Autobianchi: The Most Important Italian Automaker You've Never Heard Of

[@Pat_RickX]

Thank you for your efforts to keep the underrated Brand Autobianchi in our minds. In 1972, my father wanted to buy a used Lancia Fulvia. My mother told him that there is little Patrick on the way. So he decided to buy a new A112 instead of the used Fulvia. 51 years later, he still talks about his red A112...

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thanks for sharing! Wow, he must have loved that car, indeed! Did he keep it for a long time?

[@studiocalder818]

Che bella macchinina! Scattante come nessun'altra (forse solo la 127 1ª serie)!

[@Pat_RickX]

@@Matteo_Licata ....just 3 years. In 1975 he wanted to upgrade ( to A112 Abarth ). But he decided to buy his first Alfa Romeo ( Alfasud 1.2 ). Seven more Alfas followed up until he changed to a japanese SUV in 2012. But the little red A112 still gives him a smile by telling the old stories ( which I still like to hear although he repeats them again and again ..). One picture of the car survived - Summer 1975, my mum and I in front of the A112.

[@GetPharm-rv6np]

Wow your father speaks my mind the same goes with me but the difference is my parents got me one 1982 A112 70hp red I grew up in Ethiopia I was only 17 and it was my very first car I had so much good memories now after I have all kind of cars including Bentley gt, Lamborghini Murcielago and Mercedes SL I had it all but nothing impress me as much as A112 maybe it's because I had so much memories and history to that car so I totally related to your father's story now I'm desperately looking to buy one so if anyone have this car available for sale or if you can be able to get me one that is not modified or anything added to it like a rally car cause I want the original one and if it's a red color that would be preferable I'll pay top dollar.

[@Uvray]

Last summer I was sitting outside a coffee shop here when a guy pulled up on a nice Bianchi bicycle and asked me to watch it while he went in to order coffee. He came back out and sat with me. Lovely bike. Leather saddle with lovely stitching, Itallian flag on the rims of the wheels. I said to him: the Italians just do design very well, don't they? You know, just the little touches they like to put on things. And he said: "Yeah, the problem is they like to put the Italian price tag on things as well." 🤣

[@DanielCurti]

There is an A111 in Autoworld museum in Bruxelles. She's far more refined than the 124/125. Near my wife's home there is a guy that have a lovely A112 Abarth...what a lovely car, looks so spacious inside!.

[@Matteo_Licata]

The A111 is perhaps the Autobianchi model I'd most like to own as a classic. Very understated and refined, a mini-Lancia. And that's why it was killed off: to avoid it competing with the Beta 1300, given Autobianchis were sold in Lancia's showrooms.

[@william-131]

I own a never restored pristine 1974 A112 Elegant fitted with a 1975 70hp Abarth engine and 1981 5-speed gearbox. It is so much fun driving around the Umbrië’s hillside roads were I currently live. Great video as always!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Wow, that's fantastic! These cars rusted easily, so having an unrestored early A112 is quite extraordinary indeed!

[@studiocalder818]

Gorgeous

[@william-131]

@@Matteo_Licata I'm Dutch and this A112 still has its original 1974 Dutch registration. For a Dutch car it is even more special that it's unrestored. The secret is that it was used by the owner of a Dutch Fiat dealership at its holiday house in Spain for 25 years. During that period it was sparsely used and always parked inside a dry garage. It made me smile when you said that everybody under 40 does not know what Autobianchi is. When I drive around in Italy I get quite a lot of attention but 80% of them are older men claiming a A112 was their first car. LOL

[@giannisvourliotakis2006]

My first car at 1979. A112E. I loved it !!!!!

[@jimmyj1969]

A112 was extremely popular in Greece, they were everywhere! There was even a song about it!

[@ThePrisma5555]

Really nice little cars. Quite popular brand in Greece with A112 a common sight during the 70s & 80s. I think Primula was one the most interesting cars of the 60s but really underrated.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Yes, the Primula is a landmark automobile yet even here in Italy hardly anyone knows about it.

[@studiocalder818]

Primula and A111: f a n t a s t i c cars. "Future experiences and quality"

[@richardvandervoort]

My first car was a A112 Abarth and it was so much fun to drive.

[@Matteo_Licata]

I bet! Never driven one, but it sure does look like fun!

[@heinzweber7642]

Mine was an Y10

[@anthonypetty9288]

Unfortunately, I don't think we ever saw Autobianchi or the A112 in New Zealand, but I'd love to have an Abarth version. There is something about it.

