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Bertone Concept Cars up for Auction at Villa d'Este

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

1967 Lamborghini Marzal

Concept cars are typically designed and crafted as one-of-a-kind creations by automakers or independent design studios, shown at a couple of expositions, and then disappear into museum collections. But every once in a while, these radical rarities come up for sale or auction. And that once in a while is about to arrive, and arrive in a big way, this coming May. That's when the venerable Bertone Museum collection will cross the auction block.

The six concept cars were all created in the 1960s-1980s by the famed Italian design house, which is now facing a restructuring and is selling off much of its collection. The items up for auction are the 1967 Lamborghini Marzal, 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero, 1963 Chevrolet Testudo, 1974 Lamborghini Bravo, 1980 Lamborghini Athon and 1978 Lancia Sibilo concept cars, ranging in pre-sale price estimates between six figures and as much as $2.5 million apiece.

The sale is being conducted by the venerable RM Auctions as part of its first event during the prestigious Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on the shores of Lake Como on May 21.

2011 Geneva Motor Show: The Luxury Sedans & SUVs

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos



Every year the Geneva Motor Show features a staggering array of new luxury sedans, estate wagons, crossovers and sport-utility vehicles on display. And this year's show, still ongoing at the Geneva Palexpo, has proven no exception.

Among the production and concept debuts in these diverse categories were new vehicles from Audi, BMW Alpina, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Saab and Volvo, as well as the return of De Tomaso. Follow the jump to see what these European automakers had in store for us this year.

Bertone Alfa Romeo Pandion Concept Car In The Flesh

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

While everyone else is stuck in the past with new cars that look that old cars, Bertone is looking ahead. The famous car designer now only devises concepts for various client automaker brands who take the designs as a study on future core brand style directions. Alfa Romeo has been a client of also Italy based Bertone for years. At the Geneva Autoshow (2010) Bertone unveiled this Pandion Concept - which I got to see in the flesh recently. While a thematic successor of the C8 Competizione, the Pandion is actually built on top of a Maserati GT. At least it is an all Italian machine.

The highly futuristic design is a source of pride for the design firm. The rhythmic shapes and smooth angles are couples with an interesting, and new type of design source - organics. Well, computer organics - if there is such a thing. Bertone created special software to create random looking shapes and "formations" which are the basis for the crystalline looking exterior parts, and the biologic looking interior parts. The entire rear-end and interior wheel decor is based on quartz crystal formations. The new type of look is utterly novel and highly thought provoking. Sensible for production? Not in an instant, but artistic nonetheless.

Inside the car is all about shapes looking like they stem from the "skeleton" of the case. As though they are ripping through the skin. Follow the paths of the cabin structure to see what I me an. The blue seats provide a color thematically like the pinkness inside a body. Despite the highly unconventional cabin structure, the car is still fitted with all the amenities that one might desire, mostly controlled via a large touch screen panel.

The real mechanical spectacle of the Pandion are the automatic gullwing doors. A press of a button and the rear haunches of the car lift and move aside, making room for the scissor like doors to electronically lift up. They close in the same automatic manner. Will any part of this car reach future Alfa Romeo cars? According to Bertone, "probably." Alfa quite likes the new interpretation of their "V" grill design that you can see on the front of the Pandion. If they are smart, Alfa will think a lot about how to incorporate the spectacular visuals of the Pandion's rear-end as well. Check out the "READ MORE" link below for video coverage of the Pandion in action.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

2010 Geneva Motor Show: Italy's Finest celebrate 100 Years of Alfa Romeo

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

alfa romeo geneva

Everyone likes a good party. Especially when there's something to celebrate. Like a big anniversary, for example. And this year's Geneva Motor Show had plenty.

Not only is the salon itself marking its 80th anniversary, but along with it Alfa Romeo is celebrating its landmark centenary. The storied Milanese auto marque founded way back in (you guessed it) 1910 came to Geneva to unveil the all-new Giulietta, a vital new product for the company. But that's not the end of it.

To help them celebrate, Alfa Romeo commissioned two of Italy's leading design houses to come up with their own vision for the form which the Alfa of the future should take. Follow the jump to read about the Alfa-fest in Geneva and view our photographs from the show floor.

