Autobianchi Bianchina

Autobianchi Bianchina: which version to buy

If you are choosing an Autobianchi Bianchina, the decision is not between generations. The catalogue lists 1 generation (1957–1970), Cabrio only, and 4 versions, all named 0.5 MT. They share rear-engine RWD, a 4-speed Manual, Gasoline, 2 Inline cylinders, 2 valves per cylinder, No boost, and a Carburetor.

If you are choosing an Autobianchi Bianchina, the decision is not between generations. The catalogue lists 1 generation (1957–1970), Cabrio only, and 4 versions, all named 0.5 MT. They share rear-engine RWD, a 4-speed Manual, Gasoline, 2 Inline cylinders, 2 valves per cylinder, No boost, and a Carburetor. What changes is output, displacement on one variant, compression, torque peak, kerb weight, tank size, and top speed. Distinguish the four 0.5 MT rows by horsepower: 25, 22, 18, and 16.

This page is a buyer's comparison. Acceleration to 100 km/h, fuel use, CO2, eco class, gross weight, and wheel size are not measured on every version, so they cannot break a tie. Use power, torque, weight, tank, and top speed instead.

Generations: what actually changed

There is no second generation to “step up to.” 1 generation ran from 1957-01-01 to 1970-12-31, body Cabrio, 4 modifications. Restyling is not a separate generation in this dataset.

Across those four 0.5 MT cars the chassis language is the same: Independent, spring front and rear, Drum brakes both ends, 130 mm ground clearance, engine Rear. You are not choosing a later platform. You are choosing how much power and how little mass sit on that platform.

Autobianchi Bianchina specs: the four 0.5 MT versions side by side

Compression and bore × stroke (same dataset, useful for engine choice):

• 0.5 MT 25 hp: compression 8.6, 67.4 × 70
• 0.5 MT 22 hp: compression 7.1, 67.4 × 70
• 0.5 MT 18 hp: compression 7, 67.4 × 70
• 0.5 MT 16 hp: compression 7, 66 × 70, 479 cc instead of 499 cc

The 16 hp 0.5 MT is the only engine that is not 499 cc. The other three share 67.4 × 70 and differ mainly in compression and peak output.

Autobianchi Bianchina engine: power per litre and what the extra output buys

Specific output (hp ÷ displacement in litres):

• 0.5 MT 25 hp: 25 ÷ 0.499 ≈ 50.1 hp/L
• 0.5 MT 22 hp: 22 ÷ 0.499 ≈ 44.1 hp/L
• 0.5 MT 18 hp: 18 ÷ 0.499 ≈ 36.1 hp/L
• 0.5 MT 16 hp: 16 ÷ 0.479 ≈ 33.4 hp/L

The 25 hp 0.5 MT makes 9 hp more than the 16 hp 0.5 MT (+56% on 16 hp) and 10 Nm more (36 vs 26, +38%). Versus the 18 hp 0.5 MT it is +7 hp (+39%) and +1 Nm. Versus the 22 hp 0.5 MT it is +3 hp (+14%) and +2 Nm.

The 22 hp 0.5 MT is the only one that peaks torque at 2800 rpm (34 Nm), not 3500. That is 700 rpm earlier than the 25, 18, and 16 hp rows. If you care about where the pull arrives, that is the mechanical difference, not a different gearbox: all four are Manual with 4 gears.

The 18 hp 0.5 MT is close to the 25 hp car on torque (35 vs 36 Nm, both at 3500) but 7 hp down and at 4400 rpm instead of 4600. Compression is 7 vs 8.6 on the 25 hp 0.5 MT — a 1.6-point gap, the largest compression spread in the table.

The 16 hp 0.5 MT is the outlier: 479 cc, 66 × 70, 26 Nm, 12 kW @ 4000 rpm. It is 20 cc smaller than the 499 cc trio (about 4% less displacement) and 10 Nm behind the 25 hp engine.

Boost is No on all four. Fuel system is Carburetor on all four. Do not expect a turbo or a different cylinder count in this catalogue.

Performance: top speed is measured; 0–100 and mpg are not

0–100 km/h is not measured for every 0.5 MT. City, highway, and combined consumption are not measured. CO2 is not measured. You cannot pick a Bianchina on mpg from this file.

Top speed is measured:

• 0.5 MT 25 hp: 105 km/h
• 0.5 MT 18 hp: 100 km/h
• 0.5 MT 16 hp: 100 km/h
• 0.5 MT 22 hp: 95 km/h

The 25 hp 0.5 MT is 10 km/h above the 22 hp 0.5 MT and 5 km/h above the 18 hp and 16 hp cars. The 22 hp version is 3 hp below the 25 hp car but 5 km/h below the 18 hp car despite 4 hp more. On these numbers, extra horsepower does not always mean a higher listed top speed: the 22 hp 0.5 MT is the slowest in the table at 95 km/h.