[@Brisbane2024]

Great and interesting Story. I remember the A112, but all the other vehicles from Autobianchi are unknown from me.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!

[@hugobloemers4425]

I always liked the A112, and the Abarth was way ahead of its time.

[@hanspeeters3246]

Fun fact: the A112 Abarth was the first ever hot hatch in 1971!

[@hanspeeters3246]

It was also the last model created by Abarth as an independent company, before it became a Fiat sub-brand

[@martian9999]

The A112 has a presence -- when you see one, you'd never mistake it for something else. The friendly face, the silhouette that looks exactly like the modern Mini's should have been, the low and wide stance. I've seen some in driveways in Tokyo and in Brussels, usually in appropriate orange, and they always made me smile.

[@Matteo_Licata]

So true! It really is a neat design

[@Yarontm1]

I was the proud owner of the A112 model of 1983 in Israel. It was my first car ever and it was an amazing experience!! I loved it so much, it was quick, economical, service was cheap ( mostly done by myself and my brother) and really a great fun to drive. As a student it was the best car I could think of. Love it till this day!!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Cool! Thank you for sharing these memories with me!

[@svenskazengrodan]

Thank you for all the stories you share with us. Much appreciated.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you very much for your appreciation, this is what keeps me coming back every week!

[@CorseSquadra]

Again, a very informative video for a long-lost Italian brand, which strikes close to my heart. My father's first car was a 1977 white A112 Abarth. I was conceived in it, and my mother was driven to the hospital for my birth with it. My father was always fond of it, and he used to recall that he could outpace a Jaguar between traffic lights. He later had a 7 Series A112 Junior, exactly as the blue one shown in your video, with which I grew up in my teen years. Autobianchis were very popular in Greece, and the Abarth was the spiritual successor of the Mini Cooper for boy-racers and wealthy debutantes. It was really fast in the straight, but tricky and potentially lethal to the untrained during hard cornering, with terminal understeer from the incredibly skinny 135 section tyres. Many body shops became quite successful (and wealthy) in repairing front-ended Abarths in the '80s, and replacement engines were cheap and readily available for more than 20 years, not to mention the endless swaps with Lancia, FIAT and even ALFA Romeo powertrains in the feathery bodyshell. The myth/story goes that initial bench testing yielded 100hp from the 1.0 liter engine at a screaming 7900rpm with 4 individual Dell'Orto carburators, but Abarth lowered the output to 70hp for ease of use, reliability and longevity. That tune was later used in race spec, where A112s were successful in hill climbs. The stock engine though still needed revs to perform, and the carburators went out of tune if short-shifted. The earlier versions could reach 160km/h with relative ease, albeit handling at that speed was, ehm, deadly. I managed to find my father's car 35 years after he sold it, in almost original and running condition on a Greek island. No matter how I tried to persuade the owner, he wasn't willing to sell it. The A112 is in my bucket list, along with a Fulvia 1.3S, to stand proud next to my 1750GTV. Mille Grazie Matteo!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Wow, thank you so much for sharing your memories related to the A112, I'm always fascinated to learn how Italian cars were perceived and used in other countries, as it gives me a new and different perspective on them.

[@GECKOZFTW]

Gran Turismo 7 is the game that taught me that a brand called Autobianchi even existed. Until then, I never knew a brand under that name was ever around. That game features the A112 Abarth. Guess you learn something every day

[@Matteo_Licata]

My memories of playing Gran Turismo stop at the second instalment, and that tells you how long since I last played! For me it proved a window into so many JDM cars we never got here in Italy, like the Mitsubishi FTO, Silvia S13s...

[@marksitaliangarage]

I have been told that the A112 has the longest Rally homologation Of any car longer than the mini, because the mini homologation was dropped during the 1980s then homologation began again in the 1990s towards the end of production. I have owned my A 112 ABARTH for 30 years originally bought for £50, a truly wonderful little car. It’s where my love for Italian cars started One day I’ll do a video on my KZbin channel about my ABARTH but for now I am way too busy with my customers cars.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Cool! I don't know precisely how long the A112 Abarth's rally homologation lasted, but it sure was a long time indeed! So cool that you still have your Abarth!

