No One Has Seen The Bertone Mustang In Nearly 60 Years

Mustang concepts tell a story of their own in the pony car’s illustrious legacy. Some, such as the 1970 Milano and 1963 Mustang II directly previewed future production models. Others, like the mid-engine Mach II and rally-focused RSX, reveal what could have been. One stallion stands alone as the most unusual. It was not commissioned by Ford, but by a magazine that was hardly three years old. A famed Italian coachbuilder, guided by one of the greatest designers of all time, styled the car. The final product hardly resembled the fastback that it started out as. After receiving critical acclaim from critics and enthusiasts alike, it vanished. No one has seen the car in nearly 60 years. This is the story of Bertone’s Mustang.

ORIGINS OF AUTOMOBILE QUARTERLY

Public Relations specialist L. Scott Bailey had finally found his dream job. The Antique Automobile Club of America brought him on as its PR Director. What’s more, he’d become the editor of its magazine. Work met a lifelong passion here. According to the Automotive Hall of Fame, Bailey had been collecting cars since he was 15. Work went hand in hand with a lifelong passion in this new position. He also became innately familiar with the automotive publishing industry. More specifically, what one had to do to stand out in that crowded space.

Bailey sought to establish a magazine of his own. This wouldn’t be your standard buff book. Many of them measured in at 8.5x11’’ and used black and white pictures. His mag, on the other hand, would be orientated horizontally to allow the full-color photography and illustrations to truly shine. Advertisements, included in seemingly every publication, wouldn’t be found there. Journalistic integrity didn’t drive this decision as much as aesthetics and readability. Bailey feared that they’d break up the articles. Doing without ads complicated the finances but made for a cleaner, more focused product. Said product would be bound in a hardcover, a format that Bailey said would be “...durable enough to last a lifetime.”

All of this came at a cost: $5.95 per copy, $15 for charter subscribers, and $21 for standard subscribers. Compare this to conventional car magazines which could be had for a mere 50 cents, and one could see just how unique Bailey’s publication was. It wasn’t aimed at the masses who picked up reading material on a whim but at dedicated enthusiasts who were willing to pay for quality. Jacob Esser and his firm, The Kutztown Printing Company, helped to materialize Bailey’s ideas. On February 1, 1962, Volume 1 No. 1 of Automobile Quarterly was released.

CONCEPTION

The magazine’s byline read “The Connoisseur’s Magazine of Motoring Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow.” AQ didn’t take very long to begin living up to that mantra. The likes of Henry Ford II, George Romney, and Briggs Cunningham contributed to early issues of the magazine. And more prominent names were yet to come.

In the fall of 1964, the team flew to Italy to speak with Nuccio Bertone. Ford’s newest runaway success, the Mustang, was the main topic of conversation. In the United States, it became an automotive icon. Europe's response to the car, its styling in particular, was less than enthusiastic. I couldn't find any of their impressions in my research, but Vol. 4 No. 2 of Automobile Quarterly states that one reviewer said it was “a form not yet resolved between a sedan and a sports car.” AQ had been getting input on its design from those in the region. This undertaking brought them to Turin to speak with the head of one of the world's leading carrozerrias.

This chat went in a different direction than the others. The question “What do you think of the Ford” turned into “What would you change about it?” At the end of it, AQ had commissioned Bertone to create a custom-bodied Mustang to show at the 1965 New York International Auto Show.

Pursuing such an endeavor would help the magazine achieve a handful of goals. If everything went according to plan, then the car would be the first European design to make its international debut in the U.S. since before WWII. Well before, according to AQ. It hoped that other companies would follow their lead and unveil their cars there first. Showing the Mustang at such a high-profile event would also give the young magazine some publicity. Lastly, AQ wanted to, in its own words, “produce something that would please our readers.”

