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You'll be forgiven for not recognising the name, because the Autobianchi marque (a division of Fiat) was never sold in the UK. Pitched slightly upmarket of more mainstream Fiats, the Primula, with its hatchback, rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes, was the first car from the giant Italian automotive empire to feature front-wheel drive.
The engine came from the ubiquitous Fiat 1100 (later versions used the 124's unit) and was mounted transversely, with the transmission end-on rather than in the sump as on the car's nearest British equivalent, the BMC 1100. The other novelty was that the differential was placed below it, lowering the centre of gravity and allowing the Primula impressive straight-line stability.
The Primula was designed by Dante Giacosa, an engineer of, arguably, equal talent to Mini-designer Alec Issigonis, and the man behind such mass-market classics as the Fiat Topolino and 600. Delicately styled, the Primula was available in two-, three-, four- and five-door versions and as a nifty Touring-styled coupe.
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