Coachbuilt Concepts: Gruppo Bertone in the 60's

What has long fascinated me about cars is their designs. And Gruppo Bertone was one of the first of the big coachbuilders to suck me into the world of design, and also one of the factors that made me pursue a Bachelors of Architecture, dreaming that one day, I could too, influence a whole generation the same way Gruppo Bertone influenced me.

Though the 70’s was really when futuristic Italian design came into play with the Countach and Carabo, we have to start at the beginning of the 60’s: The foundation and what Bertone did to evolve from the voluptuous shapes of the 50’s to the wacky wedges and brilliant boxes of the 70’s

Going in chronological order, we start with the year:

1960:

1. Ferrari 250 GT Prototype Enrico Wax

At the start of the 60's, Nuccio Bertone began looking to set up new deals with more manufacturers. This led to a series of great cars, including this Prototype 250 GT, also known as the Ferrari 3000. The car was a one-off, and it was created on the direct commission of Dottore Enrico Wax, on chassis number 1739. The roof, borne on wrap-around glass, is supported by slim pillars which give the car a very light, fast feel, without too far away from the stylistic elements of the traditional Maranello style.

2.Gordon-Keeble GT

Some of you might not be familiar with the Gordon-Keeble brand, but it was a British marque for high-end luxury cars, competing with the likes of the Lancia Flaminia and the Lagonda Rapide. The interior was quite like an old-school jet fighter: white on black gauges, toggle switches and quilted aircraft PVC. As a joke, the marque’s logo was a tortoise, ironic as the car featured a 5.4L Chevrolet V8, and definitely wasn’t slow.

1961:

1. ASA 1000 GT

Dubbed the “Ferrarina”, meaning “baby Ferrari” in Italian, it essentially was a Fiat with a Ferrari engine. Ferrari sales manager Girolamo Gardini called it a ‘nuisance’ as the engine of such high status put in a low-end car was unspeakable. However, the project was backed by Enzo Ferrari himself, and thus the project continued. At the Turin Motor Show of 1961, the press quoted the car as an ‘excellent example of elegance combined with compactness.’

2. Aston Martin DB4 GT Jet

I’d say that this, probably, is Aston Martin’s most famous coachbuilt car of the 60’s: true Italian styling on a British shape! The shell was built on the highest DB4 GT chassis number (0201L) out of steel instead of aluminium, which made it slightly heavier than the standard cars, despite its sleeker shape. This car was one of 2 Aston Martin’s Giorgetto Giugiaro designed, the latter being the Twenty-Twenty, debuting exactly 40 years after the Jet.

3. BMW 3200 CS

This car was BMW’s first car designed with the famous Hoffmeister’s Kink, and was also a pioneer of the smaller kidney grille and the C-Pillar fitted BMW badge, which was also adopted in other future models. 583 of these were ever produced and was a transition model between the 502 and the New Six. There was only ever one cabriolet made, and was gifted to the BMW Principle of the time, Herbert Quandt.

4. Ferrari 250 GT Bertone

This Ferrari would be the second and last Ferrari that Nuccio Bertone himself would design, and was really meant as a car for himself, so it was a one-off. You may think that the split-nose design of the front was quite odd for Italian standards, and maybe belonged on an American car like a Plymouth or Pontiac, but Bertone actually intended the design to be a tribute to the Ferrari 156 F1 Formula 1 race car’s ‘shark-nose’. The side profile was well received and Ferrari changed their future models to follow suit with this sort of design.

5. Maserati 5000 GT Coupe

Built on the platform of the existing 3500 GT Coupe, the new 5000 GT featured a larger 5.0L V8 and was used more as a coachbuilt, ‘custom-made’ car. 34 cars were distributed to multiple coachbuilders to design their own versions of the 5000 GT. Most of the cars were designed by Allemano, which was quite subtle compared to the others. Carrozzeria Touring designed 3, Frua had 3, Monterosa 2, while Pininfarina, Ghia, MIchelotti and Gruppo Bertone each designed 1.

1962:

1. Iso Rivolta GT

Although the name sounds ‘revolting’, the car itself wasn’t. The chassis was designed by the very famous Giotto Bizzarrini and styling was done by the equally famous man of many G’s, Giorgetto Giugiaro. It’s angry eyes were reminiscent of the Gordon-Keeble GT of 1960 and gave the car a more aggressive look. It wasn’t all for show though, 799 of these were made, and all of them were powered by 327 cu.in. Chevrolet Corvette engines.

2. Simca 1000/1200S Coupe

The first French car on this list and one that I’ve actually seen in person. How I’d describe the car is the looks of a Fiat 850 Coupe with the shape of a Matra Djet/Alpine A110 Berlinette. It wasn’t all that popular with the press however, as its performance didn’t live up to its racey styling, and because of its wraparound bumpers and complex design, it was also more expensive to make. Because of this, the Coupe did not have a direct successor after, instead having a belated return in the form of the 1973 Matra Bagheera, a decade later.