[@marksitaliangarage]

@@Matteo_Licata I’ll send you a picture of it. There’s a good story about how I found it and my adventures with it. It sort of changed the direction of my life. But as someone would say. ‘That’s a story for another time ‘

[@studiocalder818]

Who remembers the shipment of A112 Abarths to the RAC rally at the end of the 70s? Heroic 😊

[@linoabreu5477]

Great video as always especially this one as I grow up closely to one a112, sad to see brands like this disappearing

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thanks for watching! Well, it would have been more and more difficult to justify Autobianchi's existence in the modern market, so it was kind of doomed I guess

[@titanus49]

My cousin had a 1977 A112 Abarth. The most fun car I have ever had the pleasure of driving, fabulous little car.

[@davidorama6690]

Your videos are always fantastic as they are unique in their content. 👍

[@Matteo_Licata]

Glad you think so, thank you!!!

[@pentagrammotorsport]

I’ve had two Y10’s (UK Lancia badged examples) lovely little cars. The A112 Abarth is arguably the first “hot hatch” in history too.

[@Matteo_Licata]

What it's been the first hot hatch in history depends on who you ask, but the A 112 sure must be one of the earliest examples. It was made in direct response to the Mini Cooper, but the Mini doesn't qualify... Because it didn't have a hatch! :)

[@marcusott2973]

@@Matteo_Licata Mini didn't have a hatch until Innocenti gave it one. I love those.

[@studiocalder818]

Why did they sell so few up there?

[@simonwells5319]

Many thanks for your presentation.Its a while since we heard from you,looking forward to more stories.

[@Matteo_Licata]

More to come, rest assured! Life has gotten in the way of making videos lately but, as long as enthusiasts like you keep appreciating my work, I'll keep chugging along here on KZbin :)

[@gearhead9828]

Thank you so much for this, as always, interesting and informative video. Ciao 🙋

[@Matteo_Licata]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!!!

[@marcusott2973]

Much awaited, much appreciated excellent insights as always!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you!!!

[@maxikozi77]

As I am over 40 (but not italian:)) I do know Autobianchi very well. A112 is one of my favourites car ever! Thanks for this episode.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lourencodaarrabida]

Autobianchi was also sold in Portugal by FIAT dealers. I remember seeing 112s and until their restyling in 1990, Ys running around my hometown with the Autobianchi logo. The latter was quite popular among more afluent ladies. ;)

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

Last December, I was walking to work and saw little lovely Y10 1.1 Elite parked on the street and I thought "oh! Those little Y10 where absolutely everywhere in the 80's and 90's and now you don't see them anymore, and they still look amazing!". The very next day I was going through the same place and besides the Elite there was a second Y10 1.1 LX. First you don't see any, them you see it in double.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Very cool! Yes indeed, Y10s were everywhere during my childhood. I remember that nearly all of my elementary school's teachers drove one!

[@nlpnt]

The original Bianchina was sold in the US by the Fiat importer. Most were the original 2-seater sunroof coupe since that was the current model during the 1958-59 import boom. By 1968 it was long gone and we never got the Primula or A112, although the Fiat 128 which was the real second generation of the Primula concept was Fiat USA's bestseller in the '70s.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Given how tiny and slow the Bianchina was compared to anything else driving on American roads at the time, taking a highway on it must have been a pretty scary experience!

[@studiocalder818]

128 3P: best compact car in the USA in 1977 or 1978 if I remember correctly

[@vintageman91]

Im 31 and Swedish and knew about them, but thats because of my interrest for vintage rallying and they were active in it within the lower classes in the 70s.

[@fhwolthuis]

Autobianchi was quite popular in the Netherlands in the 1970s. My aunt drove one of the first models 😀👍🏻

[@Suprahampton]

I remember the Lancia Y10 in the UK, the matt black rear hatch indicating it was a 'turbo'. They also did a 'Fila' edition with the shoe company iirc

[@Matteo_Licata]

The rear hatch was nearly always black, not just on Turbos. This led many to believe it was made of plastic, but it was pressed steel like the rest of the body :)

[@mikebaginy8731]

Ah yes, I remember the A112 very well. I lived in Germany at the time and frequented an Italian (billiard) club where some members drove A112s. Good times for interesting cars back then.

[@studiocalder818]

At the time, each nation had its own school; from Italy a type of compact, practical and sporty car, with good road qualities: ideal cars for its own roads

[@ticktown2783]

Thank you for this wonderful concise history of these super stylish small cars. What was the museum where the y10 pictures came from?

