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The Autobianchi brand was born on January 11, 1955, from the idea of Ferruccio Quintavalle, General Manager of Bianchi, to involve Fiat and Pirelli in a commercial operation, using the capital of the three equal partners, to establish a new production of cars. Pirelli thus expanded the market supplying its own tires, Fiat took the opportunity to produce its own auxiliary models, but aimed at customers who were eager to be different, while also guaranteeing itself to become a testing ground for alternative solutions without any negative impact on its brand, while Bianchi shared its unsustainable economic efforts with the other partners and re-entered the car market at the end of the war.
Produced at the Desio Bianchi plant
The factories would remain in Desio, where Bianchi already had 140,000 square meters of suitable buildings. These factories, improved and innovated, equipped with a fully automated paint booth system that was extremely modern at the time, began to produce 200 cars a day. However, Autobianchi did not take ownership of the industry until 1958, when the company to which Edoardo Bianchi belonged sold its shares to the other two partners and Giuseppe Bianchi resigned on June 28, 1958 as president, which had been held by Ferruccio Quintavalle.
Bianchina is a close relative of the Fiat 500
The first car born of this alliance was derived from the assembly of the original body and mechanical base of the Fiat 500, another model produced by the Turin company. The engine was located behind the passenger compartment and was a 2-cylinder in-line engine. 15 hp. The new car, signed 110 B, was named Bianchina in honor of the first car designed by Edoardo Bianchi. It was presented at the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan on September 16, 1957. It was a convertible saloon with sunroof, more refined than the 500, aimed at a more demanding public: two-tone body, chrome on the sides, sills and wheel caps. Pirelli whitewall tires and defroster were standard. The price was 565,000 lira.
Bianchina produces 11,000 units a year
In 1958, the first year of release, 11,000 Bianchine were produced. This success led to the diversification of the model, which over the years gave rise to the Trasformabile Special, Cabriolet, Panoramica, regular and special 4-seater sedans and vans. The Trasformabile Special featured an engine upgraded to 21 hp from the 500 Sport, a top speed from 85 km/h to over 105 km/h, and a bright red body with a grey roof. The Cabriolet, presented in April 1960, was a refined convertible version. The Panoramica was the first family model to feature a completely new rear design, with the roof connected to the rear window, allowing maximum interior use. Finally, the regular and special 4-seater sedans, produced since 1962, could comfortably accommodate a family of 4. For commercial transport in urban areas, vans were produced after replacing the rear window with a sheet metal sheet and offering the ability to raise the roof to increase its capacity.
Polyester resin Spider Stellina
Autobianchi’s experimental mission was particularly evident in June 1963 with the entry into production of the Spider Stellina, which was previewed at that year’s Turin Motor Show. The Stellina was the first Italian car to feature a polyester resin and fiberglass body, a combination that offered mechanical and physical properties of technical and commercial interest to the automotive industry. Its fundamental characteristics were high resistance to traction, compression, bending and, above all, impact forces, extreme lightness, the ability to dampen vibrations and the resulting quietness, resistance to chemical agents and especially corrosion, as well as low thermal levels and electrical conductivity.
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