Welcoming the collection is the “new” Heritage Hub, transformed and enriched through a reorganized exhibition route and new modes of engagement, amplifying the dialogue between industrial identity, automotive culture and the Piedmontese capital.
Yesterday, the Heritage Hub in Turin hosted the inauguration of the new display dedicated to the ASI Bertone Collection, which can rightly be regarded as one of the most significant collections in international automotive design. A long-awaited and much sought-after return, one that further enriches Turin’s motoring and cultural offering and marks a natural meeting point between two complementary heritages in the stylistic and technical evolution of what is proudly “made in Turin”.
Testifying to the project’s cultural value and its strong ties to the local area, the official ceremony was attended by Andrea Tronzano, Councillor for the Piedmont Region, Alberto Scuro, President of ASI, and Roberto Giolito, Head of Heritage HUB, together with leading names in car design who played a key role in some of the most important chapters of the Bertone Style Centre: from Giorgetto Giugiaro to Luciano D’Ambrosio, from Giuliano Biasio to David Wilkie, and Mike Robinson.
Thanks to the agreement between the Automotoclub Storico Italiano and Heritage Hub, from now on the general public will also be able to admire the Bertone Collection, acquired and placed under ASI protection in 2015.
The display features 66 models created between the 1960s and the early 2000s, including iconic production cars, styling models, prototypes and show cars representing twenty international automotive brands with which Bertone had established successful collaborations. Each piece tells a story of manufacturing excellence, relentless creative research and the evolution of the concept cars developed by the Bertone Style Centre in every decade. Taking advantage of the opportunity to shape vehicles not intended solely for mass production, Bertone’s designers boldly reimagined vehicle architecture, drawing on universal ideas of line and perfect form. The initiative forms part of a period of far-reaching reorganization of the exhibition space at Via Plava 80, Turin, within the historic Mirafiori complex, launched over the past twelve months to make the visitor experience even more engaging.
More specifically, to make the visitor experience even more immersive, the eight thematic sections of the exhibition route have been reorganized since last year. Within each space, eight key vehicles are displayed in chronological order, accompanied by other models linked by technical or design affinity, helping to broaden the historical and cultural context of each section. In addition, in response to steadily growing interest from March the Heritage Hub has been open every day (except Mondays), with admission available by purchasing tickets online. Visitors can choose between a self-guided visit on weekdays and a guided tour at weekends.
This has given rise to the “new” Heritage Hub, now more accessible and even more structured, further strengthening the mission of the department: to tell the story of and preserve “the cars of Turin” - those vehicles, ideas and visions that made the Piedmontese capital one of the most influential centres in the automotive history. This is borne out by a collection unlike any other, comprising more than 300 vehicles from the Group’s Italian brands, encapsulating over 120 years of innovation and Made in Italy style, and giving shape to a coherent, continuous narrative spanning eras and languages: from historic models to more recent ones, from production cars to one-off examples and prototypes unique in the world.