This unassuming Autobianchi quietly invented the layout almost every small car on earth still uses: front-wheel drive with a transverse engine. Fiat liked it so much it became the Fiat 128 in 1969.
Lead trim: Primula 65C 1.2 (1197 cc, 60 hp) · up to 70 hp
Autobianchi Primula1964–1970
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Autobianchi Primula yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis unassuming Autobianchi quietly invented the layout almost every small car on earth still uses: front-wheel drive with a transverse engine. Fiat liked it so much it became the Fiat 128 in 1969.
The Autobianchi Primula is a supermini economy car made from 1964 to 1970 (about 75,000 built) by Autobianchi, partly owned by and later a subsidiary of Fiat, best known as one of the first Italian front-wheel-drive cars: it combined a hatchback body with Dante Giacosa's transverse front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, with the transmission and clutch to the left of the engine (developed for the experimental Fiat 123, when Fiat management chose the conventional 124 instead), later popularised by the Fiat 128 and now nearly universal. It was Fiat's first model with rack-and-pinion steering and had disc brakes on all four wheels, uncommon in small cars, with the gearbox end-on above the differential, a single wishbone and upper transverse leaf spring at the front and a dead rear axle. Introduced for model year 1964 as a three-door hatchback, it gained saloon, five-door and (for 1965) a fastback coupé by Carrozzeria Touring; it came second in the 1965 European Car of the Year, after the Austin 1800. Initially it used the 1221 cc engine of the Fiat 1100 D (65 hp in the coupé); in 1968 Fiat 124 engines replaced it, with the berlinas getting the 1197 cc 60 hp unit and the coupé the more powerful 1438 cc 70 hp unit (Coupé S), all OHV. It was succeeded by the A111 and A112.
Collectors Spotted in the Autobianchi Primula Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Autobianchi Primula yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
4 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primula 1.2 (1221 cc, Fiat 1100 D engine) | 1964–1968 | 1.2 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| Primula 65C 1.2 (1197 cc, 60 hp) | 1968–1970 | 1.2 L Inline-4 | 60 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| Primula Coupé 1.2 (1221 cc, 65 hp) | 1965–1968 | 1.2 L Inline-4 | 65 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| Primula Coupé S 1.4 (1438 cc, 70 hp) | 1968–1970 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 70 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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