[@Matteo_Licata]

Glad you enjoyed it. It is the Stellantis Heritage Hub here in Turin. You can visit it on scheduled guided tours, typically held on Saturdays

[@TheRealFLX81]

Oh my... I had a rosso shock metallescente Ypsilon 1.4 LX, just like the upper one in your last pic. Mine had aftermarket 3 spoke wheels and a beige alcantara interior, though. Loved that little car and I only sold it because it started to randomly honk in the middle of cold nights while being parked in front of my house. It continued to do so even after the horn and some electrics were changed, so it was either sell it or be lynched by the neighbors...

[@Matteo_Licata]

Oh wow! That must have been very annoying indeed! Three-spoke alloys are so 1990s... Cool!

[@acurafillfilip9868]

A friend of mine had that exact same problem and we finally traced it back to a the collapsible steering wheel hub that must’ve taken a hit somewhere along its life. Took us quite a while to figure it out but we eventually found that the hub was ever so slightly bent and under certain conditions (low temperature?) it seemed to make contact with the wiring and the horn would start blaring. Can’t remember if we changed the hub or hammered in back in shape but the problem went away after that. Pity you don’t have yours anymore: although it is in storage now we’ll keep ours forever

[@gaetanoflorio6277]

My first drive in Italy in the mid 80's was an Abarth A112 3rd series. Fell in love with it and wnded up with a last series A112 Abarth in white. I absolutely loved that little pocket rocket 😅. Thank you again, Matteo, for your insights on what Italys version of the Mini Cooper was. 🇦🇺🇮🇹

[@Matteo_Licata]

Very nice! Thank you for sharing this memory with me!

[@mikeyerke3920]

Please do a video on the Abarth version! Great channel!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you!!! I'll see what I can do, good suggestion

[@RUfromthe40s]

i have a autobianchi like this and it showed the late 70´s autobianchi and the Y so well known as a lancia was in reality a autobianchi renamed , also have a litle and boxy DeTomaso with a 1.3L engine that was fast as hell when released ,all black with caqui seats and all that was considered luxury in the 80´s it had , autobianchi had some very interesting small cars in the 70´s and 60´s, but what some call forgoten or underrated is only old as the Bianchina that was a looked for car as it was the litle car fashion ,as it were well known cars by everybody who drove them and not only a few, i in reality i don´t understand why the makers of videos in reality know nothing about the brands they refer, as lot´s of important information about this so well known brands are not close to complete, i´m not the master of knowledge and my memory isn´t the same as i had when a young man so some things i writte here i would like someone to comfirm or explain in reality what hapened , in my city i had a autobianchi dealer in the 80´s that don´t remenber the years it started to sell the first Lancia Delta´s ,the 1300GT as an example as i have all deltas since the first GT or the HF later as i had a 90´s delta 1.6 i.e with a level of luxury very high the HF ,also a Turbo and Integrale, the funny thing is they used to arrive to my hands with engines all destroyd and some had one year and a half i normally substituted a wire in graphite conected at the gearbox to the centraline and they become new again with assembly it were what today is 15€ in the 80´s, to the 90´s 20€ and in early 2000´s 30€, so i only kept one of each or i would have a big stand saying" Lancia are us "and dozens of lancia´s from the 80´s and 90´s to sell, a guy in 97 told me that if i wanted is two year Dedra looking new i only had to paid him what today is 100€ but i was tired and told him to substitute this cable here (this with his mechanic by it´s side after telling him that there was nothing to do, as it´s engine was completely destroyd inside) and with tape atatched it to the compressed air release cable that shows inside if the car is at yellow, green or red comsuption wise like in late 80´s fiats or mid 80´s like the chroma and the tipo , i read in the bag of the part "rpm counter cutter"didn´t understand why it was called like this but i have all high-end models from this great brand my favorite the K coupé 2.0L turbo 24 valves, amazing nice car and handles perfect, the one i remenber the best was a car that nobody wanted had a 1.8 i.e. engine with top luxury that was called prima and fast as hell as it was a light car ,it seemed a delta with a litle strange trunk atatched to the back but it flighted with a 1.8 L engine

[@delahayenator]

We loved these goodlooking cars. Always rented one (a12) in the 80s when visiting family in Israël. My neighbor used to have an abarth

[@davidpeters6536]

I think I had a Spot-On model of the Bianchina, anyone else remember them, it would have been 1960/61? Innocenti of course got the Bertone design BL rejected for the "new mini" and as a hatchback it sold well (but not in the UK). Another great video, thanks.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

I’m a big fan of Autobianchi - a very important car maker in terms of the format for the modern hatchback, with the Primula. I am on my second Bianchi road bike - naturally in the traditional Celeste colour! They’re beautiful bikes - and attract a lot of interest - mines ‘full Italian’ with a Campagnolo groupset too.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Cool :) I'm not much into bikes, but sure your one must be a lovely piece of kit!