1963:

1. Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint HS

This Alfa Romeo was a clear indicator of the changing times. While the body of the car remained a banana-esque profile, with the cockpit of the car, centered in the middle, the front of the vehicle sloped into a sharp wedge, possibly to invoke the aerodynamic looks of race cars of the same era. The world probably wasn’t ready for this drastic design change, and so Bertone kept the car solely as a one-off.

2. Chevrolet Corvair Testudo

I would say the Chevy was the start of Bertone’s emergence as the design house that everyone thinks about when thinking about “wedge cars” and the “more unique looking concepts of the 60’s-70’s” The car was very much following in the lines of American Atompunk, with a rounded UFO-like profile and a bubble canopy with wraparound glass that opened as a whole door. At the time, the Corvair was considered the American Porsche, and you can kind of see it in this car with those slanted headlights and it was also powered by an air-cooled Boxer 6! 

3. Iso Grifo

Another Bizzarrini/Giugiaro collaboration, this car was designed around a Chevrolet Corvette chassis and featured the engine from one too. The Grifo looked all American, with huge muscular haunches, looking like they were borrowed from the Vette, as well as the front grille, which looked part Pontiac split-nose and Vette headlight placements. However, the unmistakable Italian style still came through in the side vents and sloping roof line which was first seen in the Ferrari 250 GTO, which Bizzarrini was also responsible for.

1964:

1. Alfa Romeo Canguro

Following the great reception the Corvair Testudo from 1963 got, Bertone decided to ramp up its wackiness and create the Canguro. It’s a mix of crazy voluptuous shapes and a big bubble-shaped cockpit, similar to that of the Corvair. This design would be so well received that Alfa Romeo would later base all of its TZ cars after this curvaceous car!

1965:

1. Fiat 850 Spider

The Miura before the Miura. In fact, the Lamborghini reused the same headlights as this little Fiat, as they were in the Bertone parts bin! The headlights that tilted were also an idea that this little Fiat had as well, which was originally inspired by the aforementioned Corvair Testudo. Other than that, the little car looks simple, and that was best for the lower end of the market in which this car was aimed at. 

2. Ford Mustang

The 1965 Mustang is great and all, but when you dip it in a little of that Italian sauce, the outcome is sure to be spectacular. In fact, this mustang was so beautiful, Ford decided not to make it the production version, scared that they couldn’t make a successor of this already perfect design. (The most probable reason was probably because it looked a little too elegant for what it was aimed to be.)

1966:

1. Jaguar FT Coupe

Jaguar's earliest use of the 'F-Type' name, however, the 'FT' didn't stand for what we know it today as just the next name after the E-Type. This use of 'FT' stood for 'Ferruccio Tarchini', named to honour the importing firm's founder. The car was supposed to be produced and imported all over Italy, but in the end, Bertone only produced 2 examples: One in Dark Royal Blue, the other in a Metallic Black, both with tan leather interiors.

2. Lamborghini Miura

The late 60’s was when Gruppo Bertone really started to shine on the global stage. I’m sure everyone has seen and heard of this famous Lamborghini. Many people consider the Lamborghini Miura to be the first true supercar, with its flowing accentuated lines, seductive eyelashes, and complemented by the famous V12 which powered all 12-cylinder Lamborghini’s all the way through to the Murcielago. 

3. Porsche 911 Roadster

From the outset, this looked neither German, nor like anything Porsche would ever design. In fact, it looked a lot more like a Fiat 850 Spider with actual hidden headlamps with bumper designs from, again, the Chevrolet Corvair Testudo. It also was heavily influenced by a lot of Bertone’s designs, having the one-piece wraparound bumpers, creating a seamless, flowing design, but also an excessively expensive and complex way to manufacture the car.

1967: 

1. Alfa Romeo Montreal Expo Prototipo

I love retro concept cars. They aren’t exaggerated too far from the production cars. This one for example is very very close to the Montreal road car. The main differences being the headlight covers which changed to revolving covers, the horizontal slat vents across the bonnet changed to a single NACA duct and 7 side slats changed to just 6.

2. Fiat 125 Executive

Moving away from all the supercar buzz, we come to a more standardized car, the Fiat 125. As you can see, the rounded, curvaceous shapes of the early 60’s have evolved to a more square and boxy design, even with the headlights being oblong-shaped, as opposed to the circle headlamps of yesteryear. The 125 Executive was just a taster to gather reaction from the press for the radical shape change for cars to come. And judging by later boxy shapes, I can safely say, this design definitely worked.

3. Jaguar Pirana

Proposed to be the new shape for the Jaguar E-Type 2+2, the shape was probably too radical and different to the bulbous shape of the classic E-Type, so the Pirana never reached the production phase. But as retro concepts go, those that are refused or unused, go on to other brands, this one becoming the Lamborghini Espada in the next year. 

