Guus is an enthusiastic and driven man who uses his work ethic and technical knowledge for his car company. World-famous car brands such as Ferrari and Lamborghini receive maintenance and health checks here. But this story is about his love for a very special hobby car. The Bertone Berlinetta Racer, as slim and flexible as a racehorse.
Bertone Berlinetta Racer, variant of the Fiat 850 Coupé
Bertone's starting point for this little spider was the Fiat 850. Strangely enough, the fame of this creation is minimal. And yet you look at the car with a look of: “Look, this coupe is incredibly beautiful”. The breathtaking appearance attracts your attention. Driving pleasure is an exciting pleasure for Guus. There is a clear family relationship with Fiat, the relationship is also great from a technical point of view. The special bodywork of the Bertone Berlinetta is a variant of the Fiat 850 Coupé. Many coachbuilders used the small Fiat as a basis for special versions that were made in limited editions.
Guus's restoration studio
Guus himself can best explain how this striking Bertone Berlinetta coupe was given a second life. Guus: “When the name Bertone is mentioned in the classic car world, experts know that we are dealing with top performance in design. When I came across this car, I quickly realized that it was a stunning creation by the artist. He left his tire marks in America, he came to the Netherlands in the American version in a blue patent coat. Of the number of Bertone Berlinetta Racers produced, only 2890 were in this version and are therefore rare and exclusive. The car was carefully examined in my restoration workshop, plans were made for a technical update and the decision was made to give the car a special color.”
The brother of the Lamborghini Miura?
Guus: “Exclusive cars were built at Bertone, such as the Lamborghinis, and I thought it would be appropriate to use the color Arancio Miura (Orange) so that the Bertone Berlinetta Racer would again appear in its original paint. The names that Bertone used for the paint colors date from the period when various Lamborghinis were built at Bertone. It is nice that Bertone used parts in production for different models, so the door handles, headlights and seats from the Lamborghini Miura were also available for the Bertone Berlinetta Racer. I mounted the Miura-lookalike wheels and sprayed them in gold, very carefully you could say that my Bertone Berlinetta Racer is now the little brother of the Miura.”
Bertone Berlinetta Racer, the touring machine
A classic that shows good taste, it goes without saying that this creation has a beautiful design, it is about the atmosphere it radiates. Guus now tingles with pure driving pleasure in a classic with a special bodywork. We appreciate the perfect restoration work. That is also a top achievement!
Just a spider with a fixed hardtop...