The Bertone Birusa is a concept car built in 2003 by Bertone and based on the BMW Z8. It debuted at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show. It was intended solely as a styling exercise and never went into production. The Bertone Birusa reinterprets a theme which is part of the company’s genetic code: the most elegant, dynamic embodiment possible of the Italian sports car, an exclusive object and the source of supremely enjoyable driving. These are important features, acknowledged in the car’s ironic name, derived from the adjective “biross” (pronounced “birůss”) which in Piedmontese dialect describes a brilliant, extremely resourceful person. Like all Bertone’s recent concept cars, the Birusa incorporates innovative features and technologies, which Bertone has developed with companies that are all leaders in their respective fields, and have succeeded in rendering the ideas and concepts developed by Bertone both credible and sustainable. These features include: voice controls (Loquendo) to open the doors and the double sunroof (developed with Inalfa) made of heat-resistant glass (Socar ICS) laminated with PVB film (Solutia), a Stereo system with Dolby Surround effect (Bose), semiadaptive headlights and an infrared night-time vision system (Valeo), and a Segway (HT) stored in the boot. The Bertone Birusa gives us an idea how a typical interpretation of the high performance GT car (front engine, rear drive, two seats) could evolve stylistically in the near future:. In structural terms, the Bertone Birusa borrows the aluminium chassis and engineering of the BMW Z8, with a 400 bhp V8 engine and 6-speed manual gearbox. This design choice is also reflected in the interpretation of certain design details that are typical of the BMW brand identity.