Autobianchi A112 Abarth
The Autobianchi A112 appeared on the European market in early October 1969. In Germany, the first examples rolled to dealers from early 1970. Autobianchi was a subsidiary brand of the Fiat Group, which had been founded together with Pirelli in 1955. Through this brand, the then new technology of front-wheel drive with a transversely mounted four-cylinder engine, which the Austin Mini had brought with it, was brought to the road on a grand scale. Likewise, many models featured a large rear hatch. However, as luxury niche cars, they were also always a bit more expensive than comparable Fiat models. In 1968, Fiat took over all shares in Autobianchi. The A112 anticipated the Fiat 127 technically and conceptually and became the brand’s most successful model. In total, it was on the price lists for a full 17 years and seven model series. From the end of 1977 with the Series IV the vehicles were called Lancia A112 outside Italy.
58 hp powerful small car
Even the racing car and tuning forge of Carlo Abarth became aware of the Autobianchi A112. In 1971, a prototype debuted with an engine boosted to 107 horsepower. However, such a powerful variant would have incurred immense production costs, making it very expensive to sell. Therefore Fiat put the brakes on the Abarth department. This had been taken over in the same year from Carlo Abarth, who retired but was still available as a consultant for the time being. In addition to the production facilities, Fiat also bought the naming rights. For the Autobianchi A112, Abarth eventually developed a package that increased the displacement of the four-cylinder engine from 903 to 982 cc. Dual carburetors and a sport exhaust system were added, bringing the output to 58 horsepower. The normal A112 only had between 38 and 49 hp. Rally, hillclimb and racing drivers in particular liked the car, for which a young driver’s cup was specially founded.
From 1975 also with 70 hp
For the interior, there were further upgrades in the form of a rev counter and additional instruments such as an ammeter, a pressure gauge and an oil thermometer. The driver and passenger took their seats on sport seats. A three-spoke aluminium steering wheel with leather-wrapped rim rounded out the package. While the 107-hp prototype as still presented in the typical white with red stripes, the Autobianchi A112 Abarth was initially available exclusively in red with a matte black hood. From Series II onwards, other colors were available and the engine received an oil cooler from the factory. When the Series III followed in 1975, an engine enlarged to 1,075 cc was available as an alternative under the hood. This produced a full 70 hp and made the A112 a true pocket rocket. When production ended in 1985, around 121,000 units of the A112 Abarth had rolled off the assembly line, which corresponded to around ten percent of the total production of this model series.
Images: FCA Heritage