4. Lamborghini Marzal

Enter the crazies. The Marzal was one to be marveled with. The awesome wedge-shaped profile, checkerboard rear window louvres, inset grille and headlights, gullwing doors, which were transparent, and chrome leather seats, made it stand out among the crowd of normality. This design, combined with the aforementioned Jaguar Pirana, became the conception of the Lamborghini Espada, which had the shape of the Marzal, but the regularity of the Jag.

1968:

1. Alfa Romeo Carabo

This is a personal favourite, and ultimate dream car! This car truly embodies the wedge car spirit and can be said to be the direct inspiration for the iconic Lamborghini Countach, and later cars like Vectors and fictional Cyberpunk-esque vehicles. The Carabo was painted in a bright green (BEST COLOUR!) and the front lip was done in an equally bright orange. Instead of pop up headlights like the later Countach, the Carabo had slats that opened up, revealing the sets of double headlights which were positioned stationarily. This design was accompanied by the backwards facing bonnet vents as well as an electronically-adjustable air flap that rose to expel hot air and also create downforce for the front of the car. The rear face of the car was very unique too: instead of traditional taillights, the Alfa was equipped with a big gridded-out face of square lights. The Carabo was also the first use of scissor-doors, now synonymous with flagship Lamborghini’s. 

2. Bertone Panther

Although all of the cars I've so far listed in this article are more so or less having the appearance of a road car, the Bertone Panther was built for the race track. With its sensuous 60's Le Mans race car look, but a jarring massive wing that towered above the car right in the center of the body, the Panther truly combined the art of form equaling function. However, as experimental as its design went, it stayed as a prototype, and the Brecia Corse Team it was designed for, never raced said vehicle.

3.Lamborghini Espada

As mentioned before, the Espada was the child of the Jaguar Pirana and Lamborghini Marzal, and with it’s wedge shape, it was very well received by the press, even to this day, where it is still regarded as one of Lamborghini’s best designed front engined cars! With the Miura and now the Espada, Bertone became the standard design house to Lamborghini, just as Pininfarina was to Ferrari!

4. Lamborghini Miura Roadster

The Lamborghini train doesn’t stop there, ‘68 saw the birth of the topless Miura, made as a one-off and having the same colour spec as the very first Lamborghini 350 GTV (Magnolia Leather on Metallic Blue), which was designed by the lesser known Carrozzeria Sargiotto. The car still featured the same design as the standard Miura, but it had the steering wheels from the prototype Espada and had no rear windshield, instead opting for some black side haunch accents, which would later be implemented on the Silhouette, Jalpa and other Lamborghini’s to come. A second Roadster was produced in 1969, but was done aftermarket, by modifying an existing Miura, painted it a Metallic Green with a tan interior, and all the black trim was redone into chrome.

1969:

1. Autobianchi Runabout

Drawn heavily from powerboats at the time, this wedge-shaped ‘Runabout’ became the basis for the Fiat X1/9 that came a few years later. The engine was taken from the Fiat 128 (under the Autobianchi marque) and was mounted in the middle of the car. The most iconic feature of this wacky concept was that the headlights were mounted behind the occupants of the car, on the roll bar. This, combined with its striking red and white paint job, solidified this proposal in the Concept Car Hall of Fame.

2. BMW 2800 Spicup

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. Green is the perfect colour for any car! And as a ‘green fiend’, when I first discovered this car, not only did it become one of my favourite concept cars, but also my favourite BMW! The name ‘Spicup’ is actually an amalgamation of Spider and Coupe, and the car is both of those. The roof automatically closes and opens by retracting out of the wing-like structure on top of the B-pillar. As if the outside wasn’t green enough, the interior was cast in a duo-tone dark forest green over a lime splash of colour! This complemented by the chrome trim and orange front indicators made this Spicup feel like a continuation of the Carabo’s design!

3. Fiat 128 Coupe

Although having the aforementioned Autobianchi-marqued 128 engine, this Fiat was a striking contrast to that of the Runabout. With more conventional styling, it signaled the changing times of the late 60’s wedge-like shapes, with the 70’s more boxy designs. It utilized a large greenhouse-esque cockpit, maximizing the space inside, while still retaining its compact size. It housed 4 seats, in which the front row could be adjusted hydraulically, and an interesting trunk, which looked and functioned like a cabinet drawer.

4. Iso Lele

We end the list on the Lele, one of the funnier names for a car. The Lele’s main inspiration came from the likes of the Jaguar Pirana and Lamborghini Espada, and was also the main inspiration for the Lamborghini Jarama that came in the mid-70’s. The car featured styling elements from the previous Iso Grifo and Rivolta, like the side vents behind each of the wheels, but also introduced some weird body lines, like the elongated swage line, making the vehicle look a lot longer than it actually was. The Iso still featured the beating heart of a Chevrolet Corvette, the same 327 V8. 

With these 28 cars Gruppo Bertone designed over the decade from 1960-1969, you can truly understand the design house's unique lines and evolution, and how they affected many of what we know today to be the 70’s wedge cars. Out of these, which one is your favourite? And which design house or decade would you like me to document next? Pininfarina? Zagato? The 1970’s? Please comment below!