Nuccio Bertone

Giovanni Bertone (left) with his son Giuseppe "Nuccio" Bertone (right)

Giuseppe Bertone, also called "Nuccio", (July 4, 1914, Turin, Piedmont – February 26, 1997, Turin) was an automobile designer and constructor. He took over Carrozzeria Bertone from his father, Giovanni after World War II, growing the small business to a car building and designing powerhouse. After racing Fiats, O.S.C.A.s, Maseratis, and Ferraris, Bertone moved to construction, agreeing to build his first car, a series of 200 MGs, at the 1952 Turin Motor Show. He drew attention at the Paris Motor Show that year with an Abarth concept, and was chosen to design the replacement for the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante. These so-called BAT (Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica) cars used the Alfa Romeo 1900 Sprint chassis. Bertone is also responsible in designing the famous Lambretta GP/DL range of scooters and the J series.

Two years later at Turin, Bertone introduced the Storm Z concept based on a Dodge chassis alongside his latest BAT concept and a prototype of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, which would become the company's main product for the coming years. Bertone built more than 31,000 bodies in 1960, including Fiat 850 Spiders, Fiat Dinos, Simca 1200S coupes, the Alfa Romeo Montreal, and Lamborghinis.^[1] His 100th design was a special Ford Mustang, introduced at the 1965 New York Auto Show and commissioned by Automobile Quarterly. From 1972 to 1989 built the Fiat X1/9.

Bertone summed up his philosophy when introducing the Fiat 850:

"Our role is the production of car bodywork on which we impose the styling trends, build prototypes, develop the design, the production methods, and the tooling. Naturally, we produce them in quantity."

Bertone's Ferrari designs were a radical departure for that company and drew the ire of rival Pininfarina. His two 250GT coupes were only a foreshadow to the controversial 308GT4 of the 1970s.

He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2006.^[2] and the European Automotive Hall of Fame. He was married to Lilli and had two daughters.^[3]

References

1. The Lamborghini Miura Bible - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-04-24.
2. "Nuccio Bertone". Hall of Fame Inductees. Automotive Hall of Fame. 2006. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
3. "Fall of Bertone". Road & Track: 72–80, 113. November 2014.