Power-to-weight (kg per hp, kerb ÷ hp):

• 0.5 MT 25 hp: 519 ÷ 25 ≈ 20.8 kg/hp
• 0.5 MT 22 hp: 519 ÷ 22 ≈ 23.6 kg/hp
• 0.5 MT 18 hp: 499 ÷ 18 ≈ 27.7 kg/hp
• 0.5 MT 16 hp: 505 ÷ 16 ≈ 31.6 kg/hp

The 25 hp 0.5 MT carries about 10.8 kg less per horsepower than the 16 hp 0.5 MT. That is the largest gap in the set. The 22 hp car shares the 519 kg kerb of the 25 hp car, so the 3 hp difference is the whole mass-specific gap (20.8 vs 23.6 kg/hp).

Dimensions, weight, tank: Autobianchi Bianchina weight as a buying filter

Wheel sizes are not measured. Gross vehicle weight is not measured. Ground clearance is 130 mm on all four — it does not pick a winner.

Kerb weight:

• 0.5 MT 18 hp: 499 kg (lightest)
• 0.5 MT 16 hp: 505 kg (+6 kg vs 18 hp)
• 0.5 MT 25 hp: 519 kg (+20 kg vs 18 hp)
• 0.5 MT 22 hp: 519 kg (same as 25 hp)

The 18 hp 0.5 MT is 20 kg lighter than the two 519 kg cars (about 3.9%). The 16 hp 0.5 MT is 14 kg lighter than those two. If mass is the priority, the 18 hp 0.5 MT wins on the scale; it does not win on kg/hp.

Tank:

• 0.5 MT 18 hp: 22 L
• 0.5 MT 25 hp, 22 hp, 16 hp: 21 L

The 18 hp 0.5 MT is the only 22 L tank — 1 L more (about 4.8%). Range cannot be calculated: consumption is not measured.

Which Autobianchi Bianchina version to choose

Buy the 0.5 MT 25 hp if you want the strongest numbers in this generation. It is the peak of the 499 cc 0.5 MT cluster: 25 hp, 19 kW, 36 Nm, compression 8.6, top speed 105 km/h, ≈50.1 hp/L, ≈20.8 kg/hp. You pay 20 kg over the lightest car (519 vs 499) and share the 21 L tank with two others. Against the 16 hp 0.5 MT you gain 9 hp, 10 Nm, 20 cc, and 5 km/h. Against the 22 hp 0.5 MT you gain 3 hp, 2 Nm, 10 km/h, and the same 519 kg — the “extra” is almost all output and top speed, not weight.

Buy the 0.5 MT 22 hp if torque at lower rpm matters more than the last 3 hp. 34 Nm arrives at 2800 rpm, 700 rpm below the 3500 rpm peak of the other three. Power is 22 hp / 16 kW @ 4600, same rpm as the 25 hp car. Kerb is the same 519 kg. The trade: top speed is the lowest at 95 km/h, 10 below the 25 hp 0.5 MT and 5 below the 18 and 16 hp cars. Compression 7.1 sits 1.5 points under the 25 hp engine.

Buy the 0.5 MT 18 hp if you want the lightest Cabrio and the larger tank. 499 kg, 22 L, 18 hp / 13 kW @ 4400, 35 Nm @ 3500, 100 km/h. Torque is 1 Nm off the 25 hp peak. You give up 7 hp and 5 km/h versus the 25 hp 0.5 MT, and you sit at ≈27.7 kg/hp — heavier per horse than the 22 and 25 hp cars, lighter than the 16 hp car. Bore and stroke match the 25 and 22 hp 499 cc engines (67.4 × 70); compression is 7, same as the 16 hp engine, not 8.6.

Buy the 0.5 MT 16 hp only if you specifically want the 479 cc engine. It is the unique displacement: 479 cc, 66 × 70, 16 hp / 12 kW @ 4000, 26 Nm @ 3500, 505 kg, 21 L, 100 km/h. It is 9 hp and 10 Nm behind the 25 hp 0.5 MT and has the worst mass-specific figure (≈31.6 kg/hp). Top speed matches the 18 hp car at 100 km/h, 5 above the 22 hp car. This is not the “lightest” choice — the 18 hp 0.5 MT is 6 kg lighter.

Convertible vs the rest of the name: what this catalogue actually lists

Searches for Trasformabile, Special Cabriolet, Panoramica, and “for sale” describe other body stories and a market this file does not cover. Here the body is Cabrio for all four 0.5 MT rows, years 1957–1970, one generation. There is no second generation with a different drive layout. RWD, Rear engine, Drum / Drum, Independent, spring / Independent, spring, 130 mm clearance: identical. A “near me / USA / UK” listing is not a spec; prices are not in the data.

Practical ranking on measured figures only

1. 0.5 MT 25 hp — highest power, torque, compression, specific output, top speed, best kg/hp. 2. 0.5 MT 22 hp — same weight as (1), earlier torque peak, lowest top speed. 3. 0.5 MT 18 hp — lightest, only 22 L tank, torque almost equal to (1), 7 hp down. 4. 0.5 MT 16 hp — only 479 cc, lowest power and torque, highest kg/hp.

If two cars are both labelled 0.5 MT, match them to 25, 22, 18, or 16 hp before you compare anything else. The name in the database is the same string; the engines are not.