Rare and adorable! Autobianchi Bianchina - Tiny van tested

Could this right-hand drive Autobianchi Bianchina van be a unique survivor? It's certainly packed full of charm. Think of it as a slightly posher Fiat 500 Nuova and you won't go far wrong. Straight-twin engine, non-synchro gearbox and very, very few frills. Still loved it...
Delightful HubNut goodies can be purchased at hubnut.org or at our Hoodie store: hubnut-store.c... - this second store is where you can find "Because French" merch and much more.
Or, support HubNut at / hubnut or via Channel memberships: / @hubnut
Want to help Hubnut for free? Don't forget to like the video if you like it, and share with your friends if you really like it! Thank you all.

[@user-in2bw8xk6i]

As an Italian, the sound of that 2-cylinder engine is the sound of childhood.

[@Nino500]

Very much a part of my childhood too. Love it.

[@7thSonOfHolyDiver]

As a Polish I could say mine too

[@giulioz.4928]

True!

[@patrickw6934]

Thank you for giving me a smile on what's been a "down" day.💕 A family friend was a Fiat Dealer. His garden was (neatly) scattered with bits of Fiat 5 and 600. He helped keep our badly behaved 850 on the road.

[@fnutboy]

Yeah, we all get depressed and then watch little vids like this and it makes us laugh. Cheers Hubnut and all the followers, love you x

[@the.internet]

Echo these sentiments

[@fnutboy]

@@the.internet Amen

[@fnutboy]

@@the.internet Stay strong mate x

[@kennethjackson7574]

I saw an 850 ragtop in San Rafael, California, within the past year or two. In an auto repair shop, of course. If nothing else, the return of Fiats that generally resemble these old ones, and the Disney/Pixar movie ‘Cars’ has made the 850s more likely to cause folks to wonder “What’s that?”

[@fhwolthuis]

What a cute little thing. Brings back sweet memories of my mum's 500s. We travelled with 4 people in it sometimes, my dad being 6ft2 and my sister and me sitting in the back seat as teenagers. You should've given the fam a lift to try it out 😂👍🏻

[@tommasomanzali7847]

I love this! My great grandad had a 1969 berlina, in beige with red interior! They stopped using it in 1980 circa but never sold it nor trashed it, so it remained in the house. In 2005 or so, my grandad decided it was time to restore it, so we did it! It was so funny looking, so cute! We sold it ten years ago or so to a collectionist who, I guess, still drives it!

[@giuseppetaurino5002]

I'm a simple Italian: I see HubNut driving an old Italian classic, I hit the like button

[@a1white]

Why can’t we make cars as adorable as this anymore?

[@kennethjackson7574]

Side impact crash resistance comparable to that of a laundry basket, perhaps?

[@a1white]

@@kennethjackson7574 hahaha!

[@macgvrs]

Definitely an interesting little car. Surprising performance from such a small engine. My lawn mower is 18 HP! It is interesting that Briggs and Stratton, who made my lawn mower engine, made a hybrid car in the 1980's using one of their 18 HP twin engines. They claimed that 18 HP is all you needed once you get a car up to cruising speed. Having an electric motor definitely helped performance but, if I recall correctly, you could just use the little gas engine. Anyway, fun to see some of these unique little cars.

[@The-Rectifier]

This bring back a lot off memories....my father drove between ' 66 an mid ' 68, the " berlina F " version. The sound of that little engine, i never forget. One of my first driving experiences was...in that lite blue rumble car. 10 years old and i felt mighty proud. Man...times fly😣 Little anecdote: The heather handle , was under the rear seat and my 4 year younger brother did had the ( naughty), habit, to turn it always on....my parents complain always, it get so hot in the car, till they find out why🤣🤣🤣 It seems..the Berlina did have a more " luxurious ", dashboard The A112 ABARTH ....hallelujah, we did have fin with...70Hp😎

[@bobstark184]

This brings back memories of our’66 500! Pretty much the same interior and exactly the same noise. We drove it back from Florence and it was at its happiest over the Alps. Stay off the motorways and they are lovely.

[@garethdavies3220]

Hi Ian, the “unknown” white thing with the tool kit was a 12 volt inspection lamp , the cap unscrews to reveal the bulb and cables.

[@mfbfreak]

That horn matches the car's cute looks so well. Love it.

[@danmccarthy4700]

You make driving a crashbox look so easy! Thanks for this little history lesson on a vehicle I had no clue existed until today.

