April 24, 2008

Non identical twins.


While they look different, these two cars share the same drivetrain and were launched in the same year.

The Autobianchi Bianchina was designed as a more upscale Fiat 500. Unlike the 500 which was only available in the standard sedan you see here and a Giardiniera van, the Bianchina was available in a whole variety of models including the Panoramica (pictured above), Furgoncino (a little van of sorts), Berlina (standard sedan), Trasformabile (think Citroen C3 Pluriel) and Cabriolet (convertible). They were all powered by the 500's air cooled flat 2. The displacement was either 479cc or 499cc, depending on the model.

These two were sitting in a supermarket parking lot in Sicily and didn't move the entire time I was there. The 500 was wrecked.

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