NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Autobianchi

Autobianchi (pronounced [α.utobi'ɔnki]—IPA pronunciation) was an Italian automobile manufacturer, created jointly by Bianchi, Pirelli and Fiat in 1955. Autobianchi produced only a handful of models during its lifetime, which were almost exclusively small cars, with the biggest being the short-lived Autobianchi A111, a small family car. Autobianchis were priced higher than Fiat models of similar size and the brand was used by Fiat to test new and innovative concepts which later found their way into mainstream Fiat vehicles; these concepts included fibreglass bodies and front-wheel drive. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (610x610, 80 KB)Photograph uploaded from the Commons (original name: Logoautobianchi1. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (610x610, 80 KB)Photograph uploaded from the Commons (original name: Logoautobianchi1. ... For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words see here. ... Karl Benzs Velo (vÃ©lo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... Bianchi is a major Italian bicycle manufacturer. ... Pirelli Logo Pirelli & C. SpA is an important industrial company based in Milan, Italy. ... Fiat Grande Punto Fiat Group, or Fiat S.p. ... The Autobianchi A111 was a small family car from the Italian automaker, Autobianchi (a subsidiary of the Fiat group), built from 1969 to 1972. ... A Ford Focus, classed as a small family car. ... There is a disputed proposal to merge this article with glass-reinforced plastic. ... Front-wheel drive is the most common form of engine/transmission layout used in modern passenger cars, where the engine drives the front wheels. ...

The most famous Autobianchi models include the A112 released in 1969, a small hatchback very popular in Italy for racing, and which ceased production in 1986; as well as the Y10, which was the first car to use Fiat's new FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotised Engine). The Primula was the car with which Fiat introduced the particular front-wheel drive arrangement of engine, transmission and differential (final drive) that has become prevalent in its cars today. This car competed with the Innocenti-built Mini, which was the inspiration for the drivetrain layout. The Autobianchi A112 was an Italian automobile. ... Peugeot 306 hatchback, with the hatch lifted and the parcel shelf tilted for access Not a hatchback: a fastback like this Ford Mustang can be confused with a true hatchback Hatchback is term describing an automobile design, consisting of a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind... The Lancia Y10 is a city car produced by the Italian automaker Lancia from 1985 to 1996. ... Fiat Grande Punto Fiat Group, or Fiat S.p. ... The FIRE (for Fully Integrated Robotised Engine) is a series of automobile engines from Fiat. ... These cars were produced between 1964 and 1970. ... The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion, or rapid oxidation, of gas and air occurs in a confined space called a combustion chamber. ... Epicyclic gearing or planetary gearing as used in an automatic transmission. ... In an automobile and other four-wheeled vehicles, a differential is a device, usually consisting of gears, for allowing each of the driving wheels to rotate at different speeds, while supplying equal torque to each of them. ... The Italian machinery works named Innocenti was originally established by Ferdinando Innocenti in 1920. ... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ...

Autobianchi was bought by the Fiat group and integrated into the operations of Lancia. The marque survived in Italy until the end of the Y10's production in 1995, but became extinct elsewhere when the model was rebranded as a Lancia in 1989. Lancia (Lan-cha) is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat group in 1969. ...

Origins

Bianchi, founded by Edoardo Bianchi in 1885 and now remembered primarily as a bicycle manufacturer, was also active in passenger car manufacturer from 1899. Bianchis were in general high-end luxury cars, made with high attention to detail. The company's factory in Abruzzi was destroyed by bombing during World War II. Edoardo Bianchi himself died in 1946 in a car accident, and the ownership of the firm passed to his son, Giuseppe. Even though a new, modern facility was constructed in Desio after the war, economic conditions forced Giuseppe not to resume passenger car production, but rather to focus on bicycles, motorcycles and commercial vehicles.^[1]^[2]^[3] Bianchi bicycles are still manufactured. Bianchi is a major Italian bicycle manufacturer. ... Restored passenger cars on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, WI. A passenger car is a piece of railroad rolling stock that is designed to carry passengers. ... Categories: Regions of Italy | Abruzzo ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Minor collisions such as this one are the most common type of car accident. ... DeSio The history of a noble Roman family. ... ÅŒfucká»¹dgfdddfdefdfdfdfdfdfdaasdfasdfasf For other uses, see Bicycle (disambiguation). ... Motorcyclists take a break from the road For the trance music group, see Motorcycle (artist). ... A commercial vehicle is a type of vehicle used for carrying goods or passengers. ... Bianchi is a major Italian bicycle manufacturer. ...