[@chrisrand5185]

We took our Punto Cabrio to Auto Italia at Brooklands a couple of years ago, which was full of exotic supercars, but the star of the show was an Aautobianchi Bianchina Cabrio. It drew the crowds whereas the Maserati next to it was just another Maserati like all the others.

[@neverquit2470]

Amazing 👏 as an Italian I have a huge respect for the Brits who owned an Italian car or motorbike... Another cool car meeting is the Horsham Piazza Italia!🤗🇮🇹 Ciao!

[@AndyB59]

This is what I love about your channel Ian. One video you're behind the wheel of a great hooligan of a V8 Aussie ute, the next you're controlling the massive 18bhp of an Autobianchi estate. And your grin is just as big each time! Thanks for the grins it gives me. I now can't drive any more owing to glaucoma, and so you give me a great deal of vicarious pleasure. Thanks 👍

[@thomas05ish]

Charming little vehicle from a bygone age. Great video as usual.

[@MeMe-qr3go]

You know, these quirky old cars are such fun. I'd really love to go for an adventure in something like that. It's like a complete time warp back to a time when people were genuinely content with less and a lot more thankful generally. It's pretty awesome how your channel and it's followers appreciate the good in what is regarded as the mundane. You take the time to see the good in the discarded and neglected. Good job again Ian.

[@martinclapton2724]

Hugely pretty car/van and colour scheme. Glad you mentioned the Primula as the original fwd car with end on box, yes as part of Fiat it was a ground breaking design, one they employed on the 128 ( before the 127 as you mentioned) which was voted Euro Car of the Year. To think now most if not all modern car manufacturers follow this design both in terms of saving manufacturing costs , as aided by Macpherson struts they can install the engine / gearbox/ front suspension/ brakes all in one manoeuvre, but also gives potentially more usable space in the volume of the car. Love the video , thought she sounded as well looked very sweet

[@depniff]

Spotted the Saundersfoot street scene at the start. Brought my summer holiday spent there back into my mind. Warm summer days seem so long ago. More Miss Hubnut seaside reviews please....

[@martinneumann7783]

With this awesome little car you steal the show of every Ferrari (also italian and mostly rear engine). Thanks for this road test. Marvellous! 🇮🇹❤🇮🇹

[@andrewmalyon5699]

What a cute,happy little vehicle, love it 😀

[@hugobloemers4425]

A right hand drive panel van Bianchina in 2022, and its driving and not in a museum... Amazing!!

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Gotta love an Autobianchi! I’m happy to say that I own a Bianchi bicycle (in the traditional Celeste colour) - and it’s a beautiful thing!

[@Jay-B1750]

Oh my god what a delicious little thing! I love Italian cars, used to see tonnes of Autobianchi over there when we were on holiday

[@gord307]

Having owned a Fiat 126, many years ago now, it is interesting how little power you actually need to make progress. That positive camber looks like it might make the car a bit of a handful if things went pear-shaped! Thanks for a fascinating review. 👍

[@mystisith3984]

Love it. In this day and age where families are smaller, I would gladly give up on the back seats to have 2 front seats + plenty of cargo space behind.

[@hannodearing1366]

This is Linz, Austria speaking: we would like to mention that we absolutely loved our 44 hp Autobianchi 112, the european master of corrosion 😎

[@peterbishop2552]

What a beautiful vehicle. Thanks for a very enjoyable report.

[@ruglund]

so absolutely a gorgeus little car, this is italian charm at its best. Syncromesh is such a good invention, looking forward to your video on crash gearboxes.

[@beatglauser9444]

A friend of mine bought a survivor with only a tiny bit of rust in Italy: A Panoramica with glass behind the door. He painted it in its original grey color. It does not look as fancy as this one. But it is cute never the less. When me and my wife were young we nearly bought a Bianchina Coupe (with a vinyl roof that you could open). Unfortuanely it was missing to many parts. And was to rusty. There were even full convertibles. Super cute vehicles with tiny fins. For over ten years I saw a Bianchina in a junkyard it Tuscany. I loved to see it when we were driving on the Autostada. The junkyard is gone and the Bianchina as well.

[@danieleregoli812]

They were very popular here back in the day. There was also a bigger van version, with a taller roof, and a rolling shutter at the back. They were used by the state electrical company and the Italian postal service. They were also very popular with plumbers, decorators and any sort of artisan and/or handyman or repairer. If driven well they could easily exceed 25Kms on a liter of petrol!

