which boasts a Cx of 0.11) set the world hour speed record (199.822 km in 60 minutes), and broke the 300 km/h barrier, setting a new world speed record for electric cars (with a top speed of 303.977 km/h).

In 1994, Carrozzeria Bertone became the first manufacturer in Italy to be awarded ISO 9001 quality certification. Meanwhile Nuccio Bertone did not turn his back on a past dedicated to bodywork and continued to design working prototypes: the Karisma (1994), a four-seater berlinetta on a Porsche base, the Kayak (1995), a coupé on a Lancia K base, the Slalom “coupé de chasse” on an Opel Calibra base, and the Enduro 4×4, an SUV on a Fiat Brava floorpan.

On 26 February 1997, on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show, Nuccio Bertone passed away, leaving the world to grieve “one of the greatest coachbuilders of the century, and international Maestro of Italian style” in the touching words of Fulvio Cinti, motoring journalist and car historian.

After the passing of Nuccio Bertone, Bertone continues to be a successful company, entering the third millennium with an exploration of state-of-the-art technologies such as drive-by-wire. It has been manufacturing the new generation of the Opel Astra Coupé since 1999, and the Opel Astra Cabrio was added in 2000, both designed by Stile Bertone in Caprie. Bertone also produces the C1 scooter for BMW, opening a brand new chapter in the history of individual mobility.

Dream cars. From the 1950’s to the present, Bertone has created an exceptional number of concept cars. Prototypes which have made design history.

Today

2005 VILLA

2004 JET

2003 BIRUSA

2002 NOVANTA

2001 FILO

2000 KLAPPTOP

2000 SLIM

The 90s

1999 Alfa Romeo BELLA

1998 BMW PICKSTER

1997 Alfa Romeo SPORTUT

1996 Fiat ENDURO

1996 Opel SLALOM

1995 Lancia KAYAK

1994 Z.E.R.

1994 Fiat Punto RACER

1994 Porsche KARISMA

1992 Fiat Cinquecento RUSH

1992 BLITZ

1991 EMOTION

1990 Chevrolet Corvette NIVOLA

The 80s

1988 Lamborghini GENESIS

1986 Citroën ZABRUS

1984 Chevrolet RAMARRO

1983 Alfa Romeo DELFINO

1982 Mazda MX 81

1980 Lamborghini ATHON

The 70s

1979 Volvo TUNDRA

1978 Lancia SIBILO

1977 Jaguar ASCOT

1976 Ferrari RAINBOW

1976 Alfa Romeo NAVAJO

1975 Fiat X 1 /9 Dallara

1975 Visitors Bus

1974 Lamborghini BRAVO

1974 Maserati Quattroporte

1974 Fiat 127 VILLAGE

1973 NSU TRAPEZE

1972 Citroën CAMARGUE

1972 Suzuki GO

1970 Lancia STRATOS 0

1970 Chrysler France SHAKE

1970 BMW 2200 TI GARMISCH

The 60s

1969 Autobianchi RUNABOUT

1969 Fiat 128 Coupé

1969 BMW 2800 SPICUP

1968 Alfa Romeo CARABO

1967 PANTHER

1967 Fiat 125 EXECUTIVE

1967 Lamborghini MARZAL

1967 Alfa Romeo MONTREAL

1967 Jaguar PIRANA

1967 Lamborghini Miura Spider

1966 Porsche 911 Roadster

1966 Jaguar FT

1965 Ford Mustang

1964 Alfa Romeo CANGURO

1963 Corvair TESTUDO

1962 Alfa Romeo Coupé High Speed

1962 Iso Grifo Bizzarrini

1961 Aston Martin DB 4/GT

1961 Maserati 5000 Coupé

1961 Ferrari 250 GT

1960 Gordon Keeble

1960 Ferrari 3000

The 50s

1959 Fiat Osca 1500

1959 Maserati 3500

1958 Ford ZODIAC

1957 Jaguar XK 150

1956 Abarth Record

1955 BAT 9

1954 BAT 7

1953 BAT 5

1953 Bentley

1953 Fiat/Siata 8V

1953 Aston Martin DB 2/4

1953 Dodge Zeder

1952 Abarth Coupé

1952 Borgward

1950 Ferrari Cabriolet

1950 Fiat 1900 Western Arrow

Throughout its history Bertone has created many famous cars. Until the 1940’s these were nearly all unique creations, fitted out exclusively for keen clients around the world. From the 1950’s Bertone began designing for some of the most prestigious carmakers, creating highly successful cars from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS to the Citroën XM. But Bertone is also a manufacturer in its own right, producing many of the cars (highlighted below) directly in its own factory.

