Bertone Will Not Be Saved By Turkish Truck Company, Karsan

Last week, we brought you the story (which can be found here) of Bertone’s impending bankruptcy and the fact that they were actively seeking investors who may be able to save the company. And earlier this week our hopes were bolstered that this storied company would remain afloat when a story surfaced in Hurriyet Daily News (a Turkish daily paper) claiming that Karsan, the Turkish transportation company, had bought the rights to the Bertone brand name and museum.

We were however immediately suspicious as the reports were unsubstantiated, yet attributed to Mr. Emre Akın Sait, allegedly Karsan’s Corporate Communications and Legal Affairs Director. A further search of Karsan’s website did not reveal that such a person even works there, though. Regardless, and perhaps more tellingly, Karsan and its parent company, Silcolux, have now denied any connection to Bertone.

So where does that leave us? Where we were a week ago. It seems that Bertone is still looking for a savior and with time running short, employees and suppliers not being paid, and nobody claiming any interest in the historic company, it will likely follow so many other coach-builders into bankruptcy and history. If anything changes, we’ll let you know as soon as we do. For now, enjoy some of their masterpieces.

Images via Bertone archives unless otherwise noted.