How to Dress For Success (Rolls-Royce) and Dress for Failure (Bertone)

The renowned Italian body design manufacture Bertone (which works with a great number of auto companies and specializes on their own concepts and special models) will be sold to Gruppo Prototipo, a company that owns a racing track Nardo (the south of Italy) and helps Fiat in organizing and conducting tests of pre-serial cars. The renowned designer brand was brought down by huge burden to shareholders and creditors.

During the past three years the losses of Bertone made overall 37 million euro. The message about the selling of the company has been a real shock for the Italian business community and it appeared just a few days before official preliminary hearing on the company’s bankruptcy.

Earlier it was said that Bertone in order to somehow save its financial situation tried to:

launch the production of a Chinese brand Zhejiang Gonow
explore the production of trailers with Fiat chassis and BMW engines for the American market

However, all the plans blew up and the company didn’t come to any solution. The sum of the new agreement hasn’t been announced.

About Bertone

Bertone was founded in 1912 and since that time has taken part in the creation of many models by renowned auto manufacturers (including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Volvo, BMW). So, it is one of the most famous designer studios situated in Torino. It possesses own school studios (transportation systems, industrial design) and creates custom-designed prototypes. Moreover, the company has its own short-batch car production and assembles Opel Astra Cabrio, Fiat Punto Cabrio and some other models. But you see that it is getting harder and harder to survive in the world of “Couture.”

Rolls-Royce

While Bertone has gone bankrupt Rolls-Royce has sold its production one and a half years in advance.

If you decide to order the models Phantom and Drophead Coupe, your order will be ready not earlier than autumn 2009. And some of the dealers stopped taking orders at all.

Not long ago Rolls-Royce was suffering about the same problems as Bertone. At the beginning of 2003 took place the debut of a new model Phantom, the manufacturers planned to sell 1000 cars annually. But by 2006 the amount of realization made about 500-800 cars per year.

Nevertheless, after the debut of the luxurious convertible Drophead Coupe the interest to the brand was renewed. At the end of 2007 the British company increased its sales by 25%.

Phantom Drophead Coupe, showed in Geneva in 2004 has an aluminum body, two doors opening opposite the motion, two-color cowling, LED lights. The soft top (made from multi-layer canvas) can be folded by pressing a button. The suspension – independent, pneumatic with active absorbers – it allows to regulate the height of the clearance. 0-100 km/h is dealt with in 5.9 seconds with the help of a 450-hp V12, the max speed is 240 km/h.

Another model that is now popular with the clients of the company is Phantom Silver Edition.

Rolls-Royce is planning to invest from 10 to 15 million pounds (around $25 million) into the modernization of its plant is Goodwood and thus create 400 work places which will help increase the production by 10% (around 100 cars more per year).

In 2009 the company is expected to launch the production of a smaller luxurious Rolls-Royce on the base of BMW 7-series.

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