Bianchi's general manager, Ferruccio Quintavalle, wanted to take advantage of the company's extensive experience in manufacturing cars and ordered the preparation of studies and prototypes of possible new models. Soon it became apparent that resuming passenger car production would not be feasible without a help of stronger partner. Therefore, Bianchi turned to large industrial groups Fiat and Pirelli with a proposal to form a new company to produce automobiles. Thus, the Autobianchi company was born, with the agreement signed by the three parties on 11 January 1955 and share capital of 3 million lira, 33% of which belonged to the Bianchi family. A new, modern, purpose-built plant for the production of Autobianchi cars was erected on an area of 140,000 square metres in Desio.^[2]^[3] Fiat Grande Punto Fiat Group, or Fiat S.p. ... Pirelli Logo Pirelli & C. SpA is an important industrial company based in Milan, Italy. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Issued capital. ... Lira is the name of the monetary unit of a number of countries, as well as the former currency of Italy, San Marino and the Vatican City. ...

Each of the partners had a clearly defined role and interest in the venture. Fiat was to provide the technical base and components for the assembly of the cars. It was seeking to capture the premium niche of the small car market, at that time occupied by coachbuilders such as Moretti and Vignale, who were building their models on Fiat chassis. Pirelli, which was to supply tires for the cars, sought to expand their OEM market share. Bianchi, was assigned the duties of preparing the bodies and assembling complete vehicles; a step towards their desired return to full passenger car production.^[2]^[3] A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles. ... Tatra 613 coupe Vignale - 1969 The Vignale designed Tatra 613-4 Mi Long Model 1995. ... A chassis (plural: chassis) consists of a framework which supports an inanimate object, analogous to an animals skeleton; for example in the construction of an automobile or of a firearm. ... Original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, is a term that refers to a situation in which one company purchases a manufactured product from another company and resells the product as its own, usually as a part of a larger product the original company is selling. ...

Bianchina

The first car to be produced by the new company was the Bianchina, whose name was a tribute to Edoardo Bianchi's first 1899 car. The Bianchina was based on Fiat 500 mechanicals – with its two-cylinder, air cooled engine mounted in the rear – but featured a completely new stylish body designed by Luigi Rapi, who was in charge of Fiat's special body unit and helped to set up production in Desio. With many premium design and equipment features, the Bianchina emerged as an upscale minicar, slotting above the Fiat 500 in the market. Marketed as a "second vehicle in the household", and a luxurious "recreational vehicle", also being targeted at affluent middle-class women, it mirrored the increasing affluence in Italian society.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] Bianchina Trasformabile Special, in Turin, Italy. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1268x1064, 306 KB) Summary Autobianchi Bianchina Special Image taken in February 2006 in Torino by myself, Egil Kvaleberg Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Autobianchi Bianchina... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1268x1064, 306 KB) Summary Autobianchi Bianchina Special Image taken in February 2006 in Torino by myself, Egil Kvaleberg Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Autobianchi Bianchina... Bianchina Trasformabile Special, in Turin, Italy. ... The Fiat 500 (the cinquecento from the Italian word for 500) is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975 (the Fiat 500 K alone was produced until 1977). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Urban car. ...

