Go by Bertone

Sometimes, people ask me, “Do you have a list of cars to write about?”

Yes.

Sometimes, I gather information slowly over a number of weeks, and it’s a slog; sometimes, I have enough collected to be able to whip up a story in 20 minutes. The process of picking a particular vehicle one day over another depends more on my mood, and vibes, than anything else. 

One could replicate my approach using A.I., or more horrifyingly, scrape this website (or emails) and rewrite all of that using A.I., which is like copying and rewriting someone’s essay in high school, without adding any original thought, under the lazy assumption that because the information is out there, and you’ve accessed it, it must now be free.

Here, instead of forcing you to cancel pop-up ads, or inflict your device(s) with a mountain of cookies, I ask you to trade your information (your email address) for access to the site, and, optionally, the daily newsletter.

One final penalty. Adding missives like the above, instead of the SEO-driven approach of saying something pithy about “70s”, “Bertone”, and “Suzuki”, then packing the first paragraph with enough key words to unlock the pearly gates of optimization heaven: mass-market appeal. Indeed, many sources (myself included) once referred to this as being a Suzuki first, but when examining the press pictures, the manufacturer is seen nowhere on this vehicle.

Here, I respect Bertone’s wishes. Go it is.

The Go by Bertone is one of the vehicles that’s been at the top of my list of cars to write about, and one that I’m seeing through fresh eyes after my experience working at BRP, for the Can-Am Off-Road brand. Not kidding, because BRP owns Sea-Doo and builds 3-wheel motorcycles, and a range of EV motorcycles, it is one of the few companies that could introduce a product such as the amphibious Go.

Yes, Go is meant to be an amphibious, flatbed, 2-seat motorcycle-powered off-road vehicle.

From what I had seen while within that company, the baby Bertone’s lack of rollover protection may be an issue, as it’s technically a side-by-side vehicle, not an ATV. If it’s either, you’d need to mandate helmets — but if it’s considered a Sea-Doo watercraft, the operators may not need them. Because they’d have to wear personal flotation devices (PFDs) to be legal in many areas.

This is how an idea such as the Go by Bertone (really, a Bertone Go covertly powered by Suzuki) quickly goes from sexy-looking concept car to an absolute no-go for production.

I love it, you love it, doesn’t mean anyone will build it for us.

One of the things that immediately drew me to this concept were the press photos, which as you can see depict an old-school off-road vehicle aiding in various mountainside lifestyle tasks that, apparently, yuppies needed help with in 1972. 

Without puffy pod-style sides, it’s hard to tell, but the Go is, mechanically, nearly a bisiluro — its 3-cylinder Suzuki 750 motorcycle engine and custom-designed transmission is offset, mounted over the driver’s right shoulder, between the wheels. 

Its apparently Bertone-made transmission has five speeds for both forward and reverse! On the other side, the company mounted its radiator and luggage compartment.

And, it floats! Intended to haul equipment to remote locations, its design requires no trailer: drop the tailgate, drive a motorcycle or snowmobile into it, and go.