[@MicrobyteAlan]

Interesting, great video and script, well presented. Thank you

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you!!!

[@vasilisdx1]

we greeks also know very much about autobianchi. we have a song that was a huge success in 80s about autobianchi

[@Matteo_Licata]

Really? I'll look for it now, I'm curious to listen to it!

[@studiocalder818]

Please, let us know it! (As in Spain about the Simca 1000 😁!)

[@geodrome]

I once saw two massive Great Dane dogs , in the back of one. They took up the whole of the back , with the rear seat folded down. When they jumped out the rear suspension lifted about 10 cm.

[@acurafillfilip9868]

I started watching this episode hoping that you would end the story with the Lancia Ypsilon and you have delivered! Thank you very much! We still own my wife’s ypsilon 1.2 Ltr. 16V with kaleidoscope paint and alcantara interior bought new back in 1996. Sadly nobody cares about this model for the time being but this will change and by then we’ll be the custodians of one of the very last one-owner Ypsilons in the country. 😊😅

[@Matteo_Licata]

Great to hear you still cherish an early Ypsilon. Despite the fact it's the most widely sold Lancia model ever, I'm pretty sure that good examples like yours will soon be quite rare. Here in Italy I still see many around, but all later (restyling) models and in various states of disrepair.

[@lynnhooley7608]

Thank you Matteo, buona giornata

[@bigglesalgy1]

Thank you Matteo! I hope you have something similar story for Innocenti including the adorable coupé and convertibile. Grazie mille!

[@Matteo_Licata]

I wish! I don't have any footage about Innocenti cars, so that story will have to wait

[@jameslocopo4742]

Quite possibly my favorite all time car manufacturer logo is the Autobianchi triangle A. I never warmed up to the Y10 after the long run of the A112 but I was saddened to see the brand be retired. I’m assuming that a video about Innocenti isn’t too far behind either…

[@Matteo_Licata]

I'd really like to make an Innocenti video, but I don't have the footage I would need of all the models... So that will have to wait, unfortunately

[@155andRising]

I remember my first day as a Fiat part’s person at the local dealership and getting introduced to the microfiche I was to use for searching parts . A crash course in motor trade Italian so I could identify the difference between Guida Destra and Sinestra and then I got to flicking through all the faded films that we had to look through a view finder that had been oddly placed under a sky light which didn’t help. It was here though I discovered Autobianchi and Innocenti along side the Fiat, Alfa and Lancia fiche . They were very intriguing cars to look at as a young man who only knew of more mundane UK cars

[@Matteo_Licata]

Cool story! I guess you didn't get to sell many Innocenti parts, though! :)

[@155andRising]

@@Matteo_Licata sadly they were no longer supplied 😬

[@TheSpohalloran]

Hello Matteo Another fascinating story. Thank you. Would love to know the names of those auto museums in the video.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Hi Sean, thank you! Yes, I shot the footage on different occasions in two different places: Turin's National Automobile Museum and the Stellantis Heritage Hub that's here in Turin as well.

[@GuruJSGamingIsFun]

In the early 80's my mother and brother got both a Autobianchi A112. My mother a yellow one and my brother a green one. These had the rubber covered bumpers and were very fun to drive. It was the first car for my mother (many followed as she liked to drive at speed) the one of my brother replaced his Fiat 127 that was started to rust badly. I unfortunately was to young to have a driving licence so I never could drive one. When I met my later wife she drove an Lancia Y10 automatic (in holland it was a Lancia)

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you for sharing these memories with me!

[@runoflife87]

Such a shame the USSR couldn't license the 112 model. This Autobianchi, if stretched to make a 4-door saloon, was a perfect car for 1970's.

[@TheInstructor66]

Thank you for another great and informative video, Matteo. 👏🏻 Beside my 1969 1300 Gt Junior, the autobianchi bianchina trasformabile is one of my top favorite cars. If you can call a car «cute», it will be this. I also adore the Vespa 400, who have the same design cues. Maybe the 400 can be a subject for another video? And: the first time i saw the Nissan Figaro, i saw the trasformabile in the design.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you! Yes, we can safely say the Figaro sure took inspiration from the Bianchina trasformabile! The Vespa 400 could be a story for another time, indeed.

