The Bertone Runabout concept, which found fame in the 1960s with its radical wedge-shaped design, has finally reached production more than five decades after it was shown as a one-off.
The 1969 Marcello Gandini-penned Runabout combined a roofless and doorless body with a 1.1-litre Autobianchi powertrain.
Its outlandish design went on to influence Fiat’s X1/9 sports car of 1972.
This modern, £400,000 follow-up shares the same philosophy but is a far more enticing driving proposition, thanks to it sitting on a box-fresh Exige (wearing a new VIN) and drawing power from the Lotus’s supercharged, Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 – but both further enhanced. The engine now makes 469bhp and 361lb ft of torque (up from 430bhp and 335lb ft) and the chassis has been lightened – which together with carbonfibre body panels results in a kerb weight of just 1180kg.
Like in the Exige, the Runabout comes with a six-speed manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive.
This all comes together for a 0-62mph time of 4.1sec and a 168mph top speed.
It’s the customisation options that the Italian design house is proudest of, however.
For example, buyers can opt for Bertone-branded helmets and a luggage set designed to slot into the car’s slim boot and glovebox.
The expectation, said Bertone, is that no two cars from the production run of 25 will be the same.
“Every client follows a curated configuration journey, shaping the car’s identity through a personal dialogue with Bertone’s centro stile,” it said.
Such limited production means there is no need for the Runabout to follow homologation rules, which explains its extremely low and slim front end and pop-up headlights.
These supplement a pair of pencil-line daytime-running lights dissecting the central, dividing line of the car.