[@daniellee9015]

Absolutely brilliant video Ian 👍what a car Absolutely gorgeous little car a testament to how cars should still be built last for ever brilliant

[@andrewentwistle515]

Wow what a rare & adorable little van. What a great video on another classic vehicle. I always enjoy the history behind the company who make the vehicles as well as the test drives as well.

[@niklaswejedal463]

I had no idea there was a direct link between Autobianchi and the Bianchi bikes 😯 - New knowledge acquired! Oh joy!

[@GSimpsonOAM]

My father bought a Fiat 500 van when I was born. He decided they needed a bigger car as their first car was a Heinkel bubble car so the FIAT had more than double the engine size (and cylinders)

[@ivanvisanich]

The joys of driving a car with little power. You have to use all of it most of the times. Tiny wheels make it a hoot to drive. No one beats the Italians for the small car and the same recipe still applies to the current Fiat Panda.

[@HTMLEXP]

Double de-clutching is a good practice to learn even if you are driving a car with a synchromesh gearbox. It means you extend the life of the synchromesh and, in a low powered car (especially in a hilly area), you maximise available power and conserve momentum. After all, "power, less is more". There is something so satisfying about rev-matching on the down change and feel the gears mesh smoothly.

[@florjanbrudar692]

0:04 As someone who rode in a Fiat 600 before, I wholeheartedly agree. I always had a soft spot for little cars.

[@bloodybrit]

Love it. The starter and choke are just like my old 126. I never knew of these and this is why I enjoy Hubnut so much.

[@cornishhh]

That's wonderful. I owned three 500s when I was young, and you can really throw them around once you get used to the rather dead steering. The engine is so light that the swing axles don't tuck under like they do in something like a Renault 10 or a Skoda. The only other UK original RHD Bianchina I know of is CRC 459J (one of the last) which on Ebay in Anglesey in 2014. It was last taxed in 2020.

[@ben_jam]

Lovely little motor car, these were perfect for all those old Italian towns with small and winding roads

[@kimcason8764]

Ian in his Element, in a little Buzzbox Micro Engine thing, much more Hubnut than the V8 world..! The Noise of a Completely Different Type of Beastie..! The Joys of Motoring on the 'Sniff of an Oily Rag'. Love it, so Practical for the Welsh Countryside..! Or Maybe Not..!? Cheers All, kim in Oz. 😎

[@wolfsokaya]

These cars have some magic,that the new cars will never have.

[@multislipful]

Thank you for taking us out in that lovely little parallel twin engined transport of delight. In its day it would have happily kept up with all the old pre war Austin Sevens and the A35s that populated these roads. Pity there’s only one though.

[@jorgefernandez-mv8hu]

That is such an adorable and cool little car. Perfect for around town.

[@6chhelipilot]

I had a 72 Fiat 126 and a later Polish-made 'Polski' 126p. Both were full of character and were 2 of our favourite cars, and we've had many!

[@fugawiaus]

Imagine climbing out of a 5.0litre v8 falcon Ute then climbing into the autobianchi. Bit of a difference

[@darrenwilson8042]

what a little cutie - Dante Giacosa was a genius - cars now are just homogenous blobs. I didn't realise it growing up and passing my test in 1980 but there was so much of motoring interest around me that just passed me by.

[@ansomeBob]

I've seen this car at a few shows and it's gorgeous 🙂

[@williamross2579]

I am so happy, that you are happy Ian!

[@tristanpage6805]

Great little thing. Driving it looks like a full time job. Try texting or on the phone behind the wheel of that. Keep up the great work

[@darrenthomas913]

I see this little baby in the Pembrokeshire Classic Car Show. A very rare beast.

[@danieleregoli812]

Awww, that sound...!!! So many memories!!!!

[@billy2rivers1]

A proper old school hubnut video.

[@nathanhobson1142]

Best thing about this video is passing through Saundersfoot, into New Hedges, and (almost) into Tenby.

[@profrumpo]

Love it, saw the estate version featured on Bangers and Cash recently. 1962 as old as me but in far, far better condition. Though looking at it struggle up that hill I think we share similar performance.

[@unbalancedcrank]

This is just so wonderful! What a find! Bravissimo!

[@neilsheppard6673]

Brilliant! Thanks Ian for finding these great little rarities. I doubt if it counts for anything, but I once owned a Bianchi Falco moped. Very noisy, smokey 2-stroke engine with pedals, in case you wanted to save petrol / ran out of it, so it could be ridden like a (somewhat heavy) push bike.

