Going once, going twice…sold! Bertone considers selling Nuccio concept for $2.7M to collector

By Amir Iliaifar Published April 30, 2012

Going once, going twice...sold! Bertone considers selling Nuccio concept for $2.7M to collector — Image used with permission by copyright holder

While the overwhelming majority of us will simply have to make do with driving the Bertone Nuccio concept in our dreams, it looks like at least one person won’t have to. Recently, at the Beijing Motor Show, the famous Italian automotive engineering and design firm were on hand to show off their impressive concept where Automotive News reports that the company is currently considering selling the one-off concept to an avid (read: wealthy) Chinese car collector.

“We are currently in close negotiations with a Chinese collector who wants to buy the Nuccio,” Bertone CEO Marco Filippa told Automotive News Europe at the show last week.

Recommended Videos

According to Bertone, the whole Nuccio process took an estimated 15,000 hours to complete from design to build. To make up for that that time and cost, Fillippa has earmarked the asking price for the Nuccio at a hefty €2 million Euros (roughly $2.7 million).

The Nuccio — which was unveiled earlier this year at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and named in honor of Guiseppe “Nuccio” Bertone, son of the Bertone founder Giovanni — marks the celebration of the Italian styling house’s 100th anniversary. Nuccio was at the helm of Bertone from 1950 up until his death in 1997 and ran the company during some of its most successful and influential years in the automotive industry.

While the Nuccio takes design inspiration from more than few of Bertone’s most prolific models, according to Bertone design boss Mark Robinson, the main source of inspiration derives from the 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero concept, which Michael Jackson fans may remember made an appearance in the 1988 film, Moonwalker.

Whereas most concepts are simple design studies meant to highlight what an automaker can achieve, the Nuccio is different in that is an actual road-worthy, fully-functioning car. Underneath its surface sits a Ferrari F430 4.3-liter V8 that is capable of producing 480 horsepower. Not bad considering most concepts generally have no engine at all.

It would seem that if you got the green then you got your machine, because a certain Chinese collector was so smitten with the Nuccio that he just had to have it, and is in talks with the Italian design house to purchase the Nuccio outright. If the deal goes through he won’t get it right away, though. Instead the Nuccio won’t be available until after August where it is scheduled to make an appearance at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, in Monterrey, California.

Associate Automotive Editor

Associate Automotive Section Editor for Digital Trends, Amir Iliaifar covers the ever increasing cross-section between tech…

Cars

Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?

Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Cars

EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says

ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.

Cars

Trump team in sync with Tesla on ending crash-reporting requirements, report says

Beta of Tesla's FSD in a car.

The transition team of President-elect Donald Trump is planning to end existing car-crash reporting requirements to safety regulators, according to a Reuters report.

The report cites a document obtained by Reuters that lays out the transition team’s 100-day strategy for automotive policy. In the document, the team says the crash-reporting requirement leads to “excessive” data collection, Reuters says.