The Bertone Genesis or sometimes referred to as the Lamborghini Genesis was a Bertone designed concept car using Lamborghini parts. It was first displayed to the public at the 1988 Turin Auto Show.
Background[]
- “Bertone Genesis was created to remain strictly a showcar”
The Genesis was certainly eye-catching with its monobox styling, bright red paint and huge amounts of glass. But perhaps the most astonishing aspect was the pair of sort-of-beetlewing doors which were hinged down the centre of the windscreen – with the doors themselves each containing one half of the front ‘screen. With a distinct wedge profile at the front, the Genesis was something of a Revelation.
Famous Italian design house Bertone envisioned the Genesis concept for the “62nd Turin International Motor Show” with a V12 engine borrowed from the Countach Quattrovalvole, complete with a mighty 455 horsepower.
The 5,167cc engine fitted with six Weber carburetors drove the rear wheels through a three-speed automatic gearbox rather than the five-speed manual transmission of the Countach 5000 QV. “Remember that in 1988, Lamborghini was owned by Chrysler”, hence why the gearbox was of the TorqueFlite type. With the gear ratios being very long, the Genesis wasn’t exactly quick. The fact that it weighed roughly 1,800 kg also didn’t help.
There was more to the concept than its Lamborghini engine as Bertone invested no less than 30,000 man hours into the project in order to come up with a futuristic design. The minivan had a pair of gullwing front doors and sliding rear doors granting access into a roomy five-seat cabin thanks to a generous wheelbase of 2650 mm – exactly like the Espada’s. Being 2000-mm wide, the Genesis was rather imposing and had a massive greenhouse that made it stand out furthermore.
Being a minivan first and foremost, the concept had to be practical. Genesis gave it a flexible seating arrangement with electrically folding and sliding seats, with the ones in the front rotating 180 degrees to face the passengers sitting in the back. The interior was covered in a combination of red and beige Alcantara and featured adjustable leg rests as well as a TV.
- Sketches for the Genesis :
.jpg "Genesis sketches (1).jpg (190 KB)")
.jpg "Genesis sketches (2).jpg (151 KB)")
.jpg "Genesis sketches (3).jpg (121 KB)")
.jpg "Genesis sketches (4).jpg (146 KB)")
.jpg "Genesis sketches (5).jpg (210 KB)")
.jpg "Genesis sketches (6).jpg (224 KB)")
Gallery[]
.jpg "1988 Bertone Lamborghini Genesis Concept (1).jpg (275 KB)")
.jpg "1988 Bertone Lamborghini Genesis Concept (2).jpg (187 KB)")
.jpg "1988 Bertone Lamborghini Genesis Concept (3).jpg (310 KB)")
.jpg "1988 Bertone Lamborghini Genesis Concept (4).jpg (178 KB)")
.jpg "1988 Bertone Lamborghini Genesis Concept (5).jpg (209 KB)")
.jpg "1988 Bertone Lamborghini Genesis Concept (6).jpg (277 KB)")
.jpg "1988 Bertone Lamborghini Genesis Concept (7).jpg (224 KB)")
.jpg "1988 Bertone Lamborghini Genesis Concept (8).jpg (242 KB)")
.jpg "1988 Bertone Lamborghini Genesis Concept (9).jpg (223 KB)")
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