[@fourthdrawerdown6297]

I’ve seen a Fiat 500 knocking around near me with a similar paint job and hubcaps and it always makes me smile. Thanks for sharing the tiniest,vanniest of tiny vans. 🚐

[@plym1969]

This was fun! Thanks Ian 🙂

[@danieleregoli812]

Oh myyyyy, the Bianchina van!!!! What a find!! SWEEEET!!!!😍

[@zeeblats]

That thing you didn't know what it is, is an inspection lamp. Fiat and Lada had them in every vehicle, mine has CCCP on the lid, which unscrews to reveal a rolled up wire that you could either have clamps or a cigar lighter adapter to power 21w bulb.

[@davidlawrence-turner4379]

Looked a real joy . And it matched the blue bollards

[@timhancock6626]

My brother had one, and so did one of his mates back in about 1971.

[@darrenwilson8042]

This is small and Italian therefore fizzy - in small Italian cars its the opera involved in the journey - drive at full chat - never endanger your license and laugh like a maniac as you make moderate progress at what feels like on the edge driving lol

[@robertmustard1711]

Hi Ian that brings back childhood memories of Stepaside and Saundersfoot

[@mr.sr7171]

What a cute little Italian contraption 😍

[@TheOracle65]

Excellent review Ian! What an adorable slice of post-war motoring, with in-period elegant styling and that so Italian 2 cylinder soundtrack. And all so very HubNut.

[@martinbourne8463]

What a beauty,who really needs an SUV

[@lesklower7281]

Simplicity less is more l do like how simple this little van is less to go wrong

[@chrisskelhorn5727]

One of the few cars that TWC can intimidate! 🙂 I loved the little drop-top model! So cute! 😍

[@laszlonemet4425]

Twuostruck? Whi muckin'the Trabant?

[@danielbliss8014]

What a great location for your entry to the video. I had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't one of the locations for the early Pink Panther movies with this car.

[@colinmorrison1531]

The white thing in the boot was a torch that plugs into the cigar lighter, I got one free when I bought my house.

[@CoreyDeWalt]

That interior reminds me of early Volkswagen. Even the starter and choke look like what would be heater controls on 60s vw.

[@timbre7999]

Very nice; a HubNut roadtest of a classic car. Mr. HubNut's laidback presentation style still one of the most relaxing on KZbin

[@danielpothier9990]

Hubnut like a good Italian restaurant is always good.

[@johnboy384]

What a gorgeous little car.

[@stephenjcuk7562]

"Lets go and find a faster road" I winced and smiled at the same time.

[@rudydehaan5313]

I was watching this with a big smile on my face the entire time. Such a great little car ! This is why I love Italian cars. Great video.

[@Richard-Bullock]

Oh I really want this! As a former owner of a 1970 and a 1971 Fiat 500 L, this right here is the dog's danglies!

[@cliffordtalkscars]

I’ve just purchased one! RHD, too. 1967 in need of minor restoration, but I’ll be doing a few videos of how it goes. I would say there are around 5-10 RHD remaining. A similar amount to my RHD 1966 Fiat 600D Multipla! Great video.

[@chrisjwrites]

The choke and starter made me smile. Exactly the same setup and levers as my Fiat 126. My first car many, many years ago.

[@16jan1986]

I made sure one of those was saved from a derelict dairy last year here in dk. It was going to be put in the skip here in dk I said it was worth money and they sold it instead... I was originally a panel van but somebody cut out windows

[@maxeluy]

Old Italian cars are always happy cars 😍

[@garethmorris-jones7760]

Learnt to drive when i was around 16 years of age in the early 1970 s, off road down local farmers tracks in an identical fiat autobianchi van but origional pale blue colour. All good fun at the time with the crash gearbox untill the bell house casing cracked and the vehicle was scrapped.

[@richardhughes9074]

That gorgeous cute little van sounds very much like twc herself Ian Seabrook!!

[@garethdavies7326]

There were a few single declutched changes in there, it didn’t seem to mind much

[@HubNut]

You could get away with upchanges if you were slow, especially third and fourth.

[@MrPabsUk]

Its a happy little place, I`m sure, spreading joy wherever it goes! Good to see a surviving RHD one, no one believes me when I tell them they were sold here! Hearing it makes me want another air cooled 126..

