Giuseppe Bertone, also called "Nuccio", (4 July 1914, inTurin – 26 February 1997, in Turin) was anautomobile designer and constructor. He took overCarrozzeria Bertone from his father,Giovanni afterWorld War II, growing the small business to a car building and designing powerhouse. After racingFiat,O.S.C.A.,Maserati, andFerrari, Bertone moved to construction, agreeing to build his first car, a series of 200MGs, at the 1952Turin Motor Show. He drew attention at theParis Motor Show that year with anAbarth concept, and was chosen to design the replacement for theAlfa Romeo Disco Volante. These so-calledBAT (Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica) cars used theAlfa Romeo 1900 Sprint chassis. Bertone is also responsible for designing the famousLambretta GP/DL range of scooters and the Luna line of scooters.
Two years later at Turin, Bertone introduced the Storm Z concept based on aDodge chassis alongside his latest BAT concept and a prototype of theAlfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, which would become the company's main product for the coming years. Bertone built more than 31,000 bodies in 1960, includingFiat 850 Spiders,Fiat Dinos,Simca 1200S coupes, theAlfa Romeo Montreal, andLamborghinis.[1] His 100th design was a specialFord Mustang, introduced at the 1965New York Auto Show and commissioned byAutomobile Quarterly. From 1972 to 1989 built theFiat X1/9.
Bertone summed up his philosophy when introducing theFiat 850:
When Bertone designedFerraris, penned byGiorgetto Giugiaro, this was a radical departure for Ferrari that drew the ire of rival design housePininfarina, which Ferrari had so far often worked with. However, his two250 GT SWBs only foreshadowed the controversialDino 308 GT4 of the 1970s, designed byMarcello Gandini, who had by that time designed several stand-out models for Ferrari's rivalLamborghini.
Bertone was inducted into theAutomotive Hall of Fame in 2006.[2] and the European Automotive Hall of Fame. He was married to Lilli and had two daughters.[3]
