2007 Bertone Barchetta

Bertone presents the Barchetta concept car in celebration of its 95th anniversary. Based on the floorpan and mechanicals of the Fiat Panda 100 HP, the Bertone Barchetta is an open-topped strictly two-seater sports car that calls to mind the Italian racing cars of the 1950s. In this case, the design explicitly cites the Fiat 500 with Barchetta bodywork created by the young Nuccio Bertone in 1947 as a one-off for his personal use in races.

Bertone's choice of the Fiat brand to celebrate its 95th anniversary was both natural and emotional. Natural because Fiat is the Italian brand par excellence. Emotional because the birth of Bertone as a coachbuilder of "special" vehicles is closely linked to the history of the Fiat brand. The historic relationship between the two companies has lasted for more than eighty years and has generated more than fifty highly successful models counting concept cars, one-offs and production cars, from the 850 Spider to the X1/9, from the Ritmo Cabrio to the Punto Cabrio.

Length: 3,585 mm
Width: 1,705 mm
Height: 1,090 mm
Wheelbase: 2,300 mm
Wheels: 20" alloys
Tyres: Pirelli 225/30 R20


The exterior

The Bertone Barchetta is the product of innovative styling which still manages to evoke the historic traditions of the company. The compact, muscular body, with its high, taut waistline, is defined by two aluminium shells joined by a large glazed surface that crosses the doors and extends into the bonnet join line before spawning the low, wraparound windscreen.

The rearward opening scissor doors, hinged around the rear wheelarch, are a Bertone patent. This is in keeping with the company's historic attention to the specific issue of accessibility, interpreted always with surprising solutions, such as the cockpit canopy of the Testudo (1962), the double gull wings of the Marzal (1967), the hinged windscreen of the Stratos 0 (1970) and the large gate-like sliding doors of the Villa (2005).


The cabin

The cabin, delimited by the wraparound windscreen and rear roll bar and furnished with sophisticated minimalism and minute attention to detail, is directly inspired by the 1947 Fiat 500 Barchetta.

The anatomic seats, upholstered in natural leather, are fixed and sculpted directly into the metalwork. A console area between the two seats includes a stowage tray and an iPod dock.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login