Bertone, designer of most of the most awesome cars ever, seeking bankruptcy.

[Tornado]

Bertone bankrupted


The falling Italian coachbuilder / designer Bertone is seeking for bankruptcy protection after losing 37 million Euros in the past 3 years. In recent years its factory and 1350 employees in Turin have been idling as it could not find new contracts to fill the vacancy left by Mini GP and Alfa Romeo GT. The plan to build TVR never materialized. The factory can build 70,000 cars a year and it needs at least 30,000 cars to break even. BTW, Pininfarina also faces a similar situation.

Linky.

I blame Audi, personally. Or, more fun, another thing to blame on Smolenski. Scary about Pininfarina, too.
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[YSSMAN]

I heard about the Pinifarina situation, but I had no idea about Bertone. This is really weird, particularly when both had had such luck with designing some wonderful cars over the years. Makes you wonder what exactly would happen if they went bankrupt... It sounds horrible, but I'd love to have Ford buy one and get their design scheme together...

 

[Keef]

Lol, Ford should buy Pininfarina. They always wanted Ferrari, didn't they? Ferrari would be pissed!

 

[Tornado]

Ford already bought, and ran into the ground, Ghia. I don't want anyone domestic touching either design house. I'd personally prefer if they could both stay independent, but if they must be bought I would like it to be by Fiat or Audi.
What this does make me wonder, however, is how Italdesign, the far less world renowned designer, isn't in financial problems. Granted, they also did the more recent Fiat Grande Punto and Suzuki SX4, but still.

 

[YSSMAN]

Italdesign has done some pretty wild things lately, and I'm sure the Suzuki/Daewoo contracts have kept them busy at the very least.

It would make the most sense for Pininfarina to go to FIAT, should it ever be sold, since they already style so many of the Ferrari and Alfa Romeo cars. Then again, they've had some history at GM as well (remember the Allante?), but it was short and sweet.

With this near-constant push with "brand image" styles, the need for third-party designers seems to be diminished almost completely. We'll see what the future holds, but I think its safe to assume that it isn't safe...

 

[exigeracer]

Pininfarina invented the word automotive design. Stylizing a motorcar did no exist before that. Stile Bertone has been around for almost as long, and has produced some really progressive designs. Keep in mind that all three of the companies mentioned also have their respective industrial design firms, which come up with product design and the like (I've got a pair of Pininfarina sandals). I wouldn't be surprised if those sectors of their business became larger than their automotive counterparts. When things start failing in the dominant pocket, then it will trickle through to the final line.

It saddens me to see these kinds of landmark companies go, but I'm not surprised either.

 

[Philly]

It saddens me to see these kinds of landmark companies go, but I'm not surprised either.

In a world where big corporations control everything (like consolidation of the railroads and Steel industries in the 1800s) and every step of the vehicle process, this isn't at all surprising that a small company like this can not keep going.

And following the spirit of the process, get over it. They weren't significant enough anyway. Keep moving.

 

[Metar]

They weren't significant enough anyway. Keep moving.

Not important enough?

(I advise 56k'ers to leave now) Among their most important concepts, the original Lancia Stratos:

The Alfa Romeo BAT5, BAT7 and BAT9 cars.

Mr. Bertone's own Ferrari 250GT Bertone Berlinetta:

His production designs include the drop-dead sexy Aston Martin DB4 GT:

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale:

The queen of supercars, the Miura:

And also the Countach, for years the benchmark of what a thoroughbred supercar should be (He also designed the Urraco, Diablo and Espada):

The Maserati Khamsin:

But, recently less and less cars were designed at the Bertone studios, apparently.

 

[Sting]

It sounds horrible, but I'd love to have Ford buy one and get their design scheme together...

That does sound horrible, in fact I'm totally shocked at that. 👎


Shame for Bertone, but altogether not that surprising to me, since we haven't really heard much from the Bertone camp for quite some time.

 

[exigeracer]

Even recent designs have been awsome, like the Birusa:

 

[Philly]

Not important enough?

Depends on how you look at it. If you look at it like a big company and you aren't getting anything from them, then they aren't important. And the people running the show probably have little to no emotional attachment to the company and they even view it as a part of the competition.

I think I'll stop there before I get myself into trouble.

 

[Jim Prower]

'tis a shame, because that most recent concept looks very good. As carmakers face other challenges, I'm pretty sure they'll start bringing design in-house...a shame for the old-world design houses.