Lamborghini Athon

Marc Deschamps, a Frenchman, lead the design process for the Lamborghini Athon which was Bertone Studios first ever concept car. He was chosen to lead the design after Marcello Gandini left the position as the design coordinator in 1979 for Bertone. The car was based on the silhouette sport type aesthetic and resembled some of the looks of the Lamborghini Urraco. Marc Deschamps honored the prior design of the Bertone's concept cars; he specifically made the Lamborghini Athon much like the concept cars Bertone created in the 1970s. He included "sculpted geometric volumes"[4] that were defined by clear edges and cut lines. Marc Deschamps also did not follow what is universally known as the tradition spider design of the car. The Lamborghini Athon, a proclaimed spider, has its cabin located in a forward position as opposed to the traditional mid-set cabin in a normal spider. Another detail that sets the Athon apart from the original aesthetics of a spider is the height and position of the rear deck compared to the height and positioning of the sloping hood. This design of the raised rear deck would later be modeled after when the Bertone company would create the Jalpa Speedster.[5] The design of Lamborghini Athon also influenced the media and movie productions. The Athon was referenced when making the props for the following films: Tron, Total Recall, and RoboCop.

Marc Deschamp was also inspired by Nuccio Bertone added a few more unique features the cars body. For example, Marc Deschamps created the doors so they would have a noticeable gap between the doors and the door sills. Another thing to note is that Marc Deschamps also designed the tail lights to have very thin grooves in order to assure that they did not interfere with the solid rear end of the car. Something unique to note about the car is the design of the steering wheel and touch screen panels. The steering wheel was designed with a single spoke. Note that to the left of the steering wheel, there was a pod. The mounted pod was used as a place to hold the secondary controls. The touch screen panels were equipped with electronic readouts. Vegalie, an Italian supplier, created the instrumental design of the Lamborghini Athon. They made the windshield wipers, turn signals, as well as the indicator switches which are in close reach within the steering wheel. The Lamborghini Athon's design was created in honor of Fillipo Perini in honor of his devout love to the Lamborghini Silhouette aesthetic appearance. His impact as a designer for Lamborghini is seen in the Lamborghini Athon's front sloping hood. The Lamborghini Athon was forcefully given to the Bertone company as the Lamborghini company was in the process of liquidation and going through financial difficulty. The Lamborghini Athon was retired in the Bertone museum located in Rubiana, Italy directly after it showcased in the Turin Auto Show. Bertone occasionally removed the car from its museum and made it displayed for the public at a few select shows. Although it has had minor repairs to some of the mechanical components of the car, the Lamborghini Athon was never restored. Because of it having never been restored, the Lamborghini Athon is offered in its original condition.