Bertone

1957 Fiat-Stanguellini 1200 SPIDER AMERICA 8

1957 Fiat-Stanguellini 1200 SPIDER AMERICA [24 Photos]

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  I promise you have never tripped over something so lovely.  This TINY Fiat Stanguellini is even tinier than a doorstop.  Its ultra rounded nosecone/intake is a joyous production version of the rocket/jetage themes in high auto design of the era.  1957 but conceived in the hearts and minds of the world’s car-designers together about 1953.  Tailfins, streamlined aero and UFO-like body shaping. Without advanced CAD-CAM there was no way to know what truly worked in wind tunnels.  So if it looked right, it would fly right was the old adage. This 1200 Spider America flies right.  A bite-sized dream. Is …

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Concept Debrief - 1980 Lamborghini ATHON Speedster by Bertone 15

Concept Debrief – 1980 Lamborghini ATHON Speedster by Bertone

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Bertone (bear-tony) created this one-off Lamborghini concept as a design showcase of the studio’s skills, plus to kick a bit of good energy Lambo’s way. By the end of the 1970s, Lamborghini lad launched and produced a variety of non-hits: GT cars and luxury shooting brakes that never found the same eager audience as the earlier Miura and Countach smash-hits. The 1980 ATHON Speedster hoped to evolve the avant-garde looks of those two icons, but in a high-tech was befitting the first computerized decade: the 1980s. Achieving visual impact on par with the Countach would take a revolution in almost …

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2010 BERTONE Pandion for Alfa-Romeo Is Next-Level Brilliance Inside and Out 30

Hall of Fame – 2010 Alfa Romeo Pandion by BERTONE

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We obviously cover a lot of concepts and dream cars here, but rarely does one captivate the eye and mind more than the 2010 Bertone Pandion. BERTONE: COMPANY SITUATION ANALYSIS First things first: Bertone (pronounced ‘Bear Tony’) is currently restructuring after some lean years in the Italian car business drained its corporate accounts to breaking point. Is this any way indicative of the quality of the firm’s design work? Absolutely, positively not. In fact, it is because of Bertone’s amazing ideas that the firm branched back into actual car factories versus just dreamy, steamy concept cars and prototypes. Full-scale production …

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1956 Arnolt-Bristol Deluxe Roadster by Bertone 4

Update1 – RM Amelia 2015 – 1956 Arnolt-Bristol Deluxe Roadster by Bertone Brings $484k

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Updated with 26 Photos + Sale Price of $484,000 A few photos of the auction car inside the RM Auctions room at the Amelia Island Rita Carlton, plus a different Arnolt-Bristol of the same variety entering the concours field.   1956 Arnolt-Bristol Deluxe Roadster by Bertone As ever, these high-dollar auctions are a rare chance to see priceless classics out and about in the real world. This Arnolt-Bristol by Bertone certainly applies — a run of 143 total rebodies of the Bristol 404 completed to order by Bertone in Italy. The design shows how an odd chassis package can actually …

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1956 Arnolt-Bristol Deluxe Roadster by Bertone 14

RM Amelia Island 2015 Preview – 1956 Arnolt-Bristol Deluxe Roadster by Bertone

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As ever, these high-dollar auctions are a rare chance to see priceless classics out and about in the real world. This Arnolt-Bristol by Bertone certainly applies — a run of 143 total rebodies of the Bristol 404 completed to order by Bertone in Italy. The design shows how an odd chassis package can actually inspire fantastic design solutions. The donor Bristol had a particularly tall engine, which needed to be shrouded in perhaps the Arnolt-Bristol’s most characteristic style: an almost cartoonishly-swoopy panel form. Disguised by the hood scoop, this tall hood profile makes the subtle nose and bulging rear fenders …

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1977 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale by Bertone 2

RM Paris 2015 Preview – 1977 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale by Bertone

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Every Stratos is special, but some more than others. This HF Stradale was the absolute top of the line when launched, and proved far quicker than every Ferrari of the time, and even the Lamborghini Countach. The Ferrari’s and Lambo’s could only outrun the Stratos on extremely high-speed autobahn runs or Vmax tracks like the Nardo. 1977 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale by Bertone RM Auctions Paris 4 February 2015 Lot 121 1977 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale by Bertone To be auctioned on Wednesday, February 4, 2015 €350.000 – €450.000 Chassis no. 829AR0 001819 Body no. 051 192 bhp, 2,418 cc DOHC …

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1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS by Bertone 1 - Copy

RM Paris 2015 Preview – 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale by Bertone

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Racing specials with a limited number of road cars made for homologation are some of the coolest machines ever made. This Giulietta SS definitely falls into that category, with an extremely limited number ever made — and even fewer surviving in original, near-perfect condition as this car. 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS by Bertone RM Auctions Paris 4 February 2015 Lot 132 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale by Bertone To be auctioned on Wednesday, February 4, 2015 €90.000 – €120.000 Chassis no. AR101.20 00542 Engine no. AR00120 01061 116 bhp, 1,290 cc DOHC inline four-cylinder engine with twin Weber …

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cambiano gif

Design Analysis – 2012 Pininfarina Cambiano – Why So Lifeless, Bland and Generic?

