Bertone's Baby-Jaguar B99 Concept Looks Surprisingly Good

[Updated with high-res pictures] After the teaser image we showed you earlier today, the first three images of Bertone's design study for a compact Jaguar, hit the web. Dubbed B99 (for the 99th anniversary of Bertone) the eye-catching concept car has a sleek coupe profile, even though it's a four-door sedan. The suicide doors give it a distinctive appearance, but if Jaguar were to build a production model, it's unlikely that they would remain.

While it might look like a long limousine, the Italian design house's B99 concept is just 4.5 meters long. Combine this with the very low height (1.35 meters) and the pretty wide body (1.95 meters) and you have a small sedan looking like a much bigger and more luxurious model, whose profile brings to mind the classic Jaguar XJ.

The very thin A-pillars, the narrow windows and the short front overhang give the car a dynamic yet classy look, while the front and the rear mirror each other, with very thin headlights/taillights and an oval grille whose form is replicated in the back. Inside, the B99 appears to offer a classy environment, mixing brushed aluminium with leather and polished African walnut trim.

Under the hood, the concept sports sedan is said to feature a newly developed full-hybrid drive, but further details remain unknown.

By Dan Mihalascu

Via Autobild

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Bertone to Debut B99 Jaguar Concept for a BMW 3-Series Rival in Geneva

Whispers of a new design study for a Jaguar model from Bertone have been going around lately, but today, a teaser image surfaced online providing us with our first peek at the car, which is named B99 (Bertone 99) and is set to premiere at next month's Geneva Motor Show.

The B99 is a conceptual proposal for a 'baby' Jaguar model targeting the likes of the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class saloons. The concept will feature a traditional four-door sedan body with more classic proportions and styling cues than the XJ and XF.

If the reviews for the B99 are positive, the concept could form the base for the creation of a production model that will sit right under the XF, providing Jaguar with a new entry-level model. Just recently, the British automaker's new global director, Adrian Hallmark, confirmed that Jaguar is indeed considering a smaller model to increase the company's sales.

Photo via es.Autoblog & Autoblog.it

Bertone's Alfa Romeo Pandion Concept Spreads its Wings in Geneva

Italy's famed but troubled design house Bertone made a comeback at this year's edition of the Geneva Salon with a new sports car concept designed to celebrate Alfa Romeo's 100th anniversary.

Named after a species of raptors, more commonly referred to as the sea hawk, Bertone's Pandion concept is loosely based on the Alfa Romeo 8c Competizone using the same high-revving 450HP 4.7-liter V8 engine.

The Pandion, which is the first car to be produced by Mike Robinson in his new role as Design and Brand Director at Bertone, measures 4,620 mm in length, 1,971 mm in width, 1,230 mm in height and rides on a 2,850 mm long wheelbase.

By far the most impressive feature of the Pandion are its unconventional doors that follow in the tradition of Bertone's earlier works such as the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo, the 1970 Lancia Stratos 0, the 1972 Lamborghini Countach and the 2007 Fiat Barchetta, all of which had doors that opened in an unusual manner.

In the Pandion, the doors are virtually hinged around the axis of the rear wheel and open by rotating backwards, ending up a perfect 90 degrees above the centre of the rear wheel.

When fully open, they measure more than 3.6 meters or 11.8 feet high - forget about parking in most closed areas...

According to Bertone, in the event of an accident that results in a 'roll-over', the doors automatically detach from the body so that the passengers can safely exit the car.

Stile Bertone Readying Alfa Romeo Concept Model for Geneva Show

Joining the celebrations for Alfa Romeo's centenary, Stile Bertone will pop the covers off a new concept model at next month's Geneva Salon. The Italian design house, which was recently left independent after the Fiat Group acquired the firm's manufacturing facilities, released a shady teaser sketch of the Alfa Romeo concept that is rumored (but not confirmed) to be based on the 8c Competizione model.

Along with Stile Bertone, Italy's Pininfarina and Italdesign will also celebrate Alfa Romeo's 100th anniversary with the presentation of two separate concept vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show.

Via: Autoblog.it / Bertone

Fiat Group to Make an Offer to Buy Carozzeria Bertone

The Fiat Group's appetite for acquiring automakers has yet to lose its edge. Today it was confirmed that Fiat S.p.A will make a 'non-binding offer' for Italian automotive design and contract manufacturing firm, Carrozeria Bertone that could be sold as part of a bankruptcy proceeding. It is reported that the deadline to make bids for the Italian coachbuilder is Thursday, July 16 with court administrators planning to have the sale completed by the end of the month.

Other companies interested in buying Bertone are said to include Chinese automaker FAW, an unnamed Spanish consortium and Italian entrepreneurs Gianmario Rossignolo and Domenico Reviglio.

Aside from the Carrozeria Bertone's design and engineering capability for specialty vehicles and concept cars, the firm also has a manufacturing plant in Turin. According to the coachbuilder's official site, the Grugliasco factory covers a total area of 310,000 sq.m. and has a potential output of around 70,000 vehicles per year.

The maker of the Corvette ZR-1 based Mantide concept supercar currently employs 1,140 people, down from 1,450 at the end of 2007.

Via: Autonews (Sub. Req.)

Bertone Mantide: Final Episode of Video Series Plus New Photos

Eventually, even the always news-hungry online media became tired of Bertone's overzealous efforts to promote the Corvette ZR1 based concept car, so the last episode of the company's multi-part series documenting the design and development of the Mantide went by unnoticed the most part. Which is actually a shame as the tenth episode is probably the most interesting of the series. It includes a mini interview with the Mantide's designer, Jason Castriota, as well as new shots of the controversially styled supercar that may be produced in a limited run of up to 10 examples. Check out the video and the latest photos after the jump.