The first Bianchina rolled from the production lines in Desio on 11 September 1957 and had the unusual body style of a two-door landaulet, called "Trasformabile". It remained the sole body style until 1960, when a two-door "Cabriolet" was introduced, followed by a three-door estate version, the "Panoramica" and a two-door saloon, the "Berlina". Finally, two van versions were launched: one resembling a two-seater version of the Panoramica, and another, with a raised and expanded cargo section.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] This article is about the date September 11 in general. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A landau is a coachbuilding term for a type of carriage; the term has also been carried over into the automobile field, where it is generally used to mean a simulated convertible. ... Original meaning A cabriolet was a light, two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a folding calash top, seating two persons behind the drivers box. ... Estate car body style (Saab 95) A station wagon (United States usage), wagon (Australian usage) or estate car (United Kingdom usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan car but with an extended rear cargo area. ... A Ford Taurus, a typical 1990s sedan. ... A van is a vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. ...

Stellina and Primula – Autobianchi pioneers new concepts

Five years after the debut of the Bianchina, at the 1963 Turin Motor Show, a completely new Autobianchi model debuted: the Autobianchi Stellina. A two-door barchetta based on the Fiat 600D's chassis was distinguished by its fibreglass body, designed by Tom Tjardaa. It was Italy's first car with such a body. The vehicle was only produced for two years (1964 and 1965) and only 502 Stellinas were made. Nevertheless, the model was an important step in the development of new technology for Fiat and the rest of the automotive industry. Its lofty price-tag of almost a million lira further emphasized the elevated status of the Autobianchi brand within the Fiat empire. The Autobianchi Stellina was a small spider (a rear-engined cabrio) from the Italian automaker, Autobianchi (a subsidiary of the Fiat group), built for only two years, 1964 and 1965. ... These cars were produced between 1964 and 1970. ... The Autobianchi Stellina was a small spider (a rear-engined cabrio) from the Italian automaker, Autobianchi (a subsidiary of the Fiat group), built for only two years, 1964 and 1965. ... 1923 Ford Model T roadster 1950 Jaguar XK120 roadster This article is about the roadster car body style. ... The Fiat 600 (or Seicento) is a city car produced by the Italian automaker Fiat from 1955 to 1969. ... ISO 4217 Code ITL User(s) Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, but not Campione dItalia Inflation 2. ...

Even more important was the following year's presentation, the Autobianchi Primula. It was Fiat's first attempt at a front-wheel drive car with a transverse engine, a configuration popularized by the British Mini and allowing for very compact and efficient utilization of the body space. Designed by Fiat's technical director, Dante Giacosa, it was launched under the Autobianchi brand to test market reaction to the new concept. The Primula's particular configuration of front wheel drive with a transverse engine, but with a gearbox on the end of the engine and unequal length drive shafts, rather than a gearbox in the sump like the Mini, became universal; as did its use of conventional steel suspension in almost all other cars with the exception of Citroen- usually McPherson struts at the front and a "dead" rear axle. Indeed Peugeot in facelifting their 305 range on the early 1980s switched from their former adherence to the Mini in-sump gearbox to the Primula's end-on gearbox configuration. The Primula is thus a car design of far greater significance than is often realised, as its design influence spread far beyond even the mainstream high volume Fiats such as the 127 and the 128 of the late 1960s. Even though the new Autobianchi was priced higher than Fiat models of similar size, the car met with a favorable reception. Fiat would gradually move all of its models to front-wheel drive. These cars were produced between 1964 and 1970. ... Front-wheel drive is the most common form of engine/transmission layout used in modern passenger cars, where the engine drives the front wheels. ... A transverse engine is an engine in which the crankshaft is oriented side-to-side relative to the wheels of the vehicle. ... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ... Danti Giacosa Autobianchi Primula Dante Giacosa (January 3, 1905 Rome - March 31, 1996 Turin) was one of the greatest light car designers of all time. ...