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We feel a bit guilty for absolutely skewering the Pininfarina/Ferrari Sergio the other day.  After all, they may have had no control over the lame production-friendly changes done by Ferrari. Let’s take another look at some of Pininfarina’s other recent work to balance things out, shall we? The 2012 Pininfarina Cambiano concept was an expression of a clean, EV sedan in the mold of the Tesla Model S, Fisker Karma or the Quant e-Sport Limousine. The vehicle has two doors on the passenger side, and one longer coupe door on the driver side. The trouble is: it is super boring …

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pandion gif

2010 BERTONE Pandion for Alfa-Romeo Is Next-Level Brilliance Inside and Out

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  We obviously cover a lot of concepts and dream cars here, but rarely does one captivate the eye and mind more than the 2010 Bertone Pandion. BERTONE: COMPANY SITUATION ANALYSIS First things first: Bertone (pronounced ‘Bear Tony’) is currently restructuring after some lean years in the Italian car business drained its corporate accounts to breaking point. Is this any way indicative of the quality of the firm’s design work? Absolutely, positively not. In fact, it is because of Bertone’s amazing ideas that the firm branched back into actual car factories versus just dreamy, steamy concept cars and prototypes. Full-scale …

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Concept Debrief – 1969 BMW 2800 Spicup Was Bertone Spider-Coupe Prototype

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Named for its dual purpose, the Spicup is a contraction of ‘Spider’ and ‘Coupe’ into one word. This one was a joint effort and actually led with Bertone proposing the idea of a spider coupe with a retractable hardtop to BMW. A 2.8-liter straight six lives up front and the one-off Spicup BMW opened the door to more Bertone-BMW collaboration later in the 1970s. The machine is certainly unique and eye-popping today: imagine it today as some form of BMW Z4 variant: a cabrio two-door built off a traditional sedan platform. More accurately, considering the roof and semi-popup headlamps, was …

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Concept Flashback – 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo by Bertone

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These ‘Concept Flashback’ articles are like brain candy for me. Hopefully you enjoy them too. This 1968 showcar may have been one of the first to really flirt with wedge and block themes in supercar design – ideas that would be adopted throughout the world’s best carmakers in the 1970s and beyond. As Bertone (pronounced Bear Tony) undergoes a restructuring now in 2014, it is nice to look back at some of the wilder times. This Carabo has more slotted surfaces than anything else on record. Even the headlights are covered in flaps that motored up to show the lighting …

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GT6 Vision GT header GIF

Vision GT Concept Car Teasers – What Is Left? Subaru, Lexus, Honda, Tesla, Aston, Ford, GM…

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Oh yes! Were you growing a bit fatigued with the GranTurismo VisionGT concepts? Well, brace yourself! We are only about 20-percent of the way through the major manufacturer releases – only Mercedes-Benz AMG, VW GTI Roadster, Mitsu XR-PHEV and a handful of others have been seen so far.   This leaves the vast majority still to come, in a drip feed about once monthly over the next year or more. Why this slow trickle? It is to provide space for each car to be driven by people in the game, and room to breath around the other announcements. Here are …

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Atlanta Dream Cars Showcase – 1970 Lancia Stratos HF ZERO by Bertone

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1970 Lancia Stratos HF ZERO by Bertone The Dream Cars exhibit this summer at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta is a thrilling ride through automotive history that every car lover will adore. The collection might be far smaller than most auto shows, but the impact of every car will leave your feet cemented to the floor. And your jaw? It will often be on the floor as well. How to rewrite that introduction? It certainly applies to this next car: the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF by Bertone. Sitting beside the 1970 Ferrari Pininfarina 512 S Modulo, these cars …

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The Bruce McLaren Origin Story: How A Brilliant Visionary Still Inspires the Auto World

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Orig Published on: Dec 30, 2013 @ 10:50 Really understanding McLaren today requires more information on the firm’s dynamic founding individual: Bruce. A face to go with the myth is helpful, but just a face is no justice to the legacy of Bruce McLaren. Bruce McLaren’s influence continues today, with those who knew him able to recall this man as all things to all men: engineer, a racing driver, a great friend and teacher, businessman, and, ultimately, hero. From his arrival in Europe in 1958: The Auckland-born Bruce McLaren’s skilled feet, eyes and arms took the racing world by storm. …

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1960s Classics Changing Hands At Record Prices - And Frequency5

1960s Classics Changing Hands At Record Prices – And Frequency

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1960s Classics Changing Hands At Record Prices – And Frequency Throughout 2013 Springtime is auction season, and this year things were hotter than ever in the market for early 1960s exotica. Last weekend, Bonhams sold a one-off 1960 Bertone DB4 GT Jet for $4.9 million at a special event by the AM Works Service based at the old factory in Newport Pagnell. This weekend, a 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Coupe Aerodinamico is on the block the RM Auctions Lake Cuomo event. The rush of car buying in Pebble Beach in August also reached a fever pitch this year, but …

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