[eBay Motors]

This motive force behind the car is BAT aficionado Dr. Gary Kaberle. Dr. Kaberle began his love of the series when he purchased one of the concepts at the tender age of 17. His original was sold to help pay for treatment for his wife when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After she passed away, he decided to build another one in honor of her. He's actually working on a book about his passion for the cars and the process of building this one, and much of the proceeds from his works will go to breast cancer research.

I had the use of an X-1/9 for a couple of weeks when I was a teenager, and I recall thinking "Cool! Italian sports car! This will be much fun!" Then, a few minutes into driving the thing, I thought "Damn, this thing is miserably underpowered... and why are all the dash switches, window cranks, and climate controls broken on a 3-year-old car? And what's that unpleasant noise from the transmission?"


I grabbed a couple of these scoops from a junkyard to use on the Black Metal V8olvo, but we ran out of time to install them. Maybe we'll have them rigged up as brake vents for the Thunderhill race.


The '82 X-1/9 listed for $10,990, a bit more than the Mazda RX-7 GS. The Mazda was orders of magnitude faster and more reliable (provided you treated the Wankel right), but the Fiat got better mileage and came with Bertone styling. What would you have taken?

I've been scouring Alameda for a Down On The Street Volvo Bertone for months now, and it's maddening that the only one I can find is in a driveway (dead for years, with a blue tarp over the windows) and thus off-limits to DOTS. Sure, they came with the not-so-great PRV V6, but just look at that reet chopped top! Obviously, an engine transplant is the way to go... and looky what we got here: Why, it's an '81 Volvo Bertone 262C with a Chevy small-block already installed! (Go here if the ad disappears). Sure, it's the not-so-exciting mid-80s IROC Camaro 305, good for something in the neighborhood of 200 horses, mated to the snoresville 700R4 automatic... but that doesn't matter. What matters is that the car is already set up for the ubiquitous small-block Chevy, which means you have engine options sufficient to drive you completely mad. Oh, and speaking of complete madness, this car has a few somewhat troubling issues. First, you can tell from the photographs of the engine compartment, with wires draped higgledy-piggledy, that perhaps the engine swap was not performed with the utmost attention to detail (the seller does allow that the wiring might be a bit funky: "it all works but it looks sloppy." See? It just looks sloppy! Then there's the body and interior, which are probably icky enough for their images to leave a grimy residue on your computer monitor. And are the factory brakes and suspension up to the doubling or quadrupling of horsepower you no doubt have planned?

That Bertone looks like some truly punitive fun, all right, but how can you resist a vintage Mazda? And not just another RX-7; as cool as the classic RX-7 may be, parts obtainment is just too easy! Even RX-3s are too common- but how about the piston-engined version? Yes, a '73 Mazda 808M (go here after the listing gets flagged out of existence as well-deserved punishment for the keyword spam in its headline, hint hint) can be yours for just $1500. It has no engine or transmission, but that's good news. See, it's a crime for an Early Malaise Mazda not to have a rotary engine, so here's your chance to have a who-the-hell-ever-heard-of-it 808 without that pesky reciprocating mass. If you view the additional photos of the car, you'll see that there's some rust, and some missing parts, and a whole bunch of empty spaces where damn-near-impossible-to-find trim pieces once lived. Imagine how you'll feel driving that rotary 808, though, and the years weeks of indescribable agony headaches and tens of thousands hundreds of dollars invested will be worth it!

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Why? Partially because I'm a rank contrarian and love the underdog. I will go at you all day as to why Jawbreaker was better than Led Zeppelin. Mainly making the argument that hobbits are ridiculously silly unless Peter Jackson is involved, but being busted up over a girl or singing Sonoma-Coast-evocative songs with lashing, slashing guitars and punk rock's version of Bonham on the drums is just, well, better. Sometimes you just don't need "The Immigrant Song." Which is, oddly enough why I'd rather have an E-Type Lightweight Coupe. I've been in the presence of a 250 GTO. It's an unintentionally imposing car. If somebody offered me one for free, I'd take it without hesitation and then drive to my sellout job in it every day. The 250, essentially, comes off as a disposable car. Not all Ferraris do.