Into the 1970s

Facing a crisis in the motorcycle market, Bianchi was forced to sell its share in Autobianchi and the company was finally fully integrated into Fiat SpA in 1968. 1969 marked many important developments for the marque. First of all, Bianchina production is finally stopped. Moreover, Autobianchi was positioned within the Fiat Group under the control of the newly-acquired luxury marque Lancia. And significantly, two new Autobianchi models werw launched this year: the Autobianchi A111 and Autobianchi A112.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[6] Those names sound perhaps a bit uninspired compared to previous Autobianchis, and do not have much to do with any particular technical characteristic or size. They were basically internal Fiat development codes, used as model names in a fashion similar to Fiat-branded vehicles of that era.^[7] The Autobianchi A111 was a small family car from the Italian automaker, Autobianchi (a subsidiary of the Fiat group), built from 1969 to 1972. ... The Autobianchi A112 was an Italian automobile. ... Lancia (Lan-cha) is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat group in 1969. ... The Autobianchi A111 was a small family car from the Italian automaker, Autobianchi (a subsidiary of the Fiat group), built from 1969 to 1972. ... The Autobianchi A112 was an Italian automobile. ...

The A111 was derived from Primula mechanicals, but much bigger and more spacious, marking the first (and only) entry of the brand into the small family car class. As usual, it was priced higher than similar Fiat models, notably the first front-wheel drive Fiat per se, the Fiat 128, and did not much find much favour with customers. After little more than 50,000 A111s were made, the plug was pulled as early as in 1972. A Ford Focus, classed as a small family car. ... The 128 was a subcompact automobile manufactured by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1969 to 1985. ...

The A112 was much more successful. A modern, front-wheel drive supermini it was in many ways similar to the Innocenti Mini, which gained substantial popularity in Italy, following on from the popularity of the original Mini throughout Europe. Similarly, the A112 saw strong demand and built a loyal following, reinforced by the introduction of Abarth sporting versions and Autobianchi's engagement in racing with modified versions of the model. 1996 Volkswagen Polo, a popular modern European supermini A supermini is a European hatchback car category. ... The Mini (from Latin small) is the name of a small car produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 to 2000, and the name of its replacement (known as the New MINI) launched in 2001. ... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Abarth was an Italian racing car maker founded by Carlo Abarth, of Austrian origins. ...

With Primula production ceasing in 1970 and the quick demise of the A111, Autobianchi became effectively a one-model brand. Consequently, the A112 was marketed as a Lancia from the mid-1970s in most markets, except for Italy and France, where it retained the Autobianchi branding until the end of production.

End of the road

The A112 continued for a remarkable 17 years years, with frequent but rarely insubstantial changes. After over 1,250,000 of those small cars were built, they were finally replaced in 1986 by a new model, the Autobianchi Y10, based mechanically on the Fiat Panda. This car was branded as Lancia from the beginning for most export markets (except for France again, until 1989), thus becoming better known as the "Lancia Y10". It retained Autobianchi badging and branding in Italy alone. The Desio plant was finally closed in 1992 and with the Y10 being replaced by the Lancia Ypsilon (branded as Lancia in all markets including Italy), the Autobianchi brand disappeared altogether in 1996. The Lancia Y10 is a city car produced by the Italian automaker Lancia from 1985 to 1996. ... The Fiat Panda is a city car from the Italian automotive manufacturer Fiat. ... The Lancia Ypsilon is a supermini produced by the Italian automaker Lancia since 1996. ...

The rights to the brand are now held by the Registro Autobianchi, the official club of the marque in Italy.^[3]

External links

References

^ Bianchi. The Etceterini pages @ CarsFromItaly.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-08. (accessed via the Wayback Machine)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Storia dell'Autobianchi. Bianchina Club. Retrieved on 2006-08-08. (Italian)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g L'histoire de la marque. Club Autobianchi. Retrieved on 2006-08-08. (French)
^ ^a ^b ^c Autobianchi Bianchina. The Etceterini pages @ CarsFromItaly.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-07. (accessed via the Wayback Machine)
^ ^a ^b Storia della Bianchina. Bianchina Club. Retrieved on 2006-08-08. (Italian)
^ Autobianchi. The Etceterini pages @ CarsFromItaly.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-08. (accessed via the Wayback Machine)
^ Fiat/Lancia/Alfa Romeo mallisarjat. Ajovalo. Retrieved on 2006-08-08. (Finnish)

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