Concept Car of the Week: Autobianchi Runabout (1969)

The 850 was a very popular car for Fiat in the ‘60s, especially in its spider version with its cute design and compact proportions. When the time came to replace it, Fiat went back to Bertone, where chief designer Marcello Gandini was charged with designing its replacement.

Not happy to simply recreate the 850, he began with a whole new layout by placing the engine directly in front of the rear axle for a mid-engined layout. This new architecture allowed the fuel tank and spare wheel to sit just behind the cabin on each side of the engine. The weight balance was ideally placed between the wheels while at the same time creating storage space at the front and at the back.

Gandini took his inspiration from late ‘60s speedboats with their smooth surfaces, pointy noses and cut wraparound windscreens. A water line split the car in half, white body at the top, metallic inserts on the lower, topped with a sharp roll bar leaning forward. The geometric profile seems to have been designed solely with a ruler and a compass.

The proportions are very sporty, with a long overhang at the front, none at the back and the passengers sitting far back. The bonnet is long and flat with round protruding arches on each side and a small air intake at the base of the windscreen. Thin red graphics on the flanks and the bonnet exaggerate the sharpness of the design. Deep-dish wheels with chrome finish provide a good stance as well as a racing touch.

The most striking feature of the Runabout is the position of the headlamps mounted behind the passengers on the inclined roll bar. Behind it, the tail is sharply truncated with the black engine compartment seating on top of the body as if it were a pick-up truck.

Gandini traditionally signed most of his designs by cutting the top of the rear arches but strangely the Runabout is one of the few cars he designed that does without them. The hexagonal shapes of the seats, however, echo those from the Lamborghini Marzal, another of Gandini's creations. The rest of the interior was very Spartan, with a very small dashboard and a five-speed gearbox.

With the Autobianchi Runabout, not only did Gandini exceed Fiat's initial expectations, his creation was so successful that Fiat asked Bertone to adapt it for production. Three years later, the first Fiat X1/9 rolled out of the Turin Lingotto factory. It also heavily influenced his iconic 1972 Lancia Stratos HF.

Unveiled Turin Motor Show 1969
Designer Marcello Gandini
Engine 1116cc 4 cylinder SOHC, 55bhp from Fiat 128.

Your author, Flavien Dachet, is a UK-based, French-born car designer. You may know him as the purveyor of KarzNshit, a photo blog that if isn't already in your bookmarks, certainly should be.

By Flavien Dachet