Bertuzzi shotguns have the unique design characteristic of ali di gabbiano, Italian for “the wings of a gull” as the sideplates spring outward like wings, revealing the lockwork inside.  Bertuzzi shotguns share this unique design trait with a style of Mercedes-Benz automobile.

THE OTHER GULLWINGS

The term “gullwing” resonates with testosterone thanks to Mercedes-Benz and its W198 sports-racing coupé of 1954–63, the legendary 300SL: “The first, finest & fastest production car with petrol injection to be offered to the public.” The car’s skeleton was a framework of welded steel tube; since it wasn’t possible to cut the tubing where it passed through the lower sides of the car, M-B racing boss Rudi Uhlenhaut abbreviated the doors and hinged them to swing upward. From fore and aft, the open doors do indeed take on the silhouette of a soaring gull—indelibly cool, if sometimes impractical.

From 2010 to 2014, Mercedes-Benz offered a successor model called the SLS AMG with a similar layout, performance that was as impressive today as the older car’s was in its era, and a price tag of about $220,000 and up. The original Gullwing long ago became an automotive icon and good examples now trade for well north of a million dollars. Only time will tell if the AMG model achieves the same exalted status and value. Those other gullwings, by Fratelli Bertuzzi, have already demonstrated their investment potential. –Silvio Calabi

Full article published in the October-November 2015 issue.