Autobianchi · 1969–1972
Autobianchi A111
The Autobianchi A111 is a 4-door saloon family car produced from 1969 to 1972 by Italian car manufacturer Autobianchi, a subsidiary of the Fiat group. Despite rather modest dimensions, at roughly 4 metres long, it was the largest Autobianchi ever made, as the brand specialized in small cars. A modern front-wheel drive construction like the Fiat 128 launched concurrently, it was based on the revolutionary Autobianchi Primula, Fiat's first "experiment" with the transverse engine front-wheel-drive setup.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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History
=== Development === In 1957 Autobianchi produced the Bianchina, an upmarket version of the Fiat 500, and the Primula small family car. Offered both as a fastback saloon and hatchback, the 1964 Primula was Fiat's first front-wheel drive production car. It had pioneered the transverse-engined front-wheel drive layout with the transmission and clutch to the left of the engine, which today is almost universally used on front-wheel drive cars. The brainchild of Dante Giacosa this mechanical layout had been developed for the Fiat 123, an experimental project undertaken to test various unconventional engine and transmission layouts for a mid-sized 1100 replacement; when Fiat's management endorsed the traditionally laid out (front-longitudinal engine, rear-wheel drive) 124 instead, it had spawned the innovative Autobianchi Primula. To replace the Primula the managing director of Autobianchi, Enrico Ghiretti, desired a new three-box saloon. According to Giacosa's memoirs, Ghiretti feared competition from the upcoming front-wheel drive Fiat 128 small family car (at the time still known as project X1/1) and was a proponent of conservative three-box styling, as opposed to than the Primula's current 2-box hatchback or fastback bodies. The project was authorized by Fiat management, but since Fiat's style centre was already overworked, decision was taken to use a design for the dismissed project 123. The chosen design was the most recent proposal for the transverse-engined front-wheel drive 123 E4; it was updated, chiefly in the front end to incorporate new rectangular headlamp lenses, and approved by Ghiretti for production. Therefore, on the outside the A111's lines unsurprisingly recalled coeval Fiat designs, especially the 124 and 128. Christened A111, the new car—albeit larger in
Specifications
The Autobianchi A111 was a unibody front-wheel drive 4-door sedan with a transversely mounted engine. The Fiat type 124 BLC.000 1.4-litre overhead valve four-cylinder unit was the same installed on the Fiat 124 Special and on the Autobianchi Primula Coupé S; The four-cylinder had a displacement of 1,438 cubic centimetres, a bore and stroke of 81 and 71.5 mm, and a compression ratio of 9.3:1. Fed by a twin-choke downdraught Weber 32 DFB carburettor, it produced 70 PS DIN (51 kW; 69 hp) – 75 PS SAE – at 5,400 rpm, and 108 N⋅m DIN (80 lb⋅ft) at 3,000 rpm. The engine was mated to an all-synchromesh 4-speed manual transmission with floor-mounted shifter. Neither an automatic or different engine options were offered. Suspension was as on the Primula. At the front it consisted of A-arms and an upper transverse leaf spring, which doubled both as upper link and an anti-roll bar, as well as providing the attachment point for double-acting hydraulic dampers; at the rear there was a beam axle on longitudinal semi-elliptic leaf springs, plus double-acting hydraulic dampers. Steering was by means of a rack-and-pinion mechanism positioned beneath the transverse leaf spring and behind the engine. The braking system comprised four disk brakes, front-rear split hydraulic circuits, a vacuum servo and proportioning valve on the rear axle.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- Autobianchi A111
- Manufacturer
- Autobianchi
- Production
- 1969–1972
- Assembly
- Desio, Milan, Italy
- Designer
- Dante Giacosa
- Class
- Family car
- Layout
- Transverse front-engine, front-wheel-drive
- Body style
- 4-door saloon
- Related
- Autobianchi Primula
- Engine
- 1.4 L Fiat 124 BLC I4
- Transmission
- 4-speed manual
- Wheelbase
- 2363 mm
- Length
- 4020 mm
- Width
- 1610 mm
- Height
- 1400 mm
- Kerb weight
- 930 kg
- Predecessor
- Autobianchi Primula
- sp
- uk
- Top speed
- 155 km/h
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q786116CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobianchi_A111CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1375944894 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Autobianchi_A111_black.jpgCC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/41364417@N04/ · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.