Bertone & Pininfarina Spider prototypes

[AlfistiSA]

Thought that it was time to start a new thread on this subject as we drifted into it at the bottom of this page Marco750B56 - My AR Giulietta Sprint ´56

These are the Bertone Spider prototypes, Serial numbers 0002 & 0004, apparently 001 and 003 did not make it off the drawing board & into reality.

Both cars still exisit & both were at the 50th Aniversary celebrations in Milan.

Both cars are finished off exactly as they were when new. The gold car still has the original upholstery.

Ciao
Greig

[AlfistiSA]

This is the Farina prototype Spider at Museo Storico. The second picture shows Signora Elvira Ruocco standing next to the car.

Signora Ruocco was the Archivist at Archiveo Storico for years.

Ciao
Greig

[redspiderveloce]

WOW!!! I would do about anything for the red one. Doesn't the hump in the hood look kinda like the hood on the new 8c? I can't believe those cars were never produced.

[GTD]

Quote:

I can't believe those cars were never produced.

[lgbalfa]

nice cars.

thanks for sharing.

[redspiderveloce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTD You need to study your AR history! Italia was recovering from WW-2; Alfa Romeo was deeply in debt and had no market for its pre-war expensive hand built automobiles. They had "officially" dropped out of racing in 1952. Alfa Romeo re-invented itself in what was a completely new market for the company - less expensive cars for the masses. A successful model, the Giulietta sedan, was the only hope for existence. You have to understand that Sprints and Spiders, while appealing to us fifty years later, were only a small percentage of chassis’s produced. The money was in the common family carrier. They knew that they had to keep the costs under control and frame-less or Unibody construction was the route to follow. ALFA management had worked this out and had an in-house design developed for the sedan using a drivetrain that would share (mostly) common parts with sports models. What were needed were some exhibition cars with sex appeal or bling-bling to generate interest in Alfa Romeo once again. Specifications were supplied to a few Carrozziera and even fewer prototypes where delivered. Bertone's interpretations as viewed above are still pretty neat chassis's - but they would have been way too expensive to build and Bertone could not have built enough in a timely fashion. BTW:If you can't believe the Bertone Spiders were never produced, believe this:the Pinin Farina Spider that we view as iconic would never have been produced if not for one crafty opportunist, Dustin's uncle: Max Hoffman.

[AlfistiSA]

Thought I'd post this one for posterity.....

This is the Bertone Cabriolet, not to be confused with the Bertone Spiders, it was a one-off styling exercise on a 750B Sprint body.

The car was never sanctioned by Alfa and it remained as a one-off by Bertone.

Ciao
Greig

[alfazagato]

Good move Greig to start this new thread but nobody has responded to my previous comments which still concern me! Could Bertone have used screen pillars from his competitor? Or did Farina crib these? Did he use a grille from Zagato? Look at the convertible Sprint for Bertone's themes. And look at the rear..it is ham-fisted in comparison with the red car. It is difficult to rationalise.

[AlfistiSA]

Hi Stuart

Actually I think it was the other way around, Farina copied Bertone.

Bertone offered the 2 prototypes with slim chrome pillars (no top bar), while Farina offered the complete wrap-around screen as seen on the blue car above.

Bertone was already in production difficulties and many parts for the 750 Sprints were farmed out to smaller coachbuilders, like Ghia to ease the load in the Bertone workshop. Thus the chances that they would get the contract for the Spiders was already slim.

Farina would have seen the Bertone prototypes & seen that the slim chrome pillar would ease production.... perhaps the stylists at Alfa said that they liked his concept, but would prefer a less fussy windscreen assembly & they wanted wind-up windows.

As for the 2 Bertone Spider prototypes, for me, the gold car has definite Bertone "Sprint" trademarks, in the bonnet shape & chrome strip, the curve of the nose & the tail light wings, but the red car, with it's exotic tail lights & superbly sculptured nose is simply out-of-this-world.

Ciao
Greig

[Subtle]

Of course, the two Bertone examples remind of the Arnolt Bristol Bolide, which to me was unappealing in real time and remains so.

The Farina design was the correct one as it has remained ageless. The similar design when carried out on the longer wheel-based Ferrari, known as the California Spider, is a great classic.

Can one imagine the equivalent Ferrari done up as a "stretched" Bolide.?

Ugggh.

[alfa soon]

To my eyes the red Spider prototype has a hint of a BAT 9 look to it. The treatment of the grill and the way it interacts with the hood. They would probably have crossed paths on the Bertone drawing table.

[yvesmontreal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfa soon To my eyes the red Spider prototype has a hint of a BAT 9 look to it. The treatment of the grill and the way it interacts with the hood. They would probably have crossed paths on the Bertone drawing table.

[AlfistiSA]

To support YvesMontreal's story, here is something I downloaded off the 'net ages ago.

Ciao
Greig

[AlfistiSA]

A period picture of the red car, showing a cover on the rear deck, the Milan registration plate & the original hollow rolled rim Borrani wheels fitted to the car - these were only fitted to the very first Giulietta's in late '54, early '55, before they were replaced with the conventional lip rim section we know today - proof that the prototypes were built on very early chassis.

Ciao
Greig