Renowned Italian design house Stile Bertone has revealed the first few images of its Nuccio concept car, which is scheduled to debut in a couple of weeks at the 2012 Geneva auto show. Named after Giuseppe “Nuccio” Bertone, son of firm founder Giovanni, the concept was created to commemorate the firm’s 100th anniversary and was designed by current Bertone design director Michael Robinson. The Nuccio is said to be an evolution of the mid/rear-engined berlinetta (Italian for “little sedan”) theme from the 1970s, although no details of the actual powertrain have been revealed yet.
To our eyes, the Nuccio bears an affectionate familial resemblance to the Bertone Stratos HF Zero concept, a similarly rakish wedge of a car that made its debut at the 1970 Turin motor show. As one of Bertone’s most-admired designs, the Bertone Stratos proved to be the impetus for Bertone’s relationship with Lancia that yielded the original Lancia Stratos. This is, of course, not to be confused with the recent Ferrari-based Stratos, which we drove in late 2010. The Nuccio adopts an abbreviated version of the Stratos Zero’s “horizontal shower door” windshield, and the accent color selected for the roof of the two-tone Nuccio appears to be an intentional nod to the Zero.
Nuccio Bertone was responsible for growing Bertone in the postwar era, splitting the company into two entities: Carrozzeria for manufacturing and Stile Bertone for styling and design. He passed away in 1997.
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