The Story Of The Autobianchi Bianchina
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
- The story of the #Autobianchi #Bianchina started on the 11th of January, 1955, when Autobianchi itself was founded in Milan.
Wanting to re-enter the automobile business it left with WW2, Bianchi lacked the resources to do so independently, so it managed to involve Fiat and Pirelli as joint shareholders in a new venture called Autobianchi.
The Bianchina was presented in September 1957, just a few months after the Fiat 500. Styled by Fabio Luigi Rapi, it was a triumph of style over substance: with its tailfins, lashings of chrome, and two-tone paint, it was a slice of Americana but cut to measure for #Italian roads and pockets.
The Bianchina Trasformabile was then followed by the Bianchina Cabriolet, and then the Bianchina Panoramica, a charming little wagon. The Bianchina Berlina, called "Quattro Posti," was also made famous... Or infamous, by the successful Fantozzi movies.
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What an absolutely stunning classic.
Possibly the cutest car in automotive history. It's up there with the Frogeye Sprite and the original Cinquecento.
Indeed!
A few years back I sold the Frogeye Sprite I had for 32 years to a New Zelander who was working on the L.A. subway system. I undersold it. But I know he will be someone to take good care of it :)
Another Beautiful Italian Classic.....
Great, many thanks! Now, we're only waiting a video about the Vespa 400!
What a lovely thing, absolutely beautiful
What a little jewel of a car!
Can it be that the Transformabile was the inspiration for the Nissan Figaro? They look suspiciously similar, just 30 years apart...
I actually like it more than the Cabriolet. Or maybe just because of the color? I do not know anymore, they are really soooo cute :)
I don't know for sure, but it's fair to assume the Bianchina inspired the Figaro, yes indeed. By the way, I like the Figaro!
I remember Audrey Hepburn driving the Cabriolet in Paris wearing a white Givenchy helmet sort of hat in 'How to Steal a Million'. As for the Pink P. scenes mentioned before the Bianchinas snub nose styling almost destined it for such roles. I can almost see Cary Grant riding one into Portofino wearing a Gondoliere shirt. Grazie :)
Fantozzi, I guess could be seen as the Italian Mr. Bean.
Funny that the analogy is extended in to both respected country's automotive icons.
Yes, the analogy is a fitting one indeed!
Oh! I sat in one of the convertibles a few years ago at a concours. Me, being 1.95m tall still fit in it quite well!
Every »Fiat« is roomy in front. There is a urban legend that Dante Giacossa, as pretty tall man (~1,95m) and long-term head and later consultant of Fiat design, influenced that.
Your channel is my drug. Thank you very much for all your work 👏👏😊 Viva Italia! 🚗 🇮🇹
Wow, thank you very much! I’m glad you enjoy my work so much 😊👍👍
Such a beautiful little car. Hard to understand why its reputation was so poor. Will probably get much better now after this fantastic video. Thanks a lot, Matteo! Ciao 🙋♂️
Back when Fantozzi's movies were produced, it was just an old car people didn't really care about. Now it's different, but the Bianchina saloon still can be bought quite cheaply, as not many people want them.
Beautifully proportioned and very elegant
Indeed :)
Nice history summary - thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Cool, Cute, Smart Cars- Grande!👍✌️🇮🇹🤟
Yes they are!
Another nice piece about an interesting car.
When I first started driving through Italy, these wee already a rarity. You might see one in a narrow back street of some historic town.... In those narrow streets for which these and their peers were designed and intended.
Somehow this is to the Giacosa 500 what the Karmann Ghia was to the Beetle. Maybe even what the Riley Elf was to Issigonis' Mini.... although that was more a boot and a grille on an existing design.
Cool little machines. I don't know when I last saw one in use.... Not this century, I think.
Thanks for a bite-sized slice of automotive history. Another happy little piece of nostalgia.
Yes, Bianchinas disappeared quickly from Italian cities. I remember very well that, in the 80s, I used to spot plenty of Fiat 500s on the roads but I only saw Bianchinas in the Fantozzi movies!
