Renowned Italian carmaker Bertone has announced a comeback of the famous Autobianchi A112 Runabout, which debuted 57 years ago as a concept. Only 25 street-legal cars will be made and offered starting from €390,000.
Customers will be able to choose from two body styles called Targa and Barchetta. Both were envisioned for the original car as well, but it never made it to mass production. Its modern reimagination relies on a Lotus chassis and a 3.5-liter turbocharged Toyota engine to deliver a contemporary driving experience.
To be more specific, it commands 475 PS (469 hp / 350 kW), sending them to the rear end via a six-speed manual transmission. Sprinting to 100 km/h (62 mph) succeeds in 4.1 seconds, and the top speed lies at 270 km/h (167 mph). Needless to say, the steering mechanism, the suspension and the brakes are all modern.
On the outside, the Bertone Runabout looks like a vitange ride with its pop-up headlamps, composite bodywork and semi-sealed wheels reminiscent of the late 1960s-era concepts. It weighs in at 1,075 kilos (2,370 pounds) before liquids.
The leather interior is laconic and sports metallic accents along with numerous physical buttons and knobs. The only digital display on board fulfills the function of the dash screen. Don’t mistake the round thing in the middle of the front panel for a chronometer: it’s actually a compass. Like its historical predecessor, the Runabout is partly inspired by motorboat design.
