A rare wedge-shaped car has gone on sale for £425,000.
The 2012 Bertone Nuccio is described as one of the most iconic creations built in the 21st century.
It can go 186mph and zoom from 0-60mph in just 3.4 seconds.
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It has a 4.3-litre, V8 engine producing 480 bhp.
It was made to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Bertone and named for Nuccio Bertone, the son of Giovanni Bertone, who founded the company.
Bertone’s design director, Michael Robinson, found his inspiration for this project through one of Bertone’s most iconic one-offs, the Lancia Stratos Zero, and reimagined its design for the 21st century.
From initial concepts to the completed car, the entire process took Bertone three and a half months, with all the work done entirely in house.
The engine was mated to a six-speed Graziano automated manual gearbox, controlled through F1-style shift paddles mounted to the steering column.
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Much thought was given to the ergonomics of the interior during the design process to make the car comfortable to spend time in despite its groundbreaking design.
It has a forward-facing brake light with a section of the headlights glowing blue upon braking to let pedestrians in front of the Nuccio know it is reducing speed.
The Nuccio was first shown to the public as a static display piece at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, where the design was undoubtedly one of the most radical and forward-thinking on display that year.
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Following a display at Turin, the Nuccio made its way to the United States, where the car was shown at Concorso Italiano for its introduction to the American market, prior to returning to Bertone’s facilities in Italy.
Unfortunately for Bertone, the company had fallen upon hard times and filed for bankruptcy in 2015, leaving the Nuccio as the very last car designed by Bertone to bear the company’s name, as reported by Whats The Jam.
Despite efforts by Bertone to find a buyer when the car was on the show circuit, the functional Nuccio remained unsold and sat in storage at Bertone’s facilities from 2012 until it was sold at an auction containing many assets from Bertone in 2018.
At this point, the Nuccio was purchased by the current owner, the car’s first and only private owner and it has remained in his collection ever since.
The car has only done 18,000 miles.
Its listing states: “Undoubtedly one of the most memorable coachbuilt cars produced in recent memory, the Nuccio represents a significant moment in Bertone’s history, recalling one of its most famous concepts for the modern age.
“It will surely be a highlight at concours events in the future and offers its next owner the tantalising opportunity to showcase it at any number of concours events around the world.”
It is on sale via a sealed bidding process with RM Sotheby’s until 17 July.
The auction takes place in Stabio, south of Zurich, Switzerland.
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