AQ had a fair bit to gain from the project, though Bailey feared that Bertone would rebuff their inquiry. He noted that the firm typically dealt with the likes of BMW, Alfa Romeo, and General Motors and rarely took on commissions. And could you blame them? Endless assignments and strict deadlines made it difficult for them to accept additional work. Bertone also served as a factory of sorts, building models such as the Fiat 850 Spider and Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint. AQs's proposal would've likely pulled their attention away from other, more pressing matters. Other design houses in this position probably would have said no. Bertone said yes.

With an agreement in place, AQ laid down a few ground rules. This would be a relatively grounded styling exercise. No changes were to be made to the chassis. The magazine specified that the car still needed to be licensable in most of the United States. Bertone also had to install a set of retractable windows in the back. Passengers in the back of the standard Mustang fastback couldn't enjoy such a luxury. This modification would make it a more capable touring car. Oh, and Bertone couldn't paint the thing red. At this point, red Italian sports cars were something of a cliché. The design house needed to find another solution.

Most clients preferred to be kept in the loop when commissioning projects and Bertone obliged by showing them sketches and the like on occasion. The magazine offered to do the same with AQ. The magazine declined, reasoning that the quality of the car, as well as whether it succeeded or failed, should rest solely on the designer. No matter what, Bailey and the others would be in for a surprise.

The show, which opened at the beginning of April, was only a few months away. Automobile Quarterly wasted no time when they touched back down in the States, arranging with Italian airline Alitalia to send a Mustang fastback to Turin. Bertone began working on the new body in December. It began by taking detailed measurements of the exterior and interior, as well as comparing the Mustang's design with that of other European cars. This rendering gives an idea of what it had in mind for the front end. Bertone planned on leaving the standard styling language behind in favor of a bold, streamlined look.

At this time, Bertone's design efforts were guided by a 27-year-old Giorgetto Giugiaro. Prior to taking on this assignment, he had designed cars such as the Alfa Romeo Canguro, BMW 3200CS, and Ferrari 250 GT Bertone. And this wasn't even the first American project that he's tackled. In 1963, Giugiaro designed the Chevrolet Corvair Testudo. That concept looked worlds apart from the standard car. The same was likely in store for Bertone's reimagined Mustang.

Bertone finished the car and shipped it back to the States two days later. Bailey and the others waited at Kennedy International Airport well into the evening, anxious to see what they'd come up with. He wrote: “Even before the car touched ground, it was obvious that the Bertone Ford Mustang was worthy of bravos.”

DESIGN

It hardly resembles the red fastback that it started out as. Bertone took AQ’s paint request to heart, instead going with a light blue. While it doesn't catch the eye quite like an Italian red, it does help highlight the lines and curves.

The front fascia is dominated by a long horizontal grille that spans the entire width of the car. Bertone's Mustang Is slightly wider than the standard one, and this feature emphasizes it even further. A set of quad lamps sits behind it.

The horse insignia is the only familiar Mustang element. Even here, Bertone has toyed with the formula. Standard models had their emblems housed inside rectangular corrals. Here, the boundary is longer and hexagonal. The sharp edges tie into the ones on the far sides of the grille and tail lights. Like the original Mustang, it's framed inside of a crosshair.

The hood has a dramatic downward slope. This photo shows the stark difference between the two cars. On the standard Mustang, the hood is nearly level from end to end. Bertone achieved this by replacing the stock radiator with a shorter one. It isn't a completely smooth transition, though. AQ states that Bertone had to style the car around the height of the oil filter and the termination location of the front shock pillars. That’s why there are three bumps in the hood. The ones on the outer edges of the hood also house air scoops.

The raw measurements might not show it, but Bertone's Mustang appears considerably longer than the standard car. This is due in large part to the number of lines that extend from the front to the rear. The character and hood lines make the journey uninterrupted while the contrasting side skirt stretches out between the wheels. Bertone also went with an airy stainless steel roof. It works with the glass to create more separation between the upper and lower boxes.

Compare this to the standard Mustang. There, the main character line stops short of the rear wheel and the hips kick up to tighten the body up a touch. Its cabin also stops well short of the deck. There isn't a single straight line on the entire car that goes from the front to the back. The roof is integrated with the rest of the design, which makes the car as a whole feel taller.

