Bertone: end of an era - picture special
We look back on the history of Bertone, charting some of the Italian design house's famous creations
The Lamborghini Miura made an overnight star of Bertone designer Marcello Gandini, when it launched in 1966
Gandini followed up the Miura's iconic design with the outrageous Lamborghini Countach
Marcello Gandini continued his fine form when he penned the Lancia Stratos
The Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 was Ferrari's first production V8 car and was built from 1973 to 1980
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint coupé was introduced in 1954
Another Marcello Gandini design was the Fiat X1/9, which was noted for its superb handling
A 1960 Aston Martin Bertone Jet DB4 GT sold at an auction last year for £3.2 million
The Alfa Romeo Bertone Pandion was uncovered at the 2010 Geneva motor show
Alfa Romeo's Bertone Pandion concept was designed as a tribute to the Italian firm's 100-year anniversary
Bertone created the one-off Barchetta roadster concept for Fiat in 2007
The Bertone Barchetta concept was unveiled at the 2007 Geneva motor show
The Bertone Jaguar B99 concept stood for Bertone's 99th year in operation
Bertone unveiled the Nuccio concept at the 2012 Geneva motor show
Bertone Nuccio concept was penned to celebrate the design house's 100th anniversary
The Bertone Stratos Zero concept was penned by legendary Italian designer Marcello Gandini
Bertone unleashed the Stratos Zero concept to the public at the 1970 Turin motor show
Bertone's Stratos Zero concept was only 33 inches tall
Measuring 141 inches long, the Bertone Stratos Zero concept shared little in common with its production sibling
Aston Martin's Rapide Bertone Jet 2+2 premiered at the 2013 Geneva motor show
The Bertone Jet 2+2 was based on the same platform as the Aston Martin Rapide
The Bertone Jet 2+2 is powered by the British car maker's 470bhp 6.0-litre V12 straight from the Rapide
This Fiat Abarth 750 at Monza in 1956 set a new record at the time - covering 2500 miles at an average of 97mph
The Lancia Sibilo concept car made its debut at the 1978 Turin motor show
The Sibilo concept was four inches longer than the Lancia Stratos
Lancia's Sibilo concept featured trademark Bertone styling cues
The car was characterised by sharp, aerodynamic lines and plastic windows
Sibilo concept's steering wheel was anatomically designed to fit the natural grip of the hand
Bertone has designed cars for numerous manufacturers over the years
Bertone has officially entered bankruptcy proceedings in Italy, according to media reports.
Here, Steve Sutcliffe reflects on the once-great firm...
The firm narrowly escaped bankruptcy in 2007 and again in 2011. It has been alleged that the firm generated more than €20m of revenue last year, driven by a strong client base primarily in China, but many of its suppliers or employees have not been paid for some time.
It is understood a number of court cases are pending, and the firm recently laid off 160 workers. Suppliers are alleged to be pursuing legal avenues to reclaim costs.
Bertone's ex-chief designer, Michael Robinson, who left the company before Christmas, explains. "I cannot say what will become of the once great design house".
He said: "My design team was doing amazing things there, rebuilding the iconic brand after the dark years, but alas someone yanked the floor out from under our feet. That hurt.
"Fortunately crisis holds opportunity" he explains. "And my motto is; don't get mad, get even.
"So I took a bunch of my ex-Bertone designers and engineers and merged them with a big engineering firm in Torino called ED. And on December 30, 2013, ED Design was born. I'm now the proud half-owner of ED Design, working my tail off more than ever… hiring piles of creative minds to cover our present workloads. Which is good for the local economy. Good for business. Good for the future."