Click above for a gallery of Bertone's Alfa BAT 11 concept car

The most intriguing award is arguably the show's choice of the Bertone BAT 11 as its Best Concept Car of 2008. The enigmatic design exercise was commissioned by collector Gary Kaberle while the stoic design house was in the midst of turmoil en route to bankruptcy and eventual restructuring. Due to the studio's financially distraught condition, the concept - a continuation of the original BAT 5, BAT 7 and BAT 9 cars - was only unveiled outside the Geneva Motor Show this past March. Based on the underpinnings of the Alfa 8C Competizione, the resurgent Bertone is reportedly considering putting the angular exotic into limited production.

Meanwhile, Sky Motoring handed out more than dozen other awards, including giving the nod to the Volkswagen Scirocco as its Best New Car of the Year, French automaker Citroen as the Best Manufacturer, and the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 as the Best New Exotic. Click here to check out the rest of the Sky Motoring 2008 awards.

Gallery: Bertone BAT 11 concept

British TV show names Bertone BAT 11 as Best Concept of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Only months ago Bertone, one of the most famous design houses in Europe, looked like it was about to go under. The company had lost all its contracts, had a big operation to sustain, and went into bankruptcy protection. But like a phoenix from the ashes, Bertone is re-emerging, more streamlined and ready to get back to business. The manufacturing division, heavy with overhead, was stripped away from the styling studio, which is still owned by the Bertone family but operated independently. And its new business development director is keen to get the design house back on track.

Among the steps Bertone is considering is to open up additional field offices away from Italy to get in on the local action. The company is in the process of setting up shop in China, and has its eyes set on India and Detroit next. To mark its resurgence, Bertone is also considering putting the BAT 11 into limited production. The Alfa 8C-based concept car was shown near the Geneva show last March after conflicting reports of its cancellation, and is now headlining the Meadow Brook Concours d'Eleance. The vehicle was originally built as a one-off for our friend Gary Kaberle, but if Bertone can get enough orders in place beforehand, the company would consider a small run of 25-50 examples. In the meantime, it's going to focus on rebuilding its reputation and on the 20 design projects it currently has under way for automakers in Europe and China, as well as shipyards and aerospace companies.

Gallery: Bertone BAT 11 concept

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Bertone considers Detroit office, limited production for BAT 11 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.