Giovanni Bertone was an Italian automobile designer, known for establishing the Carrozzeria Bertone business.

Life and career

Bertone was the sixth of the seven sons from a farming family. He had worked as a carriage

Carriage

A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...

 wheelmaker, and was employed at Diatto

Diatto

Diatto was an Italian car maker founded in 1905 in Turin but its history started 175 years ago.1835-The year the company is founded.- In 1835, in Turin, on the banks of the river Po, Guglielmo Diatto founds a workshop for the construction of carriages for nobility.- The Diatto “Manifattura di...

 (1907) when he established his own carriage building and repair shop in Corsa Pesciera (1912).

Being a friend of Vincenzo Lancia

Vincenzo Lancia

Vincenzo Lancia was an Italian pilot, engineer and founder of Lancia.Vincenzo Lancia was born in the small village of Fobello on 24 August 1881, close to Turin...

, he got contracts from Fiat

Fiat

FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

 and thus entered the automobile design market, his first self made car body being based on a SPA 9000 in 1921. Another early success at this time was the Fiat 501

Fiat 501

The Fiat 501 is a car produced by Fiat between 1919 and 1926. The 501 was Fiat's first model after World War I. In 1921came sport versions S and SS. Fiat produced 47,600 examples.- Engines :-References:...

 competition car. Subsequently Bertone also designed many Lancia

Lancia

Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...

 cars. His son Nuccio Bertone

Nuccio Bertone

Giuseppe Bertone, called "Nuccio", was a famed automobile designer and constructor...

(1914–1997) took over the company in 1950.