Eight years after the original Gruppo Bertone folded, and on the occasion of its 110th anniversary, the new Bertone announces itself to the world.
@bertone.officialInstagramBertone, one of Italy’s great automotive design houses, folded in 2014. Entrepreneur brothers Mauro and Jean-Franck Ricci acquired the rights to the name in 2016, and coming in just under the wire for its 110th anniversary, the new Bertone has teased a mid-engine supercar. There’s not a ton of info out there on Bertone’s plans, just some social media posts and a new website boasting “Bertone Is Back.”
Alfa Romeo Carabo
Alfa Romeo
Lancia Stratos Zero
The Enthusiast NetworkGetty Images
The car teased in renderings is an obvious homage to Bertone’s innovative wedge-shaped cars of the Sixties and Seventies. Bertone’s first wedge was the Alfa Romeo Carabo concept of 1968, designed by a young Marcello Gandini, who went on to design the Lancia Stratos Zero concept and the Lamborghini Countach (among many, many others). In profile, the flying buttress reminds us a bit of the now-departed second-generation Acura NSX, though we imagine it’s paying specific homage to the Carabo and Stratos Zero.
To our eyes, the concept’s mirrors and flush-mount door handles appear to come from the Lamborghini Huracan, so we suspect that’s the base for this car. It’s not a bad base, as the Huracan is a great supercar, and it’s built in huge numbers, meaning it won’t be hard to source a donor car. The Huracan is a somewhat ironic choice, though, as its design draws heavily on Gandini’s Bertone wedges.
Bertone follows in the footsteps of Automobili Pininfarina in taking a beloved coachbuilding brand and turning it into a boutique automaker. We’re curious to see what the brothers Ricci do next with this iconic name.
Chris Perkins Senior Editor Chris Perkins is the Web Editor for Road & Track magazine.
Keyword: Revived Bertone Brand Teases Mid-Engine Supercar