The Bertone Runabout has familiar performance credentials, features, and price tag – but its unique lines were penned after extensive study of the hull shapes of modern speedboats. As a nod to its visual inspiration, there’s even a floating compass at the top of the dash. Only 25 will be built, but we must make it clear: none of them float.
In fact, chief stylist Andrea Mocellin is a 100% car man. He has worked at Ferrari, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo and was employed by the reborn Italian design house Bertone to create the Runabout. The design is cute – and distinctive. "The emotion we want people to feel when they see a Runabout is surprise," he told Autocar at the launch.
For those who aren’t aware of the background, Bertone is a legendary Italian auto design house famous for cars like the beautiful Alfa GTV (1963–77) and the bedroom-poster favorite, the Lamborghini Countach of 1974. After bankruptcy in 2014, the brand was revived to focus on limited-edition supercars.
There’s a retro vibe to Bertone because of its past glories, and it definitely leans into this with the new Runabout. It is reportedly a tribute to its 1969 Autobianchi Runabout, a concept car so unremarkable I’d never heard of it before.
Anyway, the new Runabout is a small, lightweight two-seater powered by a 3.5-liter supercharged Toyota V6 with Lotus underpinnings. It’s available as a barchetta (permanently open top) or a targa (with a removable roof panel). Unless you live in a rainless desert, I’d choose the more practical targa.
Despite its old-school 468-bhp, six-speed manual, rear-wheel-drive setup, the Runabout weighs less than a Mini thanks to the plentiful use of extruded aluminum. The 1969 Autobianchi, incidentally, was powered by a Fiat 1.1-liter engine. The new car is clearly a serious upgrade in rubber-burning potential.
Expect 0–62 mph (100 km/h) in just over four seconds and a top speed close to 170 mph (270 km/h). Try that in the barchetta version with its minimalist windshield and your expensive hairpiece will be blown into next week.
The cute design recalls another Bertone original: the ’70s Fiat X1/9 – albeit a bulkier version that’s been working out. The Runabout’s super-low nose rises up toward the roll-hoop rear. The details are endearing: pop-up oval-opening headlights are small and neat, forged aluminum wheels (18 inchers up front and 19s at the rear) give it a pert stance, and the rear neatly curves over a slatted engine cover.
It’s small though. Getting into the targa version means opening the door and then swinging the top hatch upward. You can remove the top section entirely on sunny days, but there’s nowhere to store it onboard. Low-slung seats are leather, while the steering wheel and dash controls are milled aluminum. No big screens. No AI-powered modern doodads.
Underneath everything is Lotus-derived handling, which is good news for enthusiasts. The double wishbones have three-way adjustable dampers and adjustable anti-roll bars, allowing owners to set it up however they want.
Boats have actually been cited as car-design inspirations before. The 1922 Lancia Lambda, for example, pioneered a unitary monocoque body inspired by a ocean-going ship’s hull. The current Rolls-Royce Boat Tail is explicitly inspired by classic luxury boats, with a curved, flat rear deck modeled on a yacht’s stern.
Runabout prices start at €390,000 (US$466,000). Buyers get a healthy range of customization options too, including different stripes, matte or gloss finishes, and various wheel and leather colors. Check out the photos on Bertone’s website – we think it looks ultra-cool in green.
Source: Bertone
