Bertone wants to leverage the growing demand for limited-production cars to reclaim its seat at the carmaker table. The storied design house was saved from a grim future by brothers Jean-Franck and Mauro Ricci in 2022, and they are slowly rolling out ultra-exclusive models aimed squarely at enthusiasts. The latest one is a modern interpretation of a ’60s concept called the Runabout.
Presented at the 1969 Turin auto show, the original concept sat at the intersection of cars and boats. Its distinctive styling was characterised by a wedge-shaped silhouette, a short windscreen, and, oddly enough, lights positioned on either side of the roll bar.
The two-tone interior was surprisingly boat-like as well: Bertone went as far as putting a compass on top of the dashboard. While the concept didn’t receive the proverbial green light for production, it influenced the Fiat X1/9, released in 1972.
The modern-day Runabout looks a little less Hot Wheels–esque than the original, but it’s nonetheless a head-turner. The wedge-shaped silhouette, pronounced wheel arches, and colour scheme were carried over from the original, but it features pop-up headlights and loses the funky roll bar–mounted lights. Buyers will have two body styles to choose from: a barchetta with a short windscreen and a targa.
Both variants feature the same interior with two seats, a wrap-around dashboard, a two-spoke steering wheel, and a digital instrument cluster. The compass remains as a nod to the 1969 Runabout, but for the modern version, Bertone added doors to ensure taking a seat behind the wheel doesn’t require track and field skills.
While the 1969 concept used a 1.1-litre four-cylinder rated at 55 horsepower, the 2024 production model is powered by a 500bhp V6. There’s no word yet on who is making the powerplant, but you don’t have to look very far to find a six-cylinder with that output: the V6 in the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is a 2.9-litre affair twin-turbocharged to 505 horsepower. That’s pure speculation, however. Transmission options haven’t been announced, either, though it certainly looks like the Runabout is mid-engined and rear-wheel drive.
Bertone notes that production is limited, though it hasn’t revealed how many examples of the Runabout it will build. Regardless, pricing starts at €350,000, excluding taxes, which represents approximately £292,000 at the current conversion rate, and deliveries are tentatively scheduled to start in the middle of 2026.
Keep an eye out for more remastered classics from Bertone. The brand explains the Runabout is the first car in its Classic line of models, which aims to revisit some of its most emblematic designs. But although Bertone has created a long list of gorgeous vehicles, the ones that reached production are the property of the brand that built them; we can’t imagine Alfa Romeo would be thrilled to see Bertone bring back the Montreal. It sounds like concepts are fair game – and there are a lot of very cool ones to choose from.
Hey, Bertone, how about the Citroën GS Camargue for round two?