Take, for example, the 500 Superfast. It has a stately grandeur. Or the 308 GT4, which might be the perfect Bertone wedge that isn't a Countach. Or of course, my all-time favorite Ferrari, the 308 GTB.

It seems a cop-out to have what's probably the cheapest Fezza on the market besides the awkward 400i or hideous Mondial rank as one's favorite example of the marque. It reeks of casual Magnum P.I. enthusiasm. The car that'll score you big-haired, spandex-clad, mindless poontang. But truth be told, I like my birds with bigger brains and less spandex. And aside from the hardcore tifosi, I have likely been around more Ferraris than you, unless you're an inveterate showgoer.

The GTB isn't a classical Ferrari. It's not a front-engined V-12 car. Nor is it much of a Dino (although I'd argue that the GTB/GTS were more true to the Dino's heritage than the angular, four-place, angular GT4.

Sure the 308 had problems. Excess gasoline in the cats leading to catastrophic fires was/is the most notorious. But I like the 308 in the way that I like London Calling, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy or New Day Rising. It's that perfect transitional moment. The 206/246 was the original try and is magnificent and valiant and groundbreaking. The GT4 was the awkward but lovable second album. The GTB/GTS was the masterpiece, and the 360, well that was the record with the number one hit song — see Combat Rock. The analogy runs out of steam with Cut the Crap and the 430, but hey, "Dirty Punk" was still a pretty good track.

Years ago, I worked for a guy briefly. He had a lot of books about how to enjoy being rich on his wall. He subscribed to The Robb Report. He lived in Blackhawk. His real-estate-agent wife drove a loaded Suburban because she felt it would be safest for their two unruly, spoiled brats. I wish his name was Donny, because I would've loved to have screamed at him, "You're out of your element!" He had a V-12 SL as a daily driver and an older Ferrari (which I never saw) as a weekend car. He invited his ne'er-do-well brother around to do stuff around the office. His brother loved Ferraris. The Monterey Weekend was an ultimate vacation for this guy. He loved working on them; he loved driving them. In a sense, the guy was absolutely a Jalopnik hero; a purist with an appreciation for greatness and an eye for the diamond in the rough. He hated the newer, luxe-oriented cars. And he drove a first-gen MR2, because he felt that it was the closest a broke-dick artist-type could get to driving a Ferrari.

That's how much of a watershed the Dino/308 actually is. It subverted the way people thought the Ferrari experience. And the 308 GTB/GTS cemented in people's minds that a V-6/V-8 could be a goddamn Ferrari. Tom Selleck may have sold a bunch of those cars, but the 308 was magic all on its own. Most people who call it garbage have never been in one. The 250? It was meant to be disposable. To win races? Sure. To crash? Fine. It doesn't have the raw guts of a Cobra, even though the Daytona may have been hastily cobbled. But the 250 lacks the soul of a lot of Ferraris. And I realize that's a completely counterintuitive argument to make, because it was a finely-sorted, lost-tech car. It had freaking wire wheels! It may have actually been the ultimate example of its breed. But like the F50 and Enzo, and unlike the F40 and 288 GTO, it lacks soul. In a sense, the 250 GTO is somewhat German. The 308, however, is as Italian as osso bucco. And that's what makes it a perfect Ferrari.

Plus, they're still cheap.

"Fast as a Shark" is a weekly electronic broadside aimed at what has been historically right and terribly wrong with the autmotive industry and culture. If Udo Dirkschneider ever drove a 308, it probably featured a turret bristling with Flak 88s.

In today's Automotive News, a seemingly tossed off line turned a simple piece on Bertone Carrozzeria's travails into a speculator's dream column.