[@georgec2126]

Re the 126: you and me both! But I drove a 700cc water-cooled 126 a while back, and enjoyed it a lot. But at 6'1", I don't jump in- I insert myself carefully!😊

[@MrPabsUk]

@@georgec2126 I`ve had several 126`s in the past, & although I`m not in the 6`+ range, several of my friends are, & many times there were 4 & even 5 of us crammed into my 126`s, including one friend who`s 6`11"! Scary to think of now, especially on motorways, but we did it regularly without a second thought back in the 90`s!

[@melvyncox3361]

Lovely little van.Good to see one in preservation😎👍❤

[@georgec2126]

I'm a big Citroën 2CV fan, but these little Fiats have been starting to interest me a bit. There's plenty of character, that's for sure! One delightful little car. Look after it!

[@sandrodunatov485]

I drove a number of times a very very old (suicide doors!) friend's Fiat 500 in perfect original conditions. It was lovely, a magically "real" toy car. Exuded joy. Unfortunately it was totalled by an idiot while stopped at a crossroad and most surprisingly my friend was totally unharmed inside the wreck. Friend lost his beloved 500, could not easily find another and bought a perfect and rational Golf instead, then lamented the loss of the small "lucky" car since (even after a dozen cars).

[@RWBHere]

Rev matching is a very useful skill for any driver of manual gearbox vehicles to have. If you ever lose clutch functionality, then that skill can get you home or to a garage. We had a Metro, 30 years ago, which had an awful hydraulic clutch with 3 hydraulic cylinders in the system, and air leaks were a constant problem which never was fixed successfully. I drove thousands of miles, often with almost no clutch. Scary if you don't understand double de-clutching, but almost no problem at all (except for starting from a standstill on an adverse gradient) if you have the skill.

[@Rjhs001]

Delightful little rascal Ian. Those rear lights remind me of the Austin 1100/1300.

[@ronsimpson261]

I had one of those ,bought it for 12 quid from an old chap who had been around Europe in it, had stickers from where he had been all over the back door, then parked up in a leaky garage for yrs ,the back of the roof was rotten . never drove it, got it running but all the wheels were locked up . so i swapped it for a HB Viva in About 1979.

[@richardhemingway6084]

What a sweet car. A Fiat 500 in different clothes. I had 3 Fiat 500's over the years. You soon become used to the crash box and become master of the double de-clutch. I even drove one without a clutch, to get home after the cable broke. Changing gear was no problem, it was stopping and starting that presented problems. 😃

[@dorsetoctaviaman]

Oh that is really cute. Buongiorno bella! The engine sound takes me back to my teenage years when a lovely lady who lived across the road from us had a red Fiat 500. And your double declutching reminds me of getting practice in as a learner driver in my Mum's (Issigonis) Mini which had no synchromesh on 1st, and rapidly worsening on 2nd, 3rd & 4th. Downchange throttle blips were such fun!

[@give_me_my_nick_back]

We need more small cars!! Driving passat, I'm sick of big cars already! It's not like passat is all THAT big but it's already a chore to park hahaha though it was pretty comfy to sleep in at the seaside. I'd love something small but luxurious and high performance :D

[@peterw4338]

Adorable! Autobianchi Bianchina; that sums it up. I would stop and admire this but not a Ferrari

[@caw25sha]

A number of car companies started out making bicycles. Rover and Humber are two I can think of and I think there are a few more. Puch and Peugeot also make bikes but I don't know whether they started out doing so before making cars.

[@HubNut]

Peugeot certainly did. Existed a fair while before the motor car.

[@pdsnpsnldlqnop3330]

Peugeot started with salt and pepper grinders and you can still get them today if you have a few hundred pounds spare. In general, everything started in a bicycle workshop. If you can make a bike you can make a car or a plane. The Wright brothers are the classic example but they patented everything and this held back the U.S. aeroplane business for a very long time, hence European plane makers were the innovators until war came along. Reliant is a name you need to add to your list. They called it Reliant because they bought everything from Raleigh and it was easy to change the branding and tooling to 'Reliant'. BSA - British Small Arms - also play in the British bikes to anything else story. If you can't afford to restore a classic car, restore a classic Peugeot bicycle from the 1980's. They pioneered an internal brazing technique that resulted in beautiful frames. Every one is a classic and just needs period correct NOS European parts from Weinmann, Rigida, Sachs Huret et al.

[@seamusobrien2675]

You get to drive the best of the best, I am so envious. Nice works if you can get it.

[@redsorgum]

This "little” video was great. 😘

[@salparadise8581]

character is the trump card...what a gem!