In 1960 the coach building house of Bertone, then primarily occupied with series production of their Scaglione*-designed Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint coupe, hired a young designer named Giorgetto Giugiaro*. Nuccio Bertone put the new talent to work on a sports coupe for NSU, and also on the ASA* 1000 coupe, a baby GT known as the Ferrarina. But perhaps with an eye to attracting more profitable work from higher-profile car manufacturers, the maestro also assigned Giugiaro the task of designing a new body for the Aston Martin DB4 GT. Bertone's Aston Martin Jet appeared at the 1961 Turin Salon...
It may have seemed like folly to try to recast the image of what was then a fairly new car. The short wheelbase, lightweight GT version of the DB4 had bowed in late 1959, and it already wore sleek fastback aluminum coachwork designed by one of Bertone's competitors, Superleggera Touring. To make the challenge appear a bit harder, Zagato was already producing a still lighter and more aerodynamic version of the new Aston. But Giugiaro was undaunted, and came up with something that resembled neither car. At the front, slight indentations in the surface forward of the hood recall the traditional Aston grille, but the softly undulating curves of the fender tops contrast with the straight lines of the DB4. The glassy greenhouse takes a notchback form, unlike the DB4 or Giugiaro's recent ASA and NSU coupes. Finally, as if to signal emphasis on comfy touring rather than racing, Bertone executed the body in steel, so this GT is heavier than the "standard" car.
The roof forms flow gracefully into the tapered, rounded rear. Giugiaro emphasizes that flow with an incised line centered on the C pillar, fading into the surface above the rear fender. Other incised surfaces call attention to the front fender vents.
Bumpers provide minimal protection (all the better for to see the form) and tail light units are specific to this car. Because Aston Martin was still busy filling orders for its standard products, the Jet remained unique...
Well, kind of unique. In the photo above, you see something vaguely similar to the Jet pulling past a Chrysler Turbine* at a concours a couple decades ago. In 1962, the year after the Aston Jet, Bertone and Giugiaro tried again with a Ferrari. As with the Aston, Bertone had requested a short wheelbase version; this time a variant of Ferrari's 250GT. At the time, it was the only SWB to carry coachwork by someone other than Pininfarina, and the only one to carry the twin-nostril grille inspired by the Championship-winning 1961 Ferrari Formula One cars. As with the Aston, the subtle, sensuous contours wrapped tightly around the mechanicals and the wheels, with a generous amount of "tumble-home" to the glassy roof. Note the way the curve of the lower windshield is carried around the side window sills...
The Speciale repeats the front fender vents of the Jet, but without the indented surfaces along the flanks. The roof form flows even more easily into the gently-truncated rear deck, and the rear window wraps around a bit more, to a narrow C pillar with air extractor vents. Note that the angle of the backlight barely changes at the deck, so this is more a semi-fastback than a notchback. The surfaces are simpler and even more flowing than on the Jet. Nuccio Bertone used this Speciale as his personal car, as well as a demonstrator for his company's services.
In the overhead view below, it's easy to see how the flanks curve inward in section, exposing the wheels and tires, and also the tapered tail with simple round tail lights. While this car impressed Enzo Ferrari, it would take nearly a dozen years before he would give a production contract to Bertone, for the DIno 308GT4. And while Aston Martin would eventually renew its business with Zagato in 1988 and beyond, there would be only one more Bertone Aston Martin*, a kind of sports wagon in 2012. So the Aston Jet and SWB Speciale were not repeated, and survive as reminders of a an exceptionally creative period in the life of a designer who never gave up on a good idea.
*Footnote: For more on Bertone and Franco Scaglione, see our post for 12-20-17, "The Arc of Success". The Giugiaro-penned ASA 1000GT is reviewed in "The Etceterini Files Part 3" from 2-2-16, and other designs by Giugiaro are featured in "One of One: A Brief History of Singular Cars" from 9-7-15. The Chrysler Turbine is the subject of "Jet Cars Part 2" from 5-21-16 and "Jet Cars Part 3" from 5-25-16. Finally, Bertone-bodied Aston Martins are surveyed in "Forgotten Classics---The Other Arnolts", our post for 10-15-16.
Photo Credits: All photos are by the author except the last one, which is from talacrest.com; Talacrest in the UK is offering the car for sale. They can probably fill you in on the asking price...
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