Geneva Preview: Bertone's Alfa Romeo Pandion Concept Leaks Out

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Stile Bertone Alfa Romeo Pandion Concept leaked images – Click above for image gallery

The raging torrent of pre-Geneva Motor Show leaks is officially in full effect today as a series of images showing off Bertone's new Alfa Romeo Pandion Concept have hit the Internet (thanks Unica-Strada!). First of all, what's a Pandion? That would be a type genus of the Pandionidae, better known as an osprey or as a fish hawk. Moving on, then.

To our eyes, the Pandion isn't really what we've come to expect from Alfa Romeo, at least not styling-wise. The Italian marque's classically flowing curves are present and accounted for, but they are bisected by swaths of what appears to be clear plastic. The rear-view is especially busy – kinda like it's fashioned from hundreds of containers worth of Tinker Toys. Oh, and fans of Battlestar Galactica are sure to appreciate the Pandion's head-on view.

Stile Bertone – which until recently was led by Jason Castriota, the man responsible for such far-out designs as the Alfa 8C-based B.A.T. 11 and the Corvette ZR1-based Mantide – penned the Pandion, and we do see some influence from the styling house's past designs. We don't yet know what's underhood of the uniquely styled concept, or really anything else about it not revealed by these images. See for yourself below.



[Source: Unica-Strada]

Italy's Finest to Unveil Trio of Alfa Romeo Concepts in Geneva

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos



Alfa Romeo is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Along the way, the Italian automaker has collaborated with some of Italy's finest design houses and coachbuilders. And they plan on reviving those relationships at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March with not one, not two, but three new concept cars.

Pininfarina – the design house responsible for crafting most modern Ferraris, among others – will present a roadster concept (previewed in the blue sketch above) targeted to succeed the Alfa Romeo Spider. Stile Bertone – responsible for the BAT series of Alfa Romeo concepts – will present a new coupe design (teased in the black and white sketch at top). And finally ItalDesign Giugiaro – which was responsible for the original design of the achingly beautiful Brera coupe – will present its proposal for a replacement for the 159 sedan.

All the while, Alfa Romeo itself will present the new Giulietta in its major motor show debut. Geneva, it appears, is gearing up to be a real Alfa love-fest.

Jay Leno Reportedly Orders the $2 Million Bertone Mantide

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping



Only ten examples of the exclusive Bertone Mantide supercar are scheduled to be built, and one of them will reportedly go to none other than Jay Leno. The famous talk-show host, comedian and car collector was seen hanging out with Bertone's chief designer Jason Castriota at the recently-concluded Goodwood Festival of Speed, where he reportedly fell in love with the exotic creation. So much so that he's apparently ponied up the $2 million to get his hands on the custom-bodied Corvette ZR1. With the first example already delivered and a couple more orders said to already have been placed, that puts Leno fourth or fifth on the secretive order list and makes a fine addition to his legendary car collection.

Only 10 Examples of the $2 Million Bertone Mantide will be Built

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos


Exclusivity has its price. In this case, that price is a jaw-dropping $2 million. That's the tag which Stile Bertone has placed on customer versions of its latest automotive creation, the Mantide. The famed Italian coachbuilder was recently restructured and solicited the talents of one Jason Castriota, formerly of rival design house Pininfarina. As his first project in his new home, Castriota and his crew took the devastatingly fast Corvette ZR1 and gave it a new body, inside and out. The result wowed some and reviled others, but pandering the lowest common denominator is hardly what Bertone was after with this machine: with a few orders already in place, Castriota says the company will build no more than ten examples, effectively ensuring right from the start that the Bertone Mantide will remain a collector's item in perpetuity.

Lamborghini "Lamborbiker" Motorcycle Concept

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos


Last fall we wrote about a brilliant Ferrari V4 motorcycle concept based on the Enzo. Now designer Flavio Adriani has come up with a wicked Lamborghini superbikebike concept. The Lamborbiker (above) was inspired by famed Italian automotive architect Marcello Gandini, formerly chief designer for Bertone and creator of several stunning Lamborghinis including the Countach, and employs the Osmos, a revolutionary hubless orbital wheel. Like the V4, the Lamborbiker is pretty fantastical but aesthetically captivating.

[via Tuvie]

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