First to like!!! Awesome videos and stories like always!
Cool, thank you very much!!
Sigh…reminds me of the summers of my youth spent in Italy in the 70’s. I was always amazed on how many Bianchinas were still on the road even into the early 80’s. I cannot help but wonder how awesome a modern Bianchina Trasformobile would be based on the new 500’s
When I was little, the Bianchina was already rare in Turin, but probably not in more southern regions. I agree a modern EV bianchina would be cool :)
It seems that tailfins of Cadillac models in the fifties are longer than the entire Autobianchi car 🤣
You could probably fit that Autobianchi in the trunk of a mid-50s Cadillac....no joke
Thanks for this terrific video about this cute car! Another one we didn't get in the US, but wish we had.
Well, actually you did :)
At least for a few years, the Bianchina was actually sold in the USA... Not many were sold, but it's not impossible to find one there
Jay Leno has one
Nissan Fígaro inspiration...
As usual Great Video Matteo 👌
Thank you very much Patrick!
Excellent thank you...really interesting and well presented 👍
Thank you!!!
My brother and his friend both had a panel van in red. They were great fun.
Belissima macchina! I was born at the wrong time...
In 1986, a friend of my father bought a grey Autobianchi Y10 Turbo - before it was rebadged Lancia - and toke me and my father for a spin. At the back seat, I was hearing their conversation about the car, and how it was the "pocket rocket" that was trying to be, and hearing that Turbo funcioning. The biggest irony is that he bought it for his - then - wife, but in reality, it was him that was enjoying it!
Bellissima*
The Y10 Turbo was pretty rare even in period. It probably had too much power for its chassis, though!
Next week for another Italian Dreamcar !
Yes indeed, watch this space ;)
Another great video Matteo. A car Italians forgot and Americans never heard of.:)
Thank you very much! :)
Very cute. There's a red one running around here, that only comes out in summer.
Pretty. My Frogeye sprite had wide whitewalls like this. When they wore out someone had a set of 4 with thin whitewalls. Finally only black walls were available -alas. I had it 32 years.
I think a lot of modern cars would look better with some type of whitewall tires.
Love the Frogeye Sprite, it's a car I'd love to buy as a project and restore.
I asked for the Bianchina last friday. And here it is!
The Trasformabile is one of my favorite cars. What a cute beauty it is.
I have a small garage. But i think i could fit one beside my GT Junior. The Junior would look huge tho. 😅
Bravo Matteo! You always delivers. Another highlight start on the weekend.
Can i ask what museum this is shoot in?
Thank you very much for your kind words, I’m glad you enjoyed this video so much! The Bianchinas I filmed are on display in Turin’s National Automobile Museum.
Another great video!
Matteo,
Can you, please, tell where was the video taken (the museum segments)?
Thank you! The place is Turin’s Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile
Never seen one before . Its cute . Well done again ..
The rear window was for the same reason as Bertoni's Ami 8 - to maintain headroom in the rear. I found it well executed.
Yes indeed. As a design job, it was well executed, I agree
Oh, and I have a beautiful Bianchi road bike - Celeste and Campagnolo, naturally.........
Good thing my wife isn't watching this video with me...she's getting a new car soon and if she saw that blue Bianchina she'd start harassing me to find one for her!
Bianchina was also featured in Minions movie!
That's one I missed! Which one was it?
@@Matteo_Licata The second one, with that lady, Lucy. It was her car. Despicable Me 2.
😂 Grande l'inclusione del Rag. Fantozzi
Era impossibile parlare della Bianchina senza Fantozzi :)
Quell'intervista che cito nel video, non so perché, ce l'ho ancora stampata nella memoria
Here in America, we joke that FIAT stands for Fix It Again Tony :)
A reputation those cars sadly deserved, largely because Fiat did not engineer with the USA in mind, they limited themselves to comply with local law requirements... But environment and driving conditions are very different in the USA, so the cars broke down. Here in Italy the 124, 128 etc. were tough, dependable machines, believe it or not!
