Bertone Unveils the New Runabout: A Vision of Italian Neo-Retro Modernity
At the 50th anniversary edition of Rétromobile, Bertone unveiled the new Runabout to the public for the first time. Presented within the inaugural Ultimate Supercar Garage at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the Runabout stood alongside the Bertone GB110 and the original 1969 Runabout concept, completing a dialogue that began more than five decades ago.
The unveiling marked a defining moment for the brand. Not as a reinterpretation of history, but as the continuation of a vision first expressed in 1969. Placed side by side, the original concept and the 2026 production car demonstrated the coherence of Bertone’s design language across generations. The proportions remain disciplined. The tension of the wedge endures. The vision is intact.
What began as a radical design concept at the end of the 1960s now exists as a contemporary production reality. The new Runabout unites Italian coachbuilding heritage with contemporary engineering and proportion-led design. Two essential architectural gestures define the car: the forward-leaning wedge line and the coda tronca. Together, they create a composition that is compact, low and decisively oriented toward movement.
Offered in both Barchetta and Targa configurations, the Runabout maintains identical geometry and discipline in each interpretation. They are not stylistic variations, but complementary expressions of the same underlying design philosophy.
The interior follows the same principle of reduction and clarity.
A hull-inspired structural tub integrates occupants low within the car. A continuous horizontal dashboard frames the space. A central digital tachometer restores focus to driving, while a sculptural gated manual shifter reaffirms mechanical engagement. Form reduced. Execution elevated.
The Runabout is produced in a strictly limited series of 25 examples. Each car is built on a re-engineered lightweight architecture combining bonded aluminum and carbon fiber bodywork. Power is delivered by a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 producing 475 horsepower, paired with a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission.
Each client embarks on a curated configuration journey in direct collaboration with Bertone’s Centro Stile, shaping materials, finishes and details through personal dialogue with the atelier. This approach reflects a contemporary interpretation of Italian coachbuilding: precise, intentional and inherently limited.
The Runabout’s world premiere in Paris generated immediate international recognition.
Leading automotive and lifestyle publications across the World highlighted the car as a coherent continuation of Bertone’s historic design lineage. The project was widely acknowledged as a confident contemporary statement. The limited production of 25 units further reinforces its positioning as a modern collectible, conceived for clients seeking authenticity, proportion and mechanical purity.
Rétromobile 2026 marked more than a public debut. It reaffirmed Bertone’s role as an active, contemporary coachbuilder integrating design, engineering and execution within a unified vision.
If 1969 represented experimentation and vision, 2026 represents completion and realization.
The Runabout now moves beyond the concept stage: It enters the world, as a modern expression of Bertone’s timeless design language.
