As if to mimic Caesars from the Roman times, Italy’s Fiat SpA appears to be gobbling up every little company involved in the manufacturing of automobiles. First it was Chrysler LLC, then rumours said it was interested in GM’s Opel unit. Now the Wall Street Journal has confirmed that Carrozzeria Bertone has been swallowed up too.
According to the WSJ, Fiat won the Bertone bid over two other parties which included founder Giuseppe “Nuccio” Bertone’s widow Lilli. Bertone is an Italian brand with a long heritage in the motor industry. Its best-known contribution was the design of the legendary Countach for Lamborghini.
Bertone had been going ok since Giuseppe took it over from his father after World War 2 and started coach-building. It suffered large financial difficulties when he passed away in 2007.
