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| Bertone Jaguar Pirana | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bertone Jaguar Pirana |
| Manufacturer | Bertone |
| Production | 1967 (concept) |
| Designer | Nuccio Bertone; styling by Giuseppe “Nuccio” Bertone studio with input from Malcolm Sayer |
| Class | Concept car |
| Body style | 2-door fastback coupe |
| Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Engine | 4.2 L Jaguar XK6 engine inline-six (prototype) |
| Related | Jaguar E-Type, Jaguar XK120 |
| Designer link | Nuccio Bertone |
Bertone Jaguar Pirana
The Bertone Jaguar Pirana is a one-off concept car conceived in 1967 by the Italian coachbuilder Bertone under the direction of Nuccio Bertone and executed as a unique styling exercise based on the Jaguar E-Type mechanicals. Commissioned by Jaguar Cars and unveiled to attract attention at continental shows, the Pirana synthesized influences from contemporary Italian design houses and British sports car engineering, producing a dramatic fastback coupe that influenced later grand tourer aesthetics.
Bertone collaborated with Jaguar engineers linked to Sir William Lyons and aesthetic advisors such as Malcolm Sayer to adapt the Jaguar E-Type Series I chassis into a low-slung fastback; this process involved conversations with executives from British Leyland and representatives from Jaguar Racing as well as Italian styling peers at Pininfarina, Ghia, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, Vignale, Bertone's SpA offices and contacts in Milan. The Pirana’s silhouette drew upon precedents like the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, Maserati Ghibli, Ferrari 365 GTB/4 and coachbuilt examples such as the Lancia Aurelia B20 and Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato. Construction used a shortened E-Type tubular frame and featured a Kamm-tail influenced by studies from Wunibald Kamm and surface treatments reminiscent of work by designers at Pininfarina S.p.A. and Gruppo Bertone. Details such as pop-up headlights, wraparound glass, and interior appointments were refined by craftspeople from Turin workshops that had previously produced bodies for Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lamborghini, and Lancia.
The Pirana retained the Jaguar XK engine inline-six, nominally a 4.2-litre unit similar to that used in the E-Type Series I and XK150 installations; drivetrain components shared commonality with Jaguar independent rear suspension hardware and a 4-speed manual transaxle. Chassis alterations included revised suspension geometry inspired by developments from Lotus Cars and Cooper Car Company race engineering concepts, and braking components comparable to those specified for Jaguar D-Type derived projects. The body employed aluminum panels formed by skilled metalworkers from the same ateliers that fabricated bodies for Ferrari 250 GT variants and Iso Rivolta commissions, while interior trim incorporated leather sourced like that used by Connolly Leather and instruments with faces comparable to those by Smiths (automotive) and Jaeger (instruments). Exact weight, top speed and acceleration figures were projections based on the E-Type donor: expected top speeds comparable to the Jaguar E-Type 4.2 and handling character in the tradition of British sports car dynamics.
Built as a single chassis by Bertone in 1967, the Pirana was a show car rather than a production prototype and was displayed in continental venues often frequented by marques such as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Bentley Motors, Aston Martin Lagonda, and Ferrari S.p.A. Executives from Jaguar Cars evaluated the car alongside contemporaries from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, and Porsche AG as a potential niche grand tourer; however, production was not pursued by British Leyland. Ownership of the sole Pirana passed through private collectors associated with prominent European collections like those of Automobile Club d’Italia members, and it later appeared at auctions and concours events alongside vehicles from collections tied to houses such as Sotheby's clients and RM Sotheby's consignors, as well as in private displays referenced by curators from the National Motor Museum and enthusiasts connected to The Classic Motor Show circuits.
Critical response in periodicals from the late 1960s such as Autocar, Motor (magazine), Road & Track, Car and Driver, and Autosport praised the Pirana's dramatic proportions and coachbuilt finish, often comparing it to production grand tourers from Maserati, Ferrari, and Aston Martin. The Pirana influenced later concept commissions and one-off coachbuilt exercises like the Iso Grifo specials and bespoke works by Pininfarina and Ghia, and it is cited in design histories alongside the Bertone Pirana's contemporaries that informed 1970s coupé design language. Its aesthetics can be traced in later limited-production models such as the Jaguar XJ-S long-nose experiments and in retrospectives curated by institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.
The Pirana has been photographed and documented in magazines including Design: Magazine, Carrozzeria archive publications, and featured in televised segments by BBC Television automotive programs and continental broadcasts by RAI and TF1. It has appeared in film or background scenes alongside productions that showcase period automobiles curated by consultants from Petersen Automotive Museum and was included in exhibition catalogs for retrospectives at venues such as Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Goodwood Festival of Speed, and touring galleries organized by the Society of Automotive Historians.
Category:Concept cars Category:Jaguar vehicles Category:Bertone vehicles