The Testudo may look as extreme as any “dream” car of the early 1960s, but it had one crucial difference: it worked. Almost as impressive is the fact that the Testudo was conceived and constructed in a mere two months, from January to March 1963, causing a wave of excitment when exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show.
Bertone Testudo 1963
- YEAR REVEALED 1963
- PLACE OF ORIGIN Turin, Italy
- HISTORICAL STATUS prototype
- ENGINE flat-six-cylinder, 164ci (2,683cc)
- MAXIMUM POWER 142bhp
- LAYOUT rear-mounted engine driving the rear wheels
- BODYWORK single-canopy, two-seater coupé
- TOP SPEED unknown
- NUMBER BUILT one
Smooth and aerodynamic, the car’s windshield, glass roof, and doors all hinged forward as a giant, one-piece canopy to admit driver and passenger. The lack of windshield pillars was matched by a thin instrument panel set into the dashboard, where the main feature was a prominent grab handle for the passenger-after all, the driver had the steering wheel to hold on to while hauling himself over the high sill.
The very low frontal area, with no radiator grille and headlights that swiveled up from their lie-flat position on the hood when switched on, was made possible because the car used the floorpan of the rear-engined Chevrolet Corvair Monza. Air was drawn to the flat-six engine in the tail through intakes just aft of the canopy.
On a hot day, with the sun blazing down through the glass top, the Testudo would no doubt have been unbearable. But in spring 1963, conditions were almost perfect for driving the Testudo, which Nuccio Bertone did from his Turin headquarters to the Geneva Motor Show; this was a long trip across the Alps, making the journey even more of an achievement for such a hastily completed concept car.