Motor Production
See also: Bianchi (motorcycles)Bianchi also took part in motorcycle races, where one of its first riders was Tazio Nuvolari, whom Ferdinand Porsche called "the greatest driver of the past, the present, and the future."
The company began making trucks in the 1930s and supplied the Italian army during the second world war. It was that that brought the end of production shortly after peace returned because the factory had been so heavily bombed.
Bianchi created a car brand, Autobianchi, in 1955, working with Pirelli and Fiat. The three turned out only a handful of models, almost exclusively small cars, the biggest being the short-lived Autobianchi A111. Autobianchis cost more than Fiats of similar size. Fiat used the brand to test concepts such as glass fibre and front-wheel drive. Fiat bought Autobianchi and integrated it into Lancia. The marque survived in Italy 1995, but became extinct elsewhere when it was rebranded Lancia in 1989.
Bianchi continued with motorcycles, particularly the 125cc Bianchina and the Aquilotto, an auxiliary motor for a conventional bicycles. Bianchi took on Lino Tonti as its research engineer in 1959. It produced 250, 350 and 500cc machines and took part in grands prix in 1960. The company also produced a model for the Italian army and a civilian scooter, the Orsetto 80. Bianchi Motorcycle production was taken over by Piaggio in 1967.
Read more about this topic: Bianchi Bicycles
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