A Manual Gearbox, Pop Up Headlights, and a Point to Prove
The Bertone Runabout is what happens when a design house decides to drive again. The limited-edition, coachbuilt car that revives the brand’s 1969 Autobianchi A112 Runabout concept. It emphasizes a connection to driving as a skill and pleasure.
The Setup
The Bertone Runabout picks up a thread from 1969 and tightens it for today. A compact wedge with pop up headlights, a low windshield, and nautical cues that echo a speedboat more than a coupe. Underneath sits a Lotus Exige based chassis with a supercharged V6 and a manual gearbox. Inside, it stays focused with a single digital screen, handcrafted leather, aluminum accents, and a cabin that feels built around the act of driving.
Bertone
The move is turning heritage into something you can operate and admire. Bertone treats coachbuilding as participation. Owners step into the design process with Centro Stile, shaping materials and finishes until the car feels personal. The limited run of 25 tightens that bond and turns ownership into membership. Analog details like the manual gearbox and physical controls anchor the experience, giving collectors a way to reconnect with driving as a skill and a pleasure. The car becomes a statement you shape and then live with.
The Breakdown
Bertone Runabout
An Infotechnics™️ analysis of how a product rates across the eight areas of performance.
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Bertone’s advantage is design authority. Everything else follows behind it.
The wedge carries the weight. Positioning, differentiation, and experience are all anchored in a form that already feels resolved. The weaker areas show up where the category is most familiar. Messaging leans on known heritage cues, and the pitch does little to extend the idea. The strength comes from restraint. Keep the object sharp, keep the volume low, and let the design do the talking.
Brand Positioning and Identity
Bertone positions itself as the revival of legendary Italian coachbuilding, blending heritage with modern craftsmanship. The Runabout is the first model in the Bertone CLASSIC line, celebrating the brand’s 100th anniversary and its legacy of radical, sculptural design. The car acts as a statement of Bertone’s return to the forefront of automotive design, emphasizing exclusivity, manual artistry, and an emotional connection to driving. The brand draws on its history of bold designs such as the Lamborghini Miura and the Lancia Stratos to reassert its place in the current market as a creator of limited-edition, high-value automotive pieces.
Target Segment and Audience
The Runabout targets ultra-high-net-worth collectors, automotive enthusiasts, and design-focused buyers who value rarity, heritage, and bespoke craftsmanship. This audience looks for a car that reflects personal taste and a strong link to automotive history. The limited production of 25 units worldwide ensures a small ownership group, reinforcing its status as a collector’s piece and a marker of individuality.
Messaging and Storytelling
Bertone’s messaging for the Runabout centers on the revival of a 1969 concept, the clarity of its wedge design, and nautical-inspired details that suggest movement and craft. The narrative focuses on renewal, highlighting coachbuilding as an art form and the appeal of analog driving in a digital-heavy market. The story is carried through design elements such as pop-up headlights, a manual gearbox, and a single digital screen, each referencing the past while fitting into the present.
Experience and Journey
Bertone guides customers through a personalized process. From the first reveal of the Runabout’s design to the customization phase, the brand focuses on direct involvement. Buyers work with Bertone’s Centro Stile to define their car through choices in color, materials, and finishes. The experience is hands-on, with details such as handcrafted leather, aluminum accents, and the manual gearbox reinforcing the car’s artisanal nature and the owner’s connection to it.
Bertone
Community and Culture Insight
The Runabout connects with a global community that values automotive history, craftsmanship, and the physical experience of driving. This group favors rarity, handmade quality, and emotional engagement, qualities often absent in mass-market vehicles. Bertone’s return aligns with a wider interest in heritage brands and artisanal production, appealing to those who see cars as design objects and personal statements.
Differentiation and Unique Selling Point
The Runabout stands apart through its focus on coachbuilding traditions. It features a compact, wedge-shaped design with pop-up headlights, a manual gearbox, and a single digital screen, all supporting driver engagement. Limited production and deep customization strengthen its position as a collector’s piece. Built on a Lotus Exige-based chassis with a supercharged V6 engine, it delivers performance while keeping attention on the driving experience.
Design Language
Bertone’s design language for the Runabout is minimal and bold. The exterior is defined by two key lines, while the interior draws from nautical references with a bi-color scheme, aluminum accents, and a reworked 1969 compass. Material choices and clean forms support the focus on craftsmanship and connection. The design revisits the original’s themes in a way that feels current without losing its roots.
Marketing Pitch
The Bertone Runabout presents Italian design through a limited, handcrafted approach. With only 25 units worldwide, it offers exclusivity, customization, and a driving experience tied to tradition. It is built for collectors who value heritage, craftsmanship, and the feel of a manual connection to the road. The Runabout stands as a modern classic shaped by its past.
Is It A Winning Pitch?
Would you spec yours for the road or for the collection?
