Bertone

The Bertone Group was an Italian automotive company specializing in car styling, bodywork and manufacturing. Also known as Bertone, it was born as Carrozzeria Bertone in 1912 thanks to the founder Giovanni Bertone.

The company was based in Grugliasco, in the province of Turin. Famous for its Bertone Style Center in Caprie, in the Susa Valley, where some of the most iconic car models of the 20th century are created.

The entrepreneur and designer Nuccio Bertone, son of the founder, took over the management of the company after World War II and the company was divided into two parts: Bodywork for production and Stile Bertone for styling. Until bankruptcy in 2014, the company was led by Nuccio Bertone's widow, Lilli Bertone.

Bertone style is distinctive for most cars even if made by different manufacturers.
In the 60s and 70s Bertone included among the leaders of the design sector Giorgetto Giugiaro first and Marcello Gandini then, starting from 1965 when the former moved to Ghia, two young designers destined to make the history of the automotive sector in Italy and beyond .

Bertone has designed cars for Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Citroën, Ferrari, FIAT, Iso, Lancia, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Volvo and others.
The Bertone studio is responsible for two subsequent Lambretta projects.

After the bankruptcy, nothing remains of the historic company of design and automotive style created by Nuccio Bertone. The Grugliasco plant, where up to 1,200 workers worked, was acquired in 2009 by FCA, which produces the Maserati here.

The Bertone name was retained by some former employees who continued as a Milan-based design firm, Bertone Design.

Among the models born from the Bertone style center:
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, 1956
Maserati 5000 GT, 1961
Chevrolet Corvair Testudo, 1963
Lamborghini Miura, 1966
Alfa Romeo Montreal, 1967
Alfa Romeo 33 Carabo, 1968
Lancia Stratos Zero, 1970
Lamborghini Countach, 1972
Ferrari 308 GT Rainbow, 1976
Volvo 780, 1985
Opel Astra Coupé, 1999