Bertone Blueprint Collection Brings 14 Italian Car Designs to Auction

Fourteen period design drawings bring a cross section of Italian automotive style to one online sale. The group includes Bertone work on the Lamborghini Miura and Lancia Stratos, alongside designs associated with Fiat, Citroën, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Bugatti. For collectors, the appeal is the range: one lot connects several design houses and names through drawings made for full size cars at a consistent 1/10 scale.

The drawings are printed on semi-transparent acetate tracing paper. According to the sale listing, they came from a long-term Bertone employee, who kept them before giving them to the seller’s grandfather about 40 years ago. Each is described as one of only three prints made from a paper master. The largest sheets measure roughly four feet wide, so displaying the complete group would take meaningful wall space even though it’s far easier to accommodate than a car collection.

That size also changes how a buyer might approach the lot. These aren’t small prints intended to fill a shelf or fit into a stack of posters; they’re large design documents whose lines and proportions are part of the attraction. A buyer could rotate individual drawings on display, or select a few to frame and store the rest. The listing’s account of their history and limited print run gives the group a story, though buyers will have to assess the drawings’ condition and documentation for themselves.

A broad view of Italian design

Marcello Gandini’s two large illustrations are among the headline pieces: the Lamborghini Miura and Lancia Stratos, both designed at Bertone. The group also includes Bertone designs for the Citroën GS, Fiat Dino Coupe and ISO Rivolta GT. These models make the collection more varied than a set devoted to one marque. Each drawing offers a different starting point for looking at how a studio developed the shape and character of a car.

The other works widen the scope further. Italdesign is represented by a Lancia Delta, while the Alfa Romeo Junior Z is credited to Ercole Spada. Two renderings depict the short-lived postwar Bugatti 101, both signed by Giovanni Michelotti at Ghia. The result is a compact roll call of designers and firms, with the Bertone sheets forming the center of gravity rather than the only subject.

That variety may matter more to a display than simply counting rare or familiar models. The Miura and Stratos are recognizable anchors, while the other drawings introduce different designers and less expected subjects. Grouped together, the sheets can show how many distinct approaches to proportion and body shape sit within one period of European car design. The listing doesn’t provide a sale estimate in the source material, so the final price is difficult to anticipate.

Practical appeal, with details to check

Automotive art has a low space requirement compared with collecting cars, but a set of sheets this large still calls for a plan. Framing, storage and display choices will shape how much of the collection can be enjoyed at once. With tracing paper, the material itself is part of the object, so buyers may want to understand how each sheet has been stored and whether the surfaces show wear before deciding how to handle or display them. The source provides no condition report beyond the listing details described here.

The group is offered online in Italy, and bidding is scheduled to end Tuesday, May 7. Its blend of famous cars, distinct designers and large format makes it a compelling starting point for an automotive art collection, particularly for someone drawn to design history as much as individual marques. The sale’s closing price will show what bidders make of that combination.

The drawings are listed for sale at Collecting Cars.

The post Snag These Bertone Blueprints And Start Your Automotive Art Collection appeared first on Hagerty Media.