Bertone To Roll Out Fiat Panda-Based Concept Car

GENEVA, Switzerland — While releasing few details, Italian design house Bertone on Thursday said it will unveil a new two-seater concept car based on the Fiat Panda 100 HP at the upcoming Geneva auto show.

The new Bertone concept features an aluminum body, clear door panels and bucket seats. It is expected to use a 1.4-liter 16-valve engine that delivers 100 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 96 pound-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm. It can sprint from zero to 62 mph in 9.5 seconds.

The concept "harks back explicitly to the Fiat 500 barchetta designed by a young Nuccio Bertone in 1947 as a one-off for his own personal use in races," the company said in a statement. It is intended to celebrate the 95th anniversary of Bertone, which was founded in 1912 when Giovanni Bertone opened a workshop for the repair of horse-drawn carriages.

The concept is based on the new Fiat Panda 100 HP, which made its world debut at the Paris auto show last fall.

The Bertone/Fiat link on the concept is described as "natural and emotional." The companies have collaborated on more than 50 vehicles, from the 850 Spider to the Punto Cabrio.