The coachbuilder has told workers it hopes to save 300 jobs by producing about 300 to 400 units of a camper van based on an Iveco light commercial vehicle and a BMW-powered sports car for the US.

Related:
Geneva Showcase: Bertone Barchetta Concept [internal]

< dipshit 1980s prog-rock reference > Whether or not your uncle has country place that no one knows about, or if a gleaming alloy air car is shooting towards you two lanes' wide, what you need is a brilliant Red Barchetta from a better, vanished time < /dipshit 1980s prog-rock reference >. No, what you really need is a Bertone Barchetta, which may be awkwardly over-stylized, but still sets the pick for a small Fiat roadster that employs wide swaths of stainless steel in its body construction. The Barchetta's underpinnings are all Fiat Panda, a tiny, front-drive Italian runabout that tops out at 100 mph. The whole car is a take on the diminutive Fiat Barchetta of the late '40s, a tiny roadster made for bombing around vineyards while buzzed on a nice Amarone. This future-shock version, however, makes us want to drink chilled vodka from the rain gutters of the Centre Pompidou. Two stars. – Mike Spinelli

Related:
Bertone's Latest Fiat Concept for Geneva [internal]

The autophiles over at the UK's CAR tracked down Jean Michel Santacrue and Adam Burdette, TVR's new overlords, as well as teenage Russian baznillionaire Nikolai Smolenski who is expected to soon cut all ties with TVR and head back to Austria. Smolenski accepts responsibility for workers' ire at the Blackpool shutdown, but lays the demise of British-built TVRs squarely at the feet of the British government. Meanwhile, Santacrue and Burdette are planning to go with either Pininfarina or Bertone for manufacturing purposes (previous reports generally revolved around the latter), while retaining a crew of 20 engineers and designers in the UK.

The duo claims to be working with American authorities on crash and emissions standards. Will TVR return to American shores? Will TVR survive? This whole may seem more brain-melting than the ins and outs of the Chrysler situation...except TVR actually seems to have some semblance of a plan at this point. Which is more than we can say for the cats out in Auburn Hills or over in Stuttgart. – Davey G. Johnson

TVR interview exclusive [CAR]

Related:
TVR Out of the Terlet and Into the Florida? [Internal]

Apparently, teenage Russian Billionaire has tired of running a sports car company again. After buying TVR back out of receivership a week ago, he's now sold it to Sunshine State bidnessmen Adam Burdette and Jean Michel Santacreu. Santracreu, as his French last name may suggest, is an event planner, while Burdette runs Evolution Imports, known for bringing in gray-market vehicles. According to Paukert the Exclaimer, Ricardo's been tapped for powertrain development, while the cars will apparently be built by Bertone. England + Italy + Florida? Dear God, it's quite possible the stars have now aligned in such a way that TVR may well be capable of producing the most Eurotrash car in history. – Davey G. Johnson

Surrender: Smolenski sells TVR [Hemmings via Autoblog via Winding Road]

Related:
Will Boy Billionaire Say Yes to Wakeman/Melling TVR Buyout? [Internal]

Just as Bertone and company said it would a few weeks back, the Italian design and tech house is bringing a roadster concept to the Geneva show in a padded lunchbox. The two seater is one of a few prototypes created around Fiat's Punto Grande platform reportedly planned to debut at the design-heavy Geneva forum. This coupelike mini sportster has a retractable hard top and is powered by Fiat's 1.4-liter 16-valve FIRE engine (built by robots) producing 100 hp. – Mike Spinelli

Bertone Is Still Kickin'; Meet Their Latest Fiat Concept For Geneva [Winding Road]

Related:
Bertone Concept Coming to Geneva [internal]

