At the Turin Motor Show in November 1967 Bertone presented the Executive, a prototype for a two-door saloon built around the mechanics of the Fiat 125. Gandini reckoned that it wasn't necessary for a waistline to go from the nose of a car right through to the tail. He wanted to break from tradition with a car that featured a raised boot lid to increase carrying capacity, so when he came up with the Fiat 125 Executive in 1967, the styling was pretty radical for the time.
The prototype featured some important new styling elements, above all in its proportions and window surface area. The concept was designed to sound out the reactions of the automobile industry on the possible style trends for the saloons of the years to come. With the Executive prototype, the Turin designer wanted to rework the concept of the spacious family car, giving it new proportions, and in line with Bertone styling ideas on the use of glazed surfaces. Light was in fact one of the key concepts in the Turin designer’s repertoire, as the ample window surfaces of the Fiat 125 Executive go to show.
Although elements of the 125 Executive were used in later designs, the car itself remained unique.
Source: www.bertone.it; www.autocar.co.uk
Images: Bertone; Concept Car Central