Today 2000 Opel Astra Cabrio

The 90s

1999 Opel Astra Coupé

1999 BMW C1

1997 Citroën Berlingo

1996 Scania Trucks

1994 Fiat Punto Cabrio

1993 Opel Astra Cabrio

1993 Citroën Xantia

1992 Freeclimber 2

1991 Citroen ZX

1991 Daewoo Espero

The 80s

1989 Freeclimber 1

1989 Citroën XM

1987 Skoda Favorit

1986 Opel Kadett Cabrio

1985 Volvo 780

1984 Alfa 90

1982 Citroën BX

1981 Ritmo Cabrio

The 70s

1977 Volvo 262 C

1976 Fiat 131 Rally

1975 Volkswagen Polo

1975 Saviem SG2

1974 Innocenti Mini 90/120

1974 Audi 50

1974 Lancia Stratos

1973 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4

1972 FIAT X 1/9

1972 Lamborghini Countach

1972 Maserati Khamsin

1971 Lamborghini Urraco

1970 Lamborghini Jarama

1970 Alfa Romeo Montreal

The 60s

1969 lso Rivolta Lele

1968 Lamborghini Espada

1968 Alfa Romeo 1750/2000

1968 Racer Team Berlinetta

1967 Toyo Kogyo Mazda 1500/1800

1966 Lamborghini Miura

1964 Alta Romeo GT 1300/2000

1964 Fiat 850 Spider

1964 lso Rivolta Coupé

1964 Iso Grifo

1964 Fiat Dino Coupé

1961 BMW 3200 CS

1961 Alfa Romeo 2000/2600 Sprint

1961 ASA 1000 “Ferrarina”

1960 Simca Coupé 1200 S

The 50s

1958 NSU Prinz Coupé

1956 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS

1956 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint

1953 Fiat 1100 Berlina Smart

1953 MG Arnolt

1953 Arnolt Bristol

1951 Fiat 1400 Cabriolet St. Leger

1951 Fiat 1100 Cabriolet Derby

1951 Lancia Aurelia Victoria

1951 Fiat 1100 E Variant

1951 Fiat 1400 Variant

1951 Siata Amica Cabriolet

1950 Siata Amica

1950 Fiat 1400 Berlina

The 40s

1949 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet

1948 Fiat 1100 E Corsa

1948 Fiat 1100 Derby

1948 Healey Cabriolet

1948 Fiat 1500 D/E Variant

1947 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet

1947 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

1947 Fiat 1100 Stanguellini 1947 Fiat 1100 e 1500 Variant 1947 Fiat 500 Barchetta

1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Coupé

1943 Fiat 2800 Cabriolet 1940 Fiat 1100L Ambulanza

The 30s

1939 Fiat 1100 Victoria

1939 Lancia Aprilia Berlina

1939 Fiat 2800 Limousine

1939 Fiat 1100 Variant

1939 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet

1938 Fiat 508C Balilla Cabriolet

1938 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

1938 Lancia Aprilia Berlina

1938 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

1938 Siata Amica

1938 Fiat 500 “Topolino”

1938 Lancia Aprilia Variant

1938 Autobus on Fiat 618 1938 Fiat 1500 Variant

1938 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet

1937 Fiat 1500 Coupé

1937 Autobus “Victoria”

1937 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet

1937 Berlina on Fiat 1500

1936 Fiat 1500 Variant

1936 508 Balilla Variant 1936 Fiat 1500

1935 Electric Powered Vehicles

1934 Fiat 508 Balilla Variant

1934 Berlina on Fiat 527S Ardita

1934 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300

1934 Lancia Augusta Variant

1933 Lancia Astura Superluminosa 1933 Berlina on Fiat 518 C Ardita

1933 Limousine on Fiat 518L Ardita

1933 Lancia Augusta

1933 Lancia Artena Variant

1932 Berlina on Lancia Artena

1932 Autobus on Lancia Omicron

1931 Coupé De Ville on Lancia Artena

The 20s

1928 Fiat 521 Variant

1928 Lancia Lambda berlina

1928 Ansaldo 6BS

1928 Lancia Pentajota 254

1928 Itala 61 “ballon”

1925 Torpedo su Ballot 2LT 1925 Coupé De Ville on Fiat 505

1925 Fiat 509 1925 Diatto Tipo 20 A 1923 Fiat 501 “ballon”

1923 Itala 51 Sport

1923 Fiat 501 S Variant

1922 Carro Officina - SPA

1922 Lancia Trikappa

1921 SPA 23S

1921 Fiat 15 Ter