The story of Bertone: the most controversial coachbuilder ever
The beginning of Bertone Bertone was founded in November 1912, when Giovanni Bertone, then aged 28, opened a workshop specialising in the construction and…
The partnership with Ford began and ended with the Zodiac, a highly successful car that the American manufacturer wanted to revamp.
For the Ford Zodiac, Bertone applied the canons of style that had made him famous throughout the world, but his creation came into conflict with the car’s marked stylistic personality, the exaggerated tail fins, the deep side lines and wide front bonnet. While the last found a place in Bertone’s design, for obvious reasons linked to the dimensions of the mechanics, the Turin bodywork specialist decided to simplify the lines of the other two features. The Ford Zodiac was given a much more sober feel, with smooth wings and a downward tail with the merest hint at fins. The accentuated side lines were smoothed out and the car, although it retained much of the American spirit, embodies many of the stylistic traits dear to Bertone.
The beginning of Bertone Bertone was founded in November 1912, when Giovanni Bertone, then aged 28, opened a workshop specialising in the construction and…
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