[@marklima74]

My first car was a Y10 GTie which I bought because my older cousin already had a Y10 Turbo. His was badged Autobianchi as he was in Portugal and mine was a Lancia (being UK). I always wondered why... until today

[@Matteo_Licata]

Yes indeed, Y10s were Lancias in the UK from the get-go, but in Portugal, they were sold as Autobianchis until 1988 :)

[@studiocalder818]

Good boy. I was sorry that abroad Autobianchi became Lancias

[@marklima74]

Because of the Autobianchi I became an Italian car fan and subsequently bought a Fulvia (which I still have), an Integrale and a Y. Because my first car was Italian every car I’ve ever bought has been Italian including 2 fiats and 3 Alfas. They have beauty and personality.

[@italianduded1161]

Eddai ora devo andare ad allenarmi… non vedo l’ora di vedermelo con calma

[@gillesdebritalycars]

Nice 👍🏻👍🏻. A friend as a Primula. Very pretty car.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Sure is! Thank you!

[@LeeJcc]

Thanks for this really informative info on Autobianchi. The A111 looks like an upmarket Fiat 128 - any link between the two cars? I really like the Y10 for its aerodynamic shape and the bold step to leave the tailgate unpainted (thats why its always black - correct me if I'm wrong). And although the Fiat Panda and Y10 shared many components, I thought the Y10 had the 'omega' rear suspension, while the original Panda had leaf springs. The facelifted Panda received the omega suspension afterwards.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Despite their similarity, there's no relation between the A111 and the 128. Yes, in the video I simply said "Panda underpinnings" because that's what the post-1986 Pandas had. Given the short time between the launch of the Y10 and the Panda Supernova, the revised floorpan with omega axle was certainly designed contemporarily for both cars.

[@stephenswift9868]

Funky little cars, I like them all! I think the price of Bianchi bikes are about the same price as a Autobianchi car, perhaps a little more!Very good bikes though, worth the investment.

[@rabit818]

Beautiful and stylish cars, too bad we do not have it here in the US.

[@Matteo_Licata]

For a few years, the Bianchina was exported to the USA, but none of the later models ever made it across the Atlantic, indeed.

[@OaksCU1]

They must have had some presences in Sweden, my mom has had two A112, one black and one white. My parents sold her last one shortly after I was born because they wanted a safer car to drive me in, so they got an Audi 100 Avant C3, in addition to my dad's Volvo 240 Turbo sedan.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Yes indeed, Autobianchis were exported to most European markets and, in some cases, they were pretty successful too.

[@JoseFlores-mo6ol]

my father had a white one I loved it he saw it playful❤❤❤✌✌

[@andynixon2820]

Bianchi also made beautiful small capacity motorcycles up until 1967 .

[@Matteo_Licata]

Yes indeed, I left that detail out of the video because I thought it wasn't essential to the story, but thank you for pointing it out.

[@GetPharm-rv6np]

Thank you so much for sharing such insightful information about the AUTOBIANCHI. I have so much history with this car it was my very first car growing up in Ethiopia. Mine was 1982 and it was a red color 70hp and I'm desperately looking for to buy one so if you anyone have this car available for sale or if you can be able to get me one that is not modified or anything added to it a rally car cause I want the original one and if it's a red color that would be preferable I'll pay top dollar for it. I am looking forward to hearing your response

[@Matteo_Licata]

Wow, I had no idea Autobianchis were even sold in Ethiopia. Well, if you want one again the best advice I can give you is to look for it here in Italy, preferably in the southern regions where cars tend to have longer lives and the milder climate keeps rust away.

[@izzatfauzimustafa6535]

There's a funny thing about having "affordable luxury" in terms of its irony, and I think Autobianchi sums up pretty much well.

[@domtoni4567]

Matteo, is the Arese factory still operational? Great story on Autobianchi, never knew it was part of the bicycle group.

[@Matteo_Licata]

The Arese factory has been bulldozed years ago. Now there's a large mall in its place, but the local automobile club has retained the former test track which, together with the buildings that host the Museum, are the only parts that survive.

[@domtoni4567]

@@Matteo_Licata The test track at Balocco? Or was there one Matteo in Arese? Pity the site is gone.

