Stranger in our midst
Lancia is preparing for a resurrection. A look at the past is of course indispensable. The Lancia A112 is not necessarily a model that Lancia itself often thinks about, but we do today. Check out what’s for sale!
Lancia seemed to be dying in recent years, but there is a glimmer of hope for enthusiasts of the brand. It is coming this decade with three new models and looked ahead on Monday with a special sculpture. That work of art, the Pu+Ra Zero, is inspired by cars such as the Lancia’s Flaminia, Aurelia and Stratos. Lancia was silent about the A112 when presenting it in all languages. That is not very surprising, because apart from the fact that the A112 was not the most graceful Lancia ever, it was actually not a Lancia at all.
The Lancia A112 was an Autobianchi. The Italian brand, which was defunct 27 years ago, released it in 1969 as an affordable city car, with a hatchback hatch that was still quite unusual for that time. The latter made the A112 nice and practical and it was also economical thanks to its limited size and small engines. Grandmaster Marcello Gandini, who also put the Stratos on paper, among other things, was responsible for the design of the A112, which looks quite Fiat-like at the front. Not surprising, because the ties with co-Autobianchi founder Fiat were close. After all, predecessor Bianchina was technically related to the Fiat 500 and this A112 would eventually have a cousin in the Fiat 127.
The fact that Autobianchi would eventually go out of business was not due to the sales performance of the A112. With more than 1.2 million copies sold, we can safely call it a success. However, many of them did not come on the market as Autobianchi. After the sixth (!) facelift in 1982, Lancia put its name on the A112 in many markets. Also here in the Netherlands. That is why this A112 from 1982 is known as Lancia and it also says Lancia on the lid. There is only an Autobianchi logo on the grille and you will only find Autobianchi and Fiat on the nameplate under the hood.
No matter how you twist or turn it; the A112 looks nice on its sporty alloy wheels and, at least externally, still seems to be in a very decent condition. It is more difficult to estimate the technical state, although you should never expect very complicated problems from the simple small four-cylinder. It is wise to be keen on hidden rust spots when you take a look. You may also be able to bring a little more money than you expected if you want to buy it. The asking price is €5,250.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl