The Legendary Designer Behind The McLaren P1 Is Working On New REO Trucks

Frank Stephenson and his studio are crafting the REO Runabout T4X, T4C and S4C with simple hardware, right-to-repair features and long-term durability.

REO Runabout rear teaser

Photo by: REO Industries

Brian Potter

By: Brian Potter

Sep 22, at 2:52am ET

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REO Trucks hired frankstephenson design to lead styling of its revived Runabout lineup.
The Runabout trio, T4X, T4C, and S4C, share a single body-on-frame platform.
REO says every Runabout model is built around the right to repair.

REO Trucks has hired Frank Stephenson, the designer behind the modern Mini, the first BMW X5 and the McLaren P1, to shape its revived Runabout lineup. The Dallas-based startup confirmed the partnership on September 21, 2026, naming frankstephenson design as the studio steering all three trucks it plans to build.

The trio consists of the T4X work truck, the T4C crew cab and the S4C SUV, all sharing one body-on-frame platform. REO says Stephenson and his team are already in the detail phase of the design work, with a digital reveal planned later this year and the first physical vehicle following in 2027.

Gallery: REO Trucks Runabout teasers

REO Runabout front teaser

REO Runabout rear teaser REO Runabout S4C teaser REO Runabout T4C teaser REO Runabout T4X teaser

Source: REO Industries

Who's Behind The Design

Stephenson's résumé spans four decades and includes the Fiat 500, the Ferrari F430, the Maserati MC12 and the McLaren P1, alongside the modern Mini and the first-generation BMW X5. His work ranges from low-volume supercars to mass-market small cars, several of which became sales successes for their respective brands.

Zach De Bernardi, founder and CEO of REO, credited Stephenson's track record with reviving dormant nameplates. "Frank has led some of the most successful nameplate revivals in the industry and we are confident that the REO revival will be no less successful," he said.

De Bernardi tied the hire directly to the brand's history, framing it as central to the company's relaunch. "We couldn't have chosen a better partner to help us honor Ransom Eli Olds' legacy," he said, referring to the Oldsmobile founder who built REO cars in Lansing, Michigan starting in 1905.

Stephenson described the brief as unusually clear for a designer. "The team of visionaries behind REO has a very clear idea of what these trucks need to be: simple, honest and built to last," he said, calling it "a brilliant brief for any designer" to work from.

REO Runabout S4C teaser

REO Runabout S4C teaser

Photo by: REO Industries

What The Trucks Will Offer

REO says every Runabout model is built around the right to repair, with a physical switch or lever for each control and panels that come off in under five minutes using common tools. The T4X, T4C and S4C will run inline four-cylinder gas engines keeping the mechanical layout deliberately simple.

The company states the powertrain is engineered to run for 500,000 miles, and that no component will ever be software-locked to the vehicle through parts-pairing. Approved manufacturers can sell parts directly to owners through an authorized maker program on REO's online marketplace, with published prices and fees.

REO's own parts catalog is public and backed for 20 years, the company says, positioning the Runabout as a truck meant to be serviced well beyond a typical ownership cycle. Pilot builds follow the digital reveal in 2027, with first deliveries targeted for late 2028 or 2029.

More than 32,500 paid reservations have come in so far, REO says, with refundable $25 deposits still open at reotrucks.com.

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Motor1's Take: The bigger story here is a well-known designer attaching his name to a startup that is betting hard on old-school hardware. Stephenson has backed brands before, but usually after they already had metal on the road.

That makes REO's timeline the real question. Designing simple, repairable trucks is one thing; funding development, crash testing and a 500,000-mile target is another. If REO gets those pieces in place, these trucks could give buyers who keep vehicles for decades a serious alternative to software-heavy pickups.