Bertone designs of the day utilized thin pillars and plenty of glass. This is best seen with the Aston Martin Bertone Jet as well as the aforementioned Ferrari 250 GT Bertone. Their Mustang carries on these design elements. Pillars mark off static and adjustable front window sections and the wraparound rear screen. And here are the retractable rear windows that AQ mandated. The stock 15’’ wheels were replaced with Bertone-designed, Campagnoli-cast Elektron Mag wheels. Next to the wheels is a set of badges. The Bertone logo sits behind the front ones while the Quatrefoil, AQ's emblem, is in front of the rear ones.

The changes continue around back. Bertone did away with the standard lights altogether, instead opting for longer lights that are more in keeping with the new bodywork. A smaller stallion-badged fuel filler cap replaces the stock one. Above this is a hand cutout that extends from the joint line. The new bumper, while slick-looking, isn't nearly as integrated into the design. Under this sits the license plate holder as well as what i presume are the reverse lights.

Despite being smaller on the outside, Bertone’s car had more interior space than a standard Mustang. The body panels were extended out from the side rails a bit wringing out more real estate while avoiding major mechanical changes. A new steering wheel post allowed the driver to hold it with a straight arm position. Instead of the Bertone, Ford, or Mustang logos, the wood trim steering wheel has the Quatrefoil dead center. That symbol is also wood trim.

Designers completely reworked the IP. Light tan vinyl replaced the stock upholstery. Bailey notes that the rear seats were “unusually large and comfortable.” This was impressive for a car built on the bones of the Mustang 2+2, a model with somewhat compromised ergonomics. What's more, the rear seats still fold down to create a passthrough with the trunk.

AQ declared “In the final execution of the car, we believe that Bertone has made a clear statement of a purposeful design. And we feel he has demonstrated once again his ability to create an enduring line, one we are certain will be as pleasing to Europeans as it has been to Americans.”

RECEPTION

The 1965 New York International Auto Show featured cars such as the Ferrari 250 LM Stradale, James Bond Aston Martin DB5, and a Ford GT that raced at last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. None of these cars could claim the event's ‘best in show’ award. That honor went to the Bertone Mustang. Patrons got to see it until the show ended on the 11th of April, at which point it was loaded back onto the Alitalia plane and shown at events in London, Paris, Turin, and Germany.

1965 car show NY City 54 years ago by Michael Dolan is licensed under CC BY 2.0

In January 1966, the car graced the cover of Road & Track magazine. That's not all. Stephen P. Wilder took it for a spin and detailed his impressions. Just how different were the driving dynamics compared to the standard model? Wilder would find out… As soon as he signed some pesky liability waivers. He also replaced the stock Mag wheels with disc-shaped ones from his family's own Mustang. Bailey said that, since he didn't see them get cast he couldn't warranty them. Wilder also thought they were ugly.

Although the car was mechanically similar to a regular Mustang, Wilder wrote that the driving experience was substantially different. The increased visibility and new driving position made it easier to drive than the standard model. In that car, he found himself having to lean out of his seat to see his surroundings while cresting down a hill. No such measures had to be taken in the Bertone. Any serious takeaways on its road manners couldn’t be gleaned, seeing as how it was a one-of-one show car. Still, he walked away impressed and hoped that Ford would give future Mustangs a little more Italian flavor.

WHERE COULD THE CAR BE?

It resurfaced a year and a half later, in the September 1967 issue of Road & Track. This wasn’t a retrospective or test drive, but a ‘for sale’ listing. Bertone sought to rid itself of the car. It said that the Mustang only had a few miles and that it had only been seen at a handful of auto shows. The design house wanted $10,000 for it, a figure that it said was ‘one-third its actual cost.’ Adjusted for inflation, those numbers translate to $101,119.55 and $303,358.65, respectively. After this, the car vanished. No one, not even Bertone, knew where it had gotten off to. In 2014, the firm filed for bankruptcy and had its assets liquidated. The Ferrari 308 GT4 Rainbow, Citroen GS Camargue, and Lotus Emotion were among the cars in its collection. The Mustang was nowhere to be found. There wasn’t even a record of its sale.

