It often happens to come across special cars built as unique specimens by a well-known coachbuilder, but how often does one of these cars belong to the coachbuilder himself? This is one such occasion.

Indeed, this is the personal car of Giuseppe “Nuccio” Bertone, built in 1947 on the basis of a 1936 Fiat 500B. At the beginning of his career as a coachbuilder, Bertone had aspirations of becoming a driver, so he decided to build himself a special car that would go on to participate in four editions of the Mille Miglia. Its debut took place in the Italian Sport 750 cc Championship at the Vercelli Circuit (12th Overall). On June 21, paired with his friend Xausa (gentleman driver), he raced in the 14th Mille Miglia (DNF) as part of the Stanguellini team. The car was then sold to the driver Ing. Carlino Francesconi, who, along with Chinellato (mechanic), participated in the 1948 Mille Miglia (46th Overall and 2nd in the Sport 750 category) with an average speed of 89.735 km/h. The 1948 season concluded with more excellent results, and in 1949, it once again raced in the Mille Miglia (133rd Overall and 12th in the Sport 750 category). In the 1950 Mille Miglia, it participated once more with Zordan-Bortolon (108th Overall and 12th in the Sport 750 category).

So, it achieved nothing less than a second-place finish in the 750 category, thanks to the skill of its drivers and an engine modified with a Marino cylinder head. In the early 1990s, Nuccio Bertone himself recovered the car and began the restoration process with his collaborators. However, in 1997, he passed away, and the work was completed by his family, who kept the car until 2021. Find it for sale here in Firenze, Italy.