Ballot 2LT Tourer Bertone

The Ballot 2LT Tourer bodied by Carrozzeria Bertone in 1925 represents a rare example of early Franco-Italian automotive collaboration. The Ballot 2LT chassis, introduced in 1923, was derived from the engineering advancements achieved by Ballot following their participation in early Grand Prix and endurance racing events. Ballot, founded by Édouard Ballot in 1919, established a reputation for producing refined, performance-oriented touring vehicles. The 2LT was a two-litre touring car offered with a single overhead camshaft, four-cylinder engine of 1,995 cc displacement, developing approximately 60 horsepower at 3,800 rpm. Chassis specifications included a rigid ladder-type frame with a wheelbase of approximately 3,100 mm, semi-elliptical leaf spring suspension, and mechanical drum brakes on all four wheels. Power was transmitted to the rear axle via a four-speed manual gearbox. The 2LT shared several mechanical components with the higher-performance 2LTS model, intended for sporting applications. The bodywork on this specific 2LT chassis was commissioned from Carrozzeria Bertone, then a modest but increasingly respected Italian coachbuilder based in Turin. The design is distinguished by a torpedo-style open tourer configuration with a tapered “boat tail” rear section, indicative of marine-influenced styling trends of the interwar period. The long hood, low-slung body, and sweeping fenders denote an emphasis on streamlined form and balanced proportions, characteristics that would come to define Bertone’s later work. The Ballot 2LT Tourer by Bertone is known to be a one-off or among a very limited number of similar commissions. Ballot production figures for the 2LT and 2LTS combined were relatively low, with the marque ceasing automobile production entirely in the early 1930s following acquisition by Hispano-Suiza. This vehicle holds significance as an expression of the evolving aesthetic direction of European coachbuilding in the mid-1920s. It combines French engineering precision with early Italian styling experimentation. Surviving examples of Ballot chassis with non-French coachwork remain extremely limited, and the Bertone-bodied 2LT Tourer stands as a rare artifact from an era defined by custom craftsmanship and the growing importance of automotive design in the touring segment.