Castriota, an American, was most recently both chief designer and designer responsible for special projects at Pininfarina. Among his high-profile projects were the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, a Pininfarina Ferrari P4/5 one-off based on the Enzo for collector James Glickenhaus, Maserati GranTurismo, a Maserati Birdcage 75 showcar based on the MC12, and the Rolls-Royce Hyperion shown at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
"I was working with my own hand-picked consultancy group since leaving Pininfarina," Castriota told Inside Line. "One of my clients was Stile Bertone, and they soon showed an interest in bringing me aboard permanently to help return the Bertone brand to its glory."
It has been an ongoing news story here that the house of Bertone has fallen on hard times, with many criticizing the leadership ability of Lily Bertone, the well-meaning widow of company founder Nuccio Bertone, and the opportunism of the managers under her. Although Carrozzeria Bertone is in receivership now, Stile Bertone has apparently avoided the problems faced by the main company, and Castriota told IL, "We're looking ahead to early springtime 2009" to reveal his first efforts for Bertone.
Inside Line says: Castriota's star quality and proven ability have created a huge buzz, and clients are reportedly clamoring. — Matt Davis, Correspondent
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