At the 58th Turin Motor Show, held in April 1980, Bertone introduced a new concept car based on a Lamborghini chassis – a slightly unusual choice, given that Lamborghini was in dire financial straits at the time. It was dubbed the Athon after an Egyptian sun god to underline the Bertone styled and bodied Lamborghini was very much an open top car.
The Athon was built on Lamborghini Silhouette underpinnings. This was a fitting base as the Silhouette was the very first roadster produced in any significant numbers by Lamborghini. The actual Silhouette used was most like one of the test mules, as it had already covered tens of thousands of kilometres before being sent to Lamborghini. Purely a styling exercise, Bertone did not modify the chassis or the 260 bhp V8 engine.
