The Forgotten Autobianchi A112 Abarth Is Like A Mini Cooper But Cooler

Mar 18, 2021 457

BY: Matt Robinson

As the first-generation Mini forged ahead with its early sales success, Italian carmaker Autobianchi must have been looking on with envious eyes. Its attempt to grab a slice of the pie was launched in 1969 as the A112, a three-door hatchback that used the same (back then) relatively unusual transverse engine/front-wheel drive layout in a marginally larger package.

Bertone’s Marcello Gandini, the man behind the Lamborghini Miura, Countach and Diablo, was drafted in to do the design, which to contemporary eyes looks like a very agreeable mash-up between the Fiat 126 and the British Mini. Speaking of Fiat (which had bought the brand a year earlier), under the skin was a shortened 128 Platform, while power came from a 903cc inline-four taken from the 850.

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SOURCE: https://www.carthrottle.com/

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