At the main entrance of the 1967 Montreal Expo there was a futuristic area called “Man the Producer”, which had the aim of showing the results of human ingenuity over the last century. Surely, the automobile could not be absent in this context: a prototype which – according to the
organizers - needed to represent “the biggest aspiration of modern man in terms of automobiles”. What they were seeking was not purely a dream car, therefore, but rather a vehicle that could also be adapted for road use. They chose Alfa Romeo for this task, and the “commission” reached the Portello only nine months before the inauguration of the Expo. There was no time for new mechanics and Carrozzeria Bertone was given a Giulia Sprint GT chassis with a Giulia 1600 TI engine: on top of it, Marcello Gandini designed a low, elegant and streamlined coupé. The two prototypes were shipped to Montreal and placed between two mirrors that reflected their image infinitely, while a Norton motorbike was hanging high above them. Audience success and critical acclaim was unanimous, so much so that the Alfa management soon started considering the industrialization of this model.
| Engine | Front, vertical longitudinal, 4 in-line cylinders, cylinder block and head in light-alloy, 2 overhead camshafts with chain control |
| Cylinder capacity | cc 1570 (mm 78x82) |
| Maximum power | 90 hp at 6000 rpm |
| Vehicles produced | 2 |
Bertone
In 1934, Giovanni Bertone, among the very first to grasp the potential of automotive coachbuilding, decided to pass on the reins of the company he had founded in 1912 to his second-born son Nuccio, who would turn it into one of the greatest names in Italian production. A great talent scout, Nuccio would see his vehicles signed by Franco Scaglione, Marcello Gandini, and Giorgetto Giugiaro. He also saw the Giulietta Sprint, the Giulietta Sprint GT and the Carabo come out of his factory. To name but a few. Over time, Bertone became a solid manufacturing company, but it was unable to resist to the great changes that revolutionized the automotive world at the end of the millennium. Nuccio passed away in 1997, without ever seeing his company slowly reaching its end.