[@BobGeogeo]

I had no idea that Bianchi bikes had any link to Autobianchi.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Glad you discovered that thanks to my video :) It is a tenuous link, but there was one indeed

[@adrianmonk4440]

FIAT was Autobianchi's PUPPET MASTER. With AB being the red-headed, step child, small car, test bed, then fall guy.

[@xjr358]

Looks like a Bianchina was the car that inspired Nissan to make a Figaro!

[@Matteo_Licata]

I believe Nissan's stylists got some inspiration from it, sure!

[@wickiezulu]

The A112 should have been sold as a Fiat in the UK and additionally been available with entry-level 2-cylinder engines to negate the need for the rear-engine 126 and 133, foreshadowing the later similarly-engined Panda and Cinquecento city cars. Did wonder if the 1.3-litre+ Fiasa motors used in the 127 and Y10 would have also been a simple swap into the A112 since it is related to the larger 127, although the 1300cc motor in the Abarth Simca 1300 GT (said to be derived from the 982cc Fiat-Abarth 1000) suggests more capacity could have been extracted from the 100 Series OHV motor beyond 1050cc.

[@Matteo_Licata]

I don't know if the 1300cc engine fits into the A112 engine bay. People have stuffed all kinds of powertrains into these cars but, you know, manufacturers are decidedly more conservative than enthusiasts and tuners!

[@wickiezulu]

No doubt about their conservativism, what with Abarth wanting to make use of the 107 hp 982cc Twin-Cam in an A112 Abarth Prototipo before Fiat vetoed the idea. Enlarging the 100 Series above 1050cc if there was enough left to do so would have been preferable in lieu of the 982cv twin-cam or failing that, make use of the Fiasa motor (not the 1049cc version mind you) provided there was no significant size or weight penalty for doing so in the A112.

[@paullacey2999]

The Y10 could be launched tomorrow,it still looks fresh.But Bianchi make some nice bicycles these days at prices that would get a car🤭🤭🤭

[@ggauras7363]

Really cool brand bro!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@ofirs5830]

9:00 why didn't fiat use the existing similar cinquecento platform? (The new one)

[@Matteo_Licata]

Back then the Cinquecento platform did not exist yet

[@brunotulliani]

Excellent! I just love the shooting brake Giardiniera. One of my true fetish designs. Thank-you for a great episode! Have you done a segment on Innocenti?

[@Matteo_Licata]

I'd really like to do a segment about Innocenti, but I haven't yet managed to shoot my own footage of most of its models, so that'll have to wait.

[@dough740]

Was the styling of the Fiat 131 an homage to the Primula?

[@Matteo_Licata]

I don't think the 131's styling can be described as a "homage" to anything...

[@fledermausi2048]

Fantozzi's car was an Autobianchi Bianchina

[@Matteo_Licata]

Yep! I read they used about 20 cars for the movies

[@michaelb6729]

I think the Playstation generation knows about Autobianchi, you don't have to be over 40y/o or Italian. I think Gran Turismo 3 had Autobianchi. It was a Kei and European small car you can use to win certain trophies. 🙂

[@titanus49]

Watch Antonio Fiore on KZbin blast his way up Sicilian hill climbs with his heavily modified A112.

[@marcob4630]

Autobianchi ??? The last automobile....Fantozzi's "Bianchina"

[@Luke-PlanesTrainsDogsnCars]

The A112 always struck be as a small edition of the Simca 1100 and should have injected some much needed appeal into a new MINI design. I could never get my head around the rain channel that dropped to the front guard rim. Name another car with that feature Matteo....🙂😑

[@GoliathAngelus]

G31(prototype) Lotus,Lamborghini

[@NickStrife]

Unless you are a Greek ... We even have a song for it. 🤣

[@ofirs5830]

Drove 1 in Israel in 1996 903cc (-: A112

[@zlatkovujevic7348]

It maybe too harsh to said, but I think Fiat killed Italian auto industry. First Lancia, then Bianchi and now we are waiting the final nail in to a coffin for Alfa too.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Well... Yes and no. On one side, Fiat didn't have the resources to maintain and nurture all these storied brands it acquired over time. But on the other, the likes of Lancia and Alfa would have gone under and disappeared without Fiat's lifeline.

[@zlatkovujevic7348]

​@@Matteo_Licata Well, Alfa is now under PSA group, Tonale is Peugot under Alfa logo. We will all see how this end.

[@oliveroneill1388]

Never seen one in public .