The gorgeous forgotten Bertone's Giulietta Spider

Forgotten ONES When talking about the automotive industry, of course we will be dealing with so many names.... Indeed, in this world it is something that is commonplace, when many come and not a few to leave. Ç'est la vie...

Here's an Alfa Romeo's gorgeous convertible couple posed along together, from the left to right the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Pinin Farina and the Giulietta Spider Bertone (with chassis number #0004). (Picture from: hexmoor_69 on Twitter)

And this following classic car is one of the proofs of the intense competition between coachbuilder companies in Italy back in the 1950s, Even though it has a promising design, it must be step aside after not chosen by automaker to get on the production lines, due to limited production technology at the time.😢

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Bertone (with chassis number #0004)'s design is clearly influenced by contemporary American luxury barges and wild BAT concept cars. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

The story begins when Alfa Romeo began planning a convertible aimed primarily at the American market in the 1950s after receiving input from Max Hoffman, the biggest importer of Alfa Romeos into the United States at the time. For this such reason then the Italian car manufacturer commissioned two compatriot coachbuilders Bertone and Pinin Farina to design and built the prototypes of the new series model which would later be named the Giulietta Spider.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Bertone (with chassis number #0004) has a very radical appearance under a rounded design line pull as you can see at the front. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

It was 1955 there four different prototypes for the Spider variant were completed by those two Italian coachbuilders (each with two prototypes). This became a kind of competition for both of them which now we had known the result of where Alfa Romeo preferred Pinin Farina's designs to enter the production line and rejected Bertone ones. Well, it should be admitted that Pinin Farina's design is clearly more formal with its round headlights, compared to the two more radical looking prototypes of Bertone according to the time.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Bertone (with chassis number #0004) was deemed too modern and difficult to manufacture, mainly because of the aerodynamically inspired tail fin. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

However the Bertone-designed prototypes would go on to influence many of Alfa Romeo's sports convertible in the latter half of the 20th century. How did it happen? This could not be separated from the genius figure of the designer  who handled those two Berteno's prototypes. Who is he? He was Franco Scaglione whose in charge of design at Bertone at the time.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Bertone (with chassis number #0004) has also two tone color covered its two-seats and door trims. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

As quoted from ClassicDriver, Bertone's Giuletta Spider design is clearly influenced by contemporary American luxury barges and wild BAT concept cars. The first prototype (with chassis number #0002) was finished in red and differed from the car you see here with its narrower, more pointed headlights, as well as rear fins without integrated tail-lights. It was a stunning design, but arguably the two-tone, gold-and-white car (with chassis number #0004) as you can see here is the real showstopper.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Bertone (with chassis number #0004) has an aluminium body with a wheelbase of just 2.2 meters, no wonder if it’s incredibly light. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

Both car is powered by an 1.3-liter, four-cylinder 80 hp engine, and has an aluminium body with a wheelbase of just 2.2 meters, no wonder if it’s incredibly light. After completion both were shown to Alfa Romeo's top brasses including Hoffman, the result was unexpected, both were deemed too modern and difficult to manufacture, mainly because of the aerodynamically inspired tail fin.

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Bertone (with chassis number #0004) is powered by an 1.3-liter, four-cylinder 80 hp engine. (Picture from: Coachbuild)

Having failed to get the green light for production, the two prototypes were separated; the red car (with chassis number #0002) headed to Switzerland (unknown until now), while this car (with chassis number #0004) was sold to Hoffman, but remained in Italy. This car had also disappeared from public attention for almost two decades before being rediscovered in the 1990s.

After being unheard of for a long time and missing from the public's attention, it was only in the 1990s that this car (with chassis number #0004) was rediscovered by a young Corrado Lopresto in an apprehensive condition. In short, he did a thorough restoration of this car to return to original conditions in its hey-day. Today, the car remains in the Lopresto Collection to this day as an integral part of Lopresto history and a formative influence on their current restoration process and philosophy. *** [EKA  | CARROZZIERI-ITALIANI | HEXMOR_65 | COACHBUILD | CLASSICDRIVER | WIKIPEDIA ]

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