Before we start reviewing this wonderful car, a little history of the Autobianchi A112 Runabout, because that’s where the new runabout came from…

Autobianchi a112 Runabout

Picture this: it’s 1969. Mankind has just landed on the Moon, fashion is exploding in color, and designer Marcello Gandini looks at the humble little Autobianchi A112 and thinks, “What if I turn this into something totally insane?”

Enter the Runabout — a concept car that looked like it escaped from a sci-fi film set. No roof, a tiny windshield, shiny roll bars inspired by Riva speedboats, and a sharp wedge shape that seemed to slice through the air. This wasn’t just a car — it was a time-traveling design statement.

Underneath, it borrowed the modest mechanicals from the A112, but nobody cared about specs. The Runabout was all about attitude, freedom, and Bertone-style futurism.

It never made it to production, but it wasn’t forgotten. In fact, it became the inspiration for the legendary Bertone X1/9 — another bold, mid-engined sports car. So in a way, the Runabout was the spark that lit a new fire in Italian automotive design.

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New Bertone Runabout 2025

Imagine a machine not born in a factory, but on a fashion runway under a rain of lasers. The Bertone Runabout isn’t just a car. It’s an electric muscle wrapped in designer armor, whispering: “I am speed. I am style. I am freedom.”

The dashboard? Minimalist and digital, like the cockpit of a space bike. Hit the Boost mode and it doesn’t just move — it erupts, with a sound that tears the air like a sonic boom.

The Runabout doesn’t play by the rules. In a world chasing practicality, it chooses passion. It’s not made for everyone. That’s exactly what makes it unforgettable.

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Bertone Runabout specs:

1. Power:
Approximately 250 kW (340 hp) — next-gen electric motor with instant torque delivery.

2. Acceleration (0–100 km/h):
Around 3.9 seconds.

3. Top Speed:
Over 250 km/h (electronically limited).

4. Engine:
Fully electric, rear-wheel drive (RWD), ~80 kWh battery pack.

5. Range:
Up to 400 km (WLTP), or about 300 km with spirited driving.

6. Dimensions:

• Length: ~3900 mm

• Width: ~1850 mm

• Height: ~1150 mm

• Wheelbase: ~2400 mm
  
  (Compact yet wide for maximum cornering stability)

7. Technologies:

• Boost mode for instant performance

• Digital cockpit with head-up display

• Regenerative braking system

• Keyless smartphone-based entry

• Over-the-air (OTA) software updates

8. Extra Features:

• Removable windscreen

• Adaptive “chameleon” lighting system

• Customizable synthetic motor sound

• 3D immersive audio system built into the headrests

• Lightweight carbon monocoque chassis

The design of this car is a unique thing. As we have already mentioned in this article, the Bertone Runabout 2025 had very futuristic ancestors, so in essence this design is just a slight modernization of the good-old Autobianchi A112 Runabout. This is quite strange because most often when Bertone makes a car, they make it completely from scratch and it seems unique and unrepeatable, but this car is an exception. In my humble opinion, Bertone is showing the world that it is necessary to honor the design traditions of the past. The new Runabout is as if telling the designers of car companies: “Hey, come to your senses, why come up with stupid design solutions for new cars, if you can just take old cars and modernize them”. A good example of this is the Porsche 911, its design has undergone changes only once in 1997, but even then the Porsche designers came to their senses (although the design of that model was quite ugly) and turned everything back, honoring the traditions of the old classic Porsche design.

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Conclusion:

The new Bertone Runabout 2025 perfectly combines the old and the new, so that you can’t tell whether the car is classic or futuristic. So it proves that humanity has already created everything, there is no need to invent anything.