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The Autobianchi Primula is a supermini economy car manufactured between 1964 and 1970 by the Italian automaker Autobianchi, a now defunct subsidiary of the Fiat Group. The Primula was Fiat's first model with rack and pinion steering and is widely known for its innovative Dante Giacosa-designed front-wheel drive, transverse engine layout — that would be later popularized by the Fiat 128 to ultimately become an industry-standard front drive layout.〔 ''(accessed via the Wayback Machine)''〕 The Primula was originally available with two or four doors, with or without a rear hatchback, referred to in Italian as "''berlina''". Beginning in 1965, Autobianchi offered a coupé model, a more stylish and spacious 2-door fastback designed by Carrozzeria Touring.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Autobianchi Primula ) 〕 Primula models were manufactured in the Autobianchi factory in Desio and were priced comparably to the Austin/Morris 1100 models built in Italy by Innocenti.〔 == Concept == Before the Primula, all Fiat Group passenger cars were rear-wheel drive; the larger models followed the classic FR layout (front engine powering the rear axle), and small cars were rear-engined. Meanwhile, a practical concept emerged, namely the front-wheel drive layout with the engine mounted transversely, which allowed for very efficient space utilization. First popularized by the Mini, it also found its way to other, bigger models, starting with BMC's Austin/Morris 1100. Fiat's chief designer, Dante Giacosa, recognized the potential of the concept, but the company decided to experiment without risking damage to the image of its popular Fiat-branded cars. Thus the Autobianchi Primula emerged—a car marketed under a less crucial nameplate, for which it was an entry into a whole new class of vehicles.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Autobianchi Primula」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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