Autobianchi A112

In short

• Built 1969–1986 in eight series; 1,254,178 cars, the last in May 1986.
• Transverse front engine, front-wheel drive, three-door hatchback only, designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone.
• Engines of 903–1,050 cc: 31 kW (42 PS) in the basic car, up to 51 kW (70 PS) in the A112 Abarth 70 HP.
• Sold as the Lancia A112 in many export markets from 1977; replaced by the Autobianchi Y10 in 1985.

Autobianchi A112 at a glance: maker, production years (1969–1986), purpose

Development and production history

Italian Wikipedia dates the presentation to the 1969 Turin Motor Show, and sales began in October 1969. The car replaced both the Bianchina and the Primula. The A112 was developed from a shrunken version of the Fiat 128 platform, and its mechanicals were later used in the Fiat 127. In the 1970 European Car of the Year vote it finished second, behind the Fiat 128. Italian Wikipedia notes that some buyers waited more than twelve months for a car.

The A112 then changed in steps over eight series. Production passed about 1,115,000 cars by the seventh series in 1984. From late 1977 the car was badged as a Lancia in some markets outside Italy; by 1984 only France, Italy and Israel still used the Autobianchi badge. The Autobianchi Y10 took over in 1985, but the A112 stayed in production until May 1986. It was never sold officially in Britain.

The A112 was a small car with a broad audience. In 1984, 35% of owners were women, and about a third were aged 18–24. More about the company behind it is in the history of Fiat.

Design and engineering

Marcello Gandini drew the A112 at Bertone as a short three-door hatchback. Gandini and Bertone also built the A112 Runabout show car of 1969, a wedge-shaped concept that led to the Fiat X1/9; its story is told in the A112 Runabout article.

The production car is 3,230 mm long on a 2,038 mm wheelbase. Italian Wikipedia gives a track of 1,250 mm at the front and 1,220 mm at the rear, a ground clearance of 120 mm, a 30-litre tank and a boot of 180 litres at launch. The car ran on 135 SR13 radial tyres. It was approved for four people until the second series and for five from the third series of 1975, when the rear seat was reworked.

Engine and drivetrain

All A112 engines are pushrod four-cylinders derived from the Fiat 100 series engine of the Fiat 600, mounted across the front and driving the front wheels.

• 903 cc: the Fiat 850 unit. It gave 31 kW (42 PS) at launch, a claimed 35 kW (47 PS) from 1971 without mechanical changes, and 31 kW (42 PS) again in the Normale from July 1975.
• 965 cc: from November 1977 in the Elegant, later in the Elite and LX, with 35 kW (48 PS) and more torque.
• 982 cc: the first Abarth engine, made by lengthening the stroke, with 43 kW (58 PS).
• 1,050 cc: the Abarth engine from 1975 (Italian Wikipedia: December 1974), with 51 kW (70 PS) at 6,600 rpm.

The standard gearbox was a four-speed manual. A five-speed came first on the Abarth in 1975 and was offered on more versions from 1979, with fifth gear as an overdrive. In the seventh series every model except the Junior had five speeds. Italian Wikipedia records 0–100 km/h in 13.7 seconds and an average of 6.9 l/100 km for the first 903 cc car, and a measured top speed of about 144 km/h against a claimed "over 135 km/h". With 51 kW and 700 kg, the Abarth 70 HP has about 73 kW per tonne; the power-to-weight calculator puts that next to modern small cars.

Autobianchi A112 specifications

Variants and derivatives: the eight series

The 1976 Elegant lost power to 33 kW (45 PS) because of emissions rules. Several show cars used the A112 base: the Pininfarina Giovani of the 1973 Geneva Motor Show, a targa with the 43 kW (58 PS) Abarth engine, and the Rayton Fissore "Gold Shadow" of 1978.

In service: the A112 Abarth and rallying

The A112 Abarth arrived in September 1971, prepared by the Fiat group's motorsport division with a sports exhaust, a twin-choke carburettor and a different camshaft. The 982 cc car was built alongside the 1,050 cc Abarth until late 1976. Abarth's own story is in the history of Abarth.

The car became the basis of a national one-make series. The Campionato A112 Abarth ran for eight seasons from 1977 to 1984 under Group 1 rules, and its winners included Attilio Bettega, Fabrizio Tabaton and Gianfranco Cunico. A Trofeo A112 Abarth for historic rallies and hill climbs returned in 2010. English Wikipedia also notes that Formula One driver Olivier Panis was among the drivers who crashed one.

Preservation and collecting today

The A112 is still raced: the Trofeo A112 Abarth for historic rallies and hill climbs has run again since 2010. Even the show cars survive; the Pininfarina Giovani is owned by the collector Corrado Lopresto. The Abarth 58 HP, built only from 1971 to 1976, and the first-series cars of 1969–1973 were made for the shortest time; the 903 cc Junior is the simplest version. No reliable public price data was found for this article, so no market values are given.

Which A112 to choose:

• For driving fun: an Abarth 70 HP with the 1,050 cc engine and five-speed gearbox.
• For originality: a first-series car (1969–1973) with metal bumpers.
• For comfort: an Elite or LX with the 965 cc engine and five speeds.
• For simplicity: a late 903 cc Junior.

More cars of the time are in the 1970s classics and the classic cars section; every Autobianchi model is listed in the Autobianchi catalogue.

Photo gallery