Bertone Nuccio show car sold for $2.5 million

The wedge-shaped Nuccio was inspired by the 1970s Lancia Stratos Zero concept.

Named after Giuseppe "Nuccio" Bertone, the son of company founder Giovanni, the unique car from the Italian design house Bertone was created in honor of the company's 100th anniversary.

Bertone design director Michael Robinson, who was interviewed at the Beijing Auto Show last month, said the Nuccio's wedge shape was inspired by the 1970s Lancia Stratos Zero concept. “The design uses A-pillar extensions that extend through the roof,” he says.

"It's unusual because the roof is specifically designed to be a structural element of the car and at the same time be as light as possible." Diagonal lines running through the roof provide increased panel strength and allow the use of lighter metal. Robinson says the Nuccio was completed in time for the Geneva Motor Show this March, but the car in Beijing is a big difference.

“It's a working machine,” he says. “The Geneva car was only a body. We built the body of a very expensive production car, so it has all the characteristics of the donor, but within this distinctive design.” Robinson did not say what platform and transmission was used, but the money was for a Ferrari F430.

If that were the case, Bertone would have bought the F430 - I think for $460,000 - and stripped it down to use just the drivetrain and subframes. Robinson says the development of the Nuccio took approximately 15,000 hours from design to completion. Regardless of the sale in China, it is expected to be on display at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California in August. 

Bertone was founded by Giuseppe Bertone in 1912 in Turin as a bodybuilder for horse-drawn carriages. His son Nuccio was born in 1914 and became CEO of the company. Nuccio died in 1997. Bertone, which has styled hundreds of cars including the Lamborghini Miura, Ferrari 308 and Alfa Romeo GT, is controlled by Nuccio's widow, Lilly.