When he was only 20, Edoardo Bianchi founded in 1865 in Milan the Company which still bears his name.
To the production of wheelchairs, precision instruments, and especially bicycles (he was the first one who adopted “pneumatic tyres”), he added, at the end of 19th century, the production of De Dion engined cars and, in the following years, even of motorcycles and trucks.
In 1955, the company became a partner of FIAT and Pirelli, giving birth to the brand Autobianchi.
The car shown in the museum has a relevant specification: it was the first series car to be fitted with an electrical system for interior lightening, fed by a battery made up of glass pots full of distilled water and sulphuric acid.
The body maintains the typical specifications of its time: original carbide headlamps, starting handle, driver’s compartment separated from the passengers’ rear compartment, and, in addition, the upper part can be removed so that the car becomes a tourer.
In the rear compartment there is the first type of foot-heater for passengers: it consists in a can that was filled with hot water before the departure, and, when the water had cooled off, it was replaced by water from the radiator.
The gear lever is nickel-plated, a very rare and luxurious finishing for the period.