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Bertone Revives 1969 Icon: New Runabout Makes Dramatic Debut
Bertone has officially launched the first model in its new Bertone Classic range with the limited-edition Runabout, unveiled in one of the most architecturally significant settings in Piedmont: the brutalist masterpiece Villa Gontero.
Strictly limited to just 25 examples worldwide, the all-new Runabout reinterprets Marcello Gandini’s radical 1969 Autobianchi A112 Runabout concept for the modern era. Retaining the original’s pure, essential proportions and nautical-inspired barchetta spirit, it translates two decisive lines, a sharp horizontal beltline and L-shaped upper contour, into a contemporary high-performance collectible.
To showcase the car’s design purity and cultural significance, Bertone chose Villa Gontero in Cumiana, just outside Turin. Designed between 1969 and 1971 by architect Carlo Graffi with structural engineering by Sergio Musmeci, the residence is a powerful expression of experimental brutalism. Its cantilevered concrete slabs, suspended volumes, and material honesty create an immediate and profound dialogue with the Runabout. Both the car and the villa emerged from the same fertile late-1960s Piedmontese creative environment, where automotive design, architecture, and industrial vision evolved hand in hand.
The new Runabout stays faithful to the concept’s minimalist aesthetic while delivering serious modern performance. It is offered in two configurations: a pure open Barchetta and a Targa version with a removable roof panel. Power comes from a mid-mounted 3.5-litre supercharged V6 producing 475 hp and 490 Nm of torque, completed with a six speed manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive. The Runabout achieves 0–100 km/h in approximately 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 270 km/h.
This launch marks the beginning of the Bertone Classic range, a carefully considered continuation of the coachbuilder’s extraordinary design legacy. By placing the Runabout within the raw concrete architecture of Villa Gontero, Bertone has created more than a photoshoot, it has made a clear statement about continuity, proportion, craft, and the enduring Italian approach to design.
In the hills of Piedmont, horizontal concrete meets horizontal beltline in perfect harmony. More than fifty years after the original concept first appeared, the Runabout finally feels at home.