Holy wow. Extra wow. Wow with T ng t Sriacha sauce! Wow with an added dose of Old Man Chinetti. In 1974, this 308 GT4 was a factory entry from Modena at Le Mans in the Group 5 class. The next year, Luigi Chinetti brought it back, but yanked the whole North American Racing Team from the competition due to a political disagreement with ACO officials. Some folks look at the GT4 in the same way they view the Porsche 914. Not us. Not quite the sex machine the O.G. Dino was, and not the swooping pants-dropper the Pininfarina-penned GTB and GTS were, it nevertheless rocks the angular '70s-Bertone styling well, and in race trim, it simply looks as if it has come to beat you. Hard. Plus, unlike the GTS and GTB, the gas gauge read "Benzina." Too bad it placed 38th during its only outing in the Sarthe due to engine failure. – Davey G. Johnson

308 GT4 Le Mans

Related:
It's Schadenfriday! The Trouble With Vintage Racing [Internal]

Well, there you go. Earlier this week, TVR set off a speculation bomb by announcing its cars would no longer be produced in Blackpool, UK. Would it be Russia? Slovenia? The Kingdom of Bhutan? None of the above. As Autocar reports, the next-generation of TVRs — The Sagaris, Tuscan and Tuscan Convertible — will be built in Turin, Italy by famed design and production shop Bertone. But fear not, subjects of the crown, engines will be produced by the UK's Ricardo, which is adding a production line to build new, Euro IV-spec powerplants. That means Nikolai Smolenski, the company's "teenage billionaire" owner has honored at least part of his promise to keep the TVR British. It's Blackpool's loss, but might we be entering an age of higher build quality for the muscle-car brand? Wethinks yes. [Thanks to Eric for the tip.] – Mike Spinelli

Exclusive: Bertone to build TVRs [Autocar]

Related:
TVR Is Not OK: Production Will Likely Leave UK [internal]

Forbes, ever on the lookout for extreme specimens to feature as its "Car of the Week," picked the Bertone Suagna, a one-off cabriolet concept unveiled last month at the Geneva motor show. Formed on the bones of Fiat's B-segment Punto Grande, the Suagna is a pure design study that shows off what Bertone can do with a retractable hardtop (malocchio Pininfarina!) and keys to the local high-end materials warehouse.

Another Sexy Bertone [Forbes]

Related:
Bertone Concept Coming to Geneva [internal]

The boys from Bertone are working up a new coupe-cabriolet concept vehicle, the second of several concepts expected to appear at next month's Geneva show to be built around on Fiat's latest B-segment hopeful, the Punto Grande. The yet-unnamed concept is a four-seat coupe-cabrio that can actually seat four in relative comfort, Bertone says, and the cabin layout is the result of "meticulously attentive volumetric and ergonomic studies." (We love when they talk dirty.) No word on a production model yet, but it's likely Fiat's got its feelers out for the next vehicles in its planned expansion of the Punto line. This could be one.

Related:
Coupe Cabrio Pickup Concept to Debut in Geneva [internal]

We love the Hecklerspray guys, and apparently, that groovy kind of love is reciprocal. We linked to their bit on the Volvo 245 last week, and this time around their Chris Laverty takes on the Fiat X1/9, a lovable little Bertone-designed mid-engine car that never really caught on in the states, but it deserved to. Somewhat of an Italian Fiero, the diminutive two-seater was also confusingly sold via Fiat dealers as the Bertone X1/9, which we suppose also somehow kinda makes it the spiritual forebear of the Dodge and Plymouth Neon.

Rubbish Cars We Love: Fiat X-19 Ryan O Neal Wasn t Always Fat [Hecklerspray]

Related:
Some Love for the Volvo 245 [Internal]

Automotive News Europe is reporting Italian design and engineering firm Bertone will build a high-performance Mini Cooper. The limited-edition model will be upclocked to around 225hp, or 15hp more than a Cooper S fitted with Mini's John Cooper Works Package. No word on a US version, but we'd wait on pawning the coin collection for now. [Update: Check out Motoring File's take. The US could see a version for $30,000.]

[via Autoblog.it]

Related:
Frankfurt Premiere: Mini Concept Frankfurt [internal]