Bertone Runabout brings Marcello Gandini's 1960s sports car concept back to life

Italian sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s defined an era of automotive design with radical, low-profile silhouettes, and there is one man who can be thanked for much of it. Working at the famed Italian design firm, Bertone, Marcello Gandini played a key role in realising some of the most legendary poster cars now framed on thousands of bedroom walls. These include some of the most important Lamborghinis, such as the Miura, Countach and Diablo, as well as the likes of the Lancia Stratos rally car, the DeTomaso Pantera and the Ferrari Dino 308 GT. Gandini also worked on more accessible models, ranging from the first-gen Volkswagen Polo to the first-gen BMW 5-Series. With such a stellar portfolio, the designer left behind a legacy that continues to shape style trends today.

Among Gandini’s legendary concept cars stood the Autobianchi A112 Runabout, a small mid-engined two-seater sports car that would go on to serve as inspiration for the Fiat X1/9. Designed for the 1969 Turin Auto Show, it followed the same transverse mid-engine layout as the Lamborghini Miura and drew styling cues from speedboats of the 1960s. Over 50 years later, Bertone has revived the A112 concept as a low-volume production model to capture the neo-retro sports car market.

The Bertone Runabout brings modern engineering under old-school overalls, slated to debut at the upcoming Retromobile show in Paris. To be offered in both open-top and targa-top variants, the new sports car will be the second model in the ultra-exclusive Bertone Classic range after the GB110 launched to mark the company’s 2022 revival. What this means is that production of the Runabout will be limited to just 25 units, each starting from €390,000 (~ ₹4.26 crore).

Bertone Runabout: Neo-retro design ethos

Inspired by 1960s speedboats, the Runabout features a low, raked silhouette with pop-up headlamps and sculpted fenders

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Inspired by 1960s speedboats, the Runabout features a low, raked silhouette with pop-up headlamps and sculpted fenders

The Runabout stays true to the original concept with its raked silhouette, defined by a low front end, sculpted fenders and a red swage line that divides the body. Up front, it gets prominent pop-up headlamps, accompanied by a thin LED strip that runs along the massive lower grille. The front fascia further features sharp lines that cut through the fenders to the rear haunches, forming a rising belt line.

The car boasts a sculpted roll bar that wraps around the louvred engine bay. The tail-section ends abruptly with short overhangs and features round taillamps and a massive carbon fibre diffuser. Two of the four rectangular cutouts above the diffuser act as tailpipe exits.

Bertone Runabout: Maritime madness

Inside, the Runabout features a red hull-style cockpit with exposed metal accents and a manual gearbox

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Inside, the Runabout features a red hull-style cockpit with exposed metal accents and a manual gearbox

The original Runabout concept took styling cues from the nautical design of the era, and the 2026 version continues the theme inward as well. The Bertone Runabout brings a bright-red hull-shaped cockpit that wraps around the occupants, complete with an actual compass on the dashboard. The driver is treated to a minimalist two-spoke steering wheel, digital instrumentation, physical HVAC controls, and a manual gearbox with exposed linkage for an analogue driving experience. The interior is upholstered in hand-stitched leather with raw aluminium accents.

Bertone Runabout: Analogue power

Production of the Bertone Runabout will be limited to just 25 units worldwide

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Production of the Bertone Runabout will be limited to just 25 units worldwide

Bertone has built the Runabout around the now-discontinued Lotus Exige's bonded aluminium chassis with a double wishbone suspension featuring adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars. Housed within it, is a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 from Toyota that puts out 468 bhp and 470 Nm of torque through a close-ratio 6-speed gearbox. With this, it shoots from a standstill to 100 kmph in 4.1 seconds before topping out at 270 kmph. Quite the performance when compared to the 1969 concept model's 54 bhp. But what's more remarkable is its 1,057 kg kerb weight that enables a weight-to-power ratio of 2.45kg/hp.

The Bertone Runabout will be unveiled publicly at the Retromobile 2026 in Paris, which will be held between January 29 and February 1, 2026.

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