Nuccio Bertone facts for kids
Giuseppe Bertone, also known as "Nuccio", was a famous automobile designer and builder from Italy. He was born in Turin on July 4, 1914, and passed away in the same city on February 26, 1997. After World War II, Nuccio took over the family business, Carrozzeria Bertone, from his father, Giovanni. He helped it grow from a small workshop into a very important company that designed and built many well-known cars.
Early Designs and Success
Nuccio Bertone loved cars from a young age. He even raced cars like Fiat, O.S.C.A., Maserati, and Ferrari. Later, he started building cars. His first big project was building 200 MG cars, which he agreed to do at the 1952 Turin Motor Show.
At the Paris Motor Show that same year, he got a lot of attention with a special Abarth concept car. A concept car is a model built to show new ideas and designs. Because of his talent, Bertone was chosen to design new cars to replace the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante. These new cars were called BAT cars, which stood for "Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica" (meaning "Aerodynamic Technical Sedan"). They were built using the chassis (the car's frame) of the Alfa Romeo 1900 Sprint.
Bertone also designed some very popular scooters, including the famous Lambretta GP/DL range and the Luna line of scooters.
Growing the Business
Two years later, at the Turin Motor Show, Bertone showed off a new concept car called the Storm Z, which was based on a Dodge car. He also presented his latest BAT concept and a test version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint. The Giulietta Sprint became a very important car for his company for many years.
By 1960, Bertone's company was building more than 31,000 car bodies! These included popular models like the Fiat 850 Spiders, Fiat Dinos, Simca 1200S coupes, the Alfa Romeo Montreal, and many Lamborghinis.
In 1965, Bertone designed a special Ford Mustang for the 100th time he had created a car design. This car was shown at the New York Auto Show. From 1972 to 1989, his company also built the Fiat X1/9.
Bertone's Design Philosophy
Nuccio Bertone had a clear idea about his company's role. When he introduced the Fiat 850, he explained: "Our job is to create car bodies. We set the trends for how cars look, build test models, develop the design, figure out how to build them, and make the tools. Of course, we then produce them in large numbers."
Bertone's designs for Ferrari cars were quite different from what Ferrari usually made. His two 250GT coupes and the later 308GT4 were very unique.
Legacy
Nuccio Bertone was recognized for his amazing contributions to the car world. He was honored in the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2006 and also in the European Automotive Hall of Fame.
He was married to Lilli and had two daughters.
See also
In Spanish: Nuccio Bertone para niños
