Founded in 1912, the Italy-based Bertone group’s humble beginnings were in creating quality horse carriages. After World War I, the company began designing automobiles; their first major contract being the Fiat 501 Sport Siluro Corsa, the world’s first high performance sports car, in 1921. In the decades to come, Bertone would work with some of Italy’s finest automobile manufacturers, from Lancia to Lamborghini, as well as European automotive giants such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, Citroen and Volvo. Bertone was responsible for some of the most iconic automobiles in the world.

The Bertone designed 3200 CS was the successor of the failed BMW 503 and 507. The 3200 CS was a brand new design for the company, which rejected its marketing manager’s proposal to repurpose Lancia Flaiminia bodies onto existing BMW chassis. Despite only having sold around 600 units, the 3200 CS would inspire some of BMW’s later models, including the iconic E9 “New-Six” and 2000C coupes.

The 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero was the first prototype from the company’s new relationship with Bertone. A futuristic and low-slung “wedge” with an unorthodox front windshield and no rear visibility, the Stratos Zero remained a prototype and never went into full production. However, the Stratos HF was realized in 1972, and became a successful rally car, winning the World Rally Championship from 1974 to 1976.

In 1965, the Ford Mustang was one of the best selling cars in America, however it had little success in Europe. L. Scott Bailey of Automotive Quarterly put together a meeting between Ford and Bertone, and thus a one-of-a-kind Bertone Mustang was realized just in time for the New York Auto Show. After much success at the show, the relationship strangely ended there. No plans to create the Mustang for Europe came into fruition, and the prototype has not been seen since the mid 1960’s.

Bertone’s design pedigree has helped shape the cars we consider classic. From pioneering the first high performance sports car, to reinterpreting an American classic, Bertone continues to push the design envelope and merge art and machine.

Information and Images courtesy of (C)autoevolution, conceptcarz, The Gentleman Racer and Automobile Mag