Great tiny car! Has the manufacturing been in Desio, isn't it?
Yes. The Desio factory was operative until 1992.
Perfect city cars. I love the white walls on them, and I don't even really like whitewalls. It makes me thing of Chinese military parades. I have to wonder if these, and other cars of similar configuration (I'm thinking BMW 700) would be perfect urban cars if converted to EV?
I agree, a Bianchina really needs whitewall tires to complete its look! With their tiny and rather trashy two-cylinder engine, Bianchinas make excellent candidates for EV conversions, I agree: it would make it better, there's little doubt about that!
Cars like these always look like they will go beep-beep. The Germans also went crazy designing such stuff after WW2. The best mod is probably to add a heavy battery and truck / ships horn to teach a lesson to all those who keep bantering on about how cute it is. BWOOOAAAAP!
Many years ago, a friend of mine put a truck horn on his VW bus... But it would be much funnier on a Bianchina, yes! :)
Such a great design. I like it much more than the original cinquecento.
That’s an interesting opinion, as the 500 is considered an all-time design icon, while the Bianchina isn’t.
@@Matteo_Licata Sure, but is it an icon because of its design or was the design considered iconic because of how popular the car was? 🙂
It is difficult for me to understand this as Fiat 500 was produced in Yugoslavia as an affordable car much later so I always thought about it as a poor man's transportation. Which it was in the first place, but 20 years earlier. 😃
Actually that's common mistake: we in Yugoslavia didn't built »Fiat Nuova 500« but car based on »Fiat 600«, »Zastava 600/750/850«. Closest to »Nuova 500«, there were some sort-of production of »126«, as both models have basically the same base and mechanichs.
Speaking about reputation of »Nuova 500«, my uncle had one in 1980s as the second car (basically bouth it for his daughter as a present for driving licence) and in that time it was already cool. Even president Tito drove one »Jolly« variant (partly preserved in „Moderna garaža“ Belgrade car museum).
@@037dusan Thanks Dušan. My childhood was in the eighties with Ford Sierra, Alfa GTV, and Audi Quattro being the cars I saw on the streets and liked, so my view on "Fića" was very different to how people in the sixties seen that car. I remember one of my relatives had some old Zastava 750 while my parents had Zastava 128, back then we were considered as normal Yugoslav family with both my parents working, but my relative's family struggled with just one salary so my view of the "Fića" was somewhat distorted because of that. 🙂
I needed years of reading and researching about cars to understand this better and I do now, but it is difficult to unlearn the childhood. 😉
Sure, »Zastava 750« in 1980s was just a cheap car in eyes of Yugoslav public, and that didn't changed up to maybe decade ago, when surviving examples become appriciated and pricey. But that is »Zastvava 600/750/850« aka »Fiat 600« (so it is »Tipo 100«, not to be confused with older »Zastava 850«, close-to-CKD based on »Fiat 850« or »Tipo 100G«); smaller »Fiat 500« was consieder more charming even in 80s, something like »Mini«.
To be precise, as a kid of 1980s also, I really liked and prefered dad's new 1982 »Zastava 750« over his »Lada 1200« (so, Soviet literation of »Fiat 124«) and »Zastava 1300« (»Fiat 1300«). In my eyes it was more childlish and rounded (as a concept) car and that feeling overhelmed my view over general „cheap and small“ image. I learned to drive in it illegally (my first „legal“ car was father's 1988 »Yugo Koral 55«), and, well maintaned, it offered everything what Fiat should offer by me: feeling of lightness and drivebility with „small but real car“ solutions. I know this sounds strange, but... maybe you should try some nice example of any older Fiat and contemporary other car beside. Even today, I choose cars by that feeling (sadly, modern Fiat rarely delivers that, so currently I have »Fiesta« as the most „fiat-ish“ small car in my eyes).