Despite this, there’s an outside chance that Bertone offloaded the car at some point. There was a point in time when these cars weren’t priceless artifacts but design studies. Once the cars had done the rounds on the auto show circuit, coach builders would oftentimes sell them off and move on to the next project. Just look at what happened with the Alfa Romeo B.A.T. series. Not even these groundbreaking aero studies could escape this fate.

1955 Alfa Romeo BAT 9 Concept Car fvl0 by Rex Gray is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Bertone sold B.A.T, 5 to foreign car dealing tycoon Stanley ‘Wacky’ Arnolt for $7,650. Alfa Romeo purchased B.A.T. 7. And what about B.A.T. 9? Strother MacMinn requested information on the matter in 1989. The company revealed that it was still marked as their property. At this point in time, Michigan dentist Gary Kaberle had owned the car for about 27 years. And it had changed hands several times before it came into his possession. The Abarth 1500 Biposts, the car that preceded the B.A.T. series, was sold to Packard at the 1952 Turin Motor Show. It’s in the realm of possibility that Bertone sold their Mustang, either to an individual or a company, and lost the record of the sale. Just who, or what would’ve taken it off of their hands in this scenario is still a mystery.

Wallace Wyss detailed a few other possibilities in an article on the website My Car Quest. One theory states that it was last seen at a Ford dealership in Monte Carlo. Another is that a rogue journalist borrowed the car but never returned it. Later in the piece, Wyss states that he saw it parked outside of the automaker’s World Headquarters in Dearborn.

END OF THE LINE

As of today, the ultimate fate of the car is unknown. The same cannot be said for Automobile Quarterly. L. Scott Bailey set out to create “the final authority on the history of the automobile,” and he achieved that goal. The New York Times says that both W.O. Bentley and Enzo Ferrari published previews of their memoirs there. Beverly Rae Kines, Griffith Borgeson, Ken Purdy, and many others lent their talents to the magazine. After a decades-long career in public relations and publishing, it was time for Bailey to retire. He sold the company to CBS Magazines in 1986 and retreated to the Cotswolds in England.

Automobile Quarterly seemed to be in safe hands, CBS Magazines also owned Car and Driver and Road & Track. What’s more, division president Peter G. Diamandis reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the space. He even said, “AQ is the jewel in the crown.” That isn’t exactly what happened. CBS Magazines was spun off into Diamandis Communications a year later. The Classic Cars Journal states that it needed to sell off some titles due to a downturn in the market. Automobile Quarterly went to Kutztown Printing of all companies for $1 million.

After an uneventful dozen years, Kutztown trimmed its operations down and sold AQ to Automobile Heritage & Communications Inc., headed by Gerry Durnell. The magazine stuck to its guns in the digital age, eschewing online media in favor of its thick gold-embossed hardcovers. But with a dwindling readership and an aging subscriber base, it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened. The passing of Durnell in May of 2011 seemed to be the breaking point.

The final issue of Automobile Quarterly, Volume 52 No. 1, was released in 2012. Greg Perigo, the magazine’s new publisher, hoped that it could make a comeback. He even suggested moving operations to Auburn, Indiana. These plans didn’t get far. In 2015, the Journal of Classic Cars reported that the Durnell family placed the AQ name and its archives up for sale. Someone could take them up on their offer and revive one of the most prestigious names in the business. For now, though, Automobile Quarterly’s story is finished.

Years after selling his company, L. Scott Bailey sought a conclusion of his own. He bought space in a handful of magazines, desperate to learn the whereabouts of the car. It was a fruitless effort. He died on June 26, 2012, never knowing what became of it.

Gruppo Bertone and Automobile Quarterly, trailblazers in their respective fields, never shied away from taking the road less traveled. Both have since perished, though, in a way, their legacies have been immortalized in that turquoise coupe. Hopefully, we haven’t seen the last of it.

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