in

When Bertone came to the rescue with the 1980 Lamborghini Athon

In 1980 Lamborghini was having low hours, only having come out of a drastic suspension of payments thanks to the order of FIAT regarding the assembly of the 127 Rustica. In this harsh context, Bertone devised the Athon as a futuristic prototype that gave the image that Lamborghini had an eye on the future. A sincere help from the bodybuilder who was also one of the first creations for Bertone from Marcello Gandini's successor.

Now that it is under the umbrella of the Volkswagen Group, Lamborghini can boast of healthy accounts and good financial support. However, for decades its history has been marked by accounting balancing act. Thus, Since the time of Miura the numbers did not quite add up at the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory. Something that is usually common in any company dedicated to the production of very few units at the highest level. Being really complex to balance investment with profit. For this reason, for 1972 Lamborghini presented the Urraco as a practical 2 + 2 with a vocation as an access model.

Thus, high sales expectations fell on this model in order to relieve the finances of the company. Goal he never reached. Throwing low sales rates that only served to avoid generating losses with respect to the investment made in it. From now on, even the founder of the brand himself jumped ship by selling his shares to a consortium made up of two French investors. Hoping that the Countach would get off the ground despite the impact of the Oil Crisis, the new leadership persevered through the XNUMXs.

A long journey of resistance in which he sought liquidity through military projects and technological consulting work to BMW for the design of the M1. In fact, at the end of the decade the situation was so desperate that Lamborghini could only be saved thanks to the modest FIAT 127 Rustica. One of the most curious and versatile variants of the popular utility. Which was assembled at the Sant'Agata factory following an agreement with FIAT. Injecting in 1979 the money necessary to get out of the suspension of payments in which its 220 workers were. A desperate situation in which, suddenly, Bertone appeared at the Turin Motor Show in 1980 with the Lamborghini Athon.

LAMBORGHINI ATHON, BERTONE COMING TO THE RESCUE

What Bertone did with the Lamborghini Athon is one of those actions that is as supportive as it is little calculated. Some kind of emotional outburst. Desperate help without knowing very well what is being done, only moved by the pure impulse to lend a hand. In this sense, also the deep relationship that united the two brands should be indicated. Just as close as the one maintained by Ferrari and Pininfarina. Creating models such as the Miura, the Countach or the Espada to establish the aggressive and energetic image of Lamborghini at the pinnacle of supercars.

Lamborghini Bravo, Lamborghini Athon and Stratos Zero. Futurism according to Bertone

Milestones in the collaboration between Sant'Agata and Marcello Gandini. Without a doubt one of the most influential automotive designers in history. Which left Bertone in 1979 to be succeeded by Frenchman Marc Deschamps. Continuing the geometric volumes, well-defined edges and tense surfaces posed by Gandini during the second half of the decade. An image recognizable from the first glance and easily exportable to different models. In fact, although the Volvo tundra -subsequently prototype of the Citroën BX- and the Lamborghini Athon are vehicles with totally different purposes, their lines are very similar.

A good example of how smooth the transition was from one designer to another. Being the Tundra one of the last creations of Gandini in Bertone while the Athon was the first of Deschamps. Now, Why was this prototype made even when Lamborghini was in its lowest hours? Well for that very reason. For giving publicity and the appearance of the future to a company in which few accountants believed. Placing it at the forefront of design with a model that Lamborghini had not asked for, but Bertone offered as an initiative to do everything possible to save the brand.

A FULLY FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE

Far from being a simple aesthetic exercise to generate media noise, the Lamborghini Athon is a fully functional model. Of course, with little probability of being read as a car suitable for mass production due to the fact that It is an open-air vehicle without the possibility of covering up. Something like what Ferrari or Aston Martin are doing now with their tribute models to the classic Monza and DBR1 barchettas. A radical commitment to driving without a roof, which makes the Athon lines much more fluid and straight. Fully tributary to the wedge design revolution launched in Italy a dozen years earlier.

Regarding its base, the Lamborghini Athon uses the chassis and mechanics of the Silhouette. The model evolved from the Urraco. Although already stripped of the two rear seats as Lamborghini has learned that its market niche was based more on maintaining its radical identity than on satisfying buyers who were looking for sportiness for day to day. A curious reflection today. When, paradoxically, the production of the Urus with its SUV body takes more than 60% of the assembly line at the factory.

Things were different from those. Starting with the purely mechanical rage of its engine. A V8 at 90º with three liters of displacement and four carburettors placed in a transverse central way to deliver 260CV placed in the firm through a manual transmission of five relations. Definitely an old-school, atmospheric wit. A nod to classic times that nevertheless contrasted quite a bit with the futuristic bodywork. Even more noticeable in its interior, where a wide curved rear window enveloped the passengers thanks to the use of the most advanced techniques in handling this material.

However, the most important thing in the history of the Lamborghini Athon is not its design or mechanics. But the gesture of commitment of a bodybuilder who, still not needing to present this prototype, did so to help as far as possible the survival of a supercar company that at that time breathed thanks to the simple FIAT 127.

Photographs: RM Sotheby's / Bertone

P.D. To illustrate this article we have used the photographs corresponding to the last time the Lamborghini Athon was auctioned. It was for RM Sotheby's in 2011. Moment in which it left the Bertone collection to pass into private hands.

What do you think?

avatar photo

Written by Miguel Sánchez

Through the news from La Escudería, we will travel the winding roads of Maranello listening to the roar of the Italian V12; We will travel Route66 in search of the power of the great American engines; we will get lost in the narrow English lanes tracking the elegance of their sports cars; We will speed up the braking in the curves of the Monte Carlo Rally and we will even get dusty in a garage while rescuing lost jewels.

Subscribe to the newsletter

Once a month in your mail.

Thanks a lot! Do not forget to confirm your subscription through the email that we have just sent you.

Something has gone wrong. Please try again.

60.2 kHappy fans
2.1 kFollowers
3.4 kFollowers
3.8 kFollowers