I just can't understand why this car is or was considered such an outsider. For me Bianchina always was more special than classic Cinquecento. I remember this car first from movie "Le Corniaud" - that contrast with big luxurious DeVille Convertible is amazing and altought I would personally prefer to have "Caddy", Bianchina just looks so cute. Bianchina also starred in The Pink Panther driven by gorilla. Fantozzi is of course classic these days but I did not know reason why did Paolo Villaggio choose Bianchina as his car.
Hello! George Lucas owned one (a yellow one) when he was 18 years old - and he crashed it, and almost ended his life!! ... may I please have permission to use 10 seconds of your video to insert into a video I'm editing for my channel? It's a video about the story of what happened to Mr Lucas and his Autobianchi Bianchina. I hope this is ok? Regards, Dave.
Hi! Yes, I'm aware of Lucas once owning a Bianchina. Yes, you can use 10 seconds of my footage in your video, just add the credit to my channel. Thank you for asking and let me know when your video comes up, I'm curious to see it now!
@@Matteo_Licata Thank you so much Matteo, I will certainly add credit, and I will let you know when it's done 🙂🙂🙂
I believe the film maker George Lucas once owned a Bianchina Cabriolet as a teenager. He apparently crashed it, but he still fondly remembers it.
Yes, I’ve discovered that while researching images for this video. I had no idea!
Did any coachbuilders like Moretti develop Autobianchi Bianchina Berlina one-offs with the more 60s visual cues of the larger Fiat 850 or unrelated NSU Prinz 4 with larger rear passenger windows?
To be honest, I don’t know about Carrozzieri “specials” based on the Bianchina. A few may have been made, but I’ve never seen anything
When I see that small car the first asociation is a movie Pink Panther
Indeed, probably the most famous role of the Bianchina in an-internationally-famous movie
Someone should bring the Autobianchi back in 2021 as an electric car. Once again based on the Fiat 500.
That’s a cool idea :)
Even though the likes of SEAT and Zastava both dismissed the idea of producing locally built versions of the Fiat 500 or derivatives in favour of Fiat 600 based models, on the basis the Fiat 600 better met their local needs as opposed to the Fiat 500.
One wonders if a 4-seater Fiat 500 derived model like the Autobianchi Bianchina Berlina (and even the Fiat 500 4-seater prototype) would have achieved similar levels of success in Spain and Yugoslavia as the later Polish built Fiat 126s.
Who knows… Probably!
My hunch is that Fiat has never been interested in “pushing” Autobianchi cars. These cars had to stay withing their market niche and not encroach too much on sales of mainstream Fiat models
Had Neckar in mind with the Autobianchi Bianchina Panorama derived Neckar Panorama, when it comes to SEAT and Zastava deciding to build a more extensive range of locally built Bianchinas and spawning their own unique variations.
I have seen that late-1950s articles somewhere and recently car historian Milutinović wrote about that... Basically, Zastava bought licence for »Fiat 600« around August 1955 and start to built it in October/November 1955; in begining, that build was little more than CKD (we call it „build of standard 3“) and during time number of domestic components increased slowly - somewhere around 1961 that vehicle became truly Yugoslavian. In meantime, Fiat launched »Nuova 500« as cheaper model, so, in light on fact that »600« was far from domestic product in 1957, Zastava imported several »Nuova 500« for analysis of price and possibility to request licence for it instead »600«. Long story shorter, market prefered somewhat more confortable »600« and difference in price was marginal, which ended further discussion about production of »Nuova 500« in Yugoslavia. Small number is imported during his lifetime, but more as šik/chik than rational choise. Interestingly, some of them survived to this day, my neighbour have one »Nuova 500 L« in garage and plans for restauration in his mind.
Thanks Matteo, you must drink more whiskey next time, your voice is getting rather normal !
But one question was the Fiat 500 Giardiniera not built by Autobianchi ?
And there is also a small role for this roadster in the original Pink Panthe movie.
th-cam.com/video/rss-G_0oqok/w-d-xo.html
Yes I remember that movie, a true classic! Yes, the Fiat 500 Giardiniera was built by Autobianchi between 1968 and 1977.
They look like circus clown cars!