Some cars are memorable when released and remain so forever. Others start out as memorable, but, for whatever reasons, slide into the shadows and are mostly forgotten.

In this Retroautos^® I showcase three forgotten classics. All were significant, in their own way, back when they were released. Each attains a 40^th or 60^th anniversary in 2024 and the ideal time for a re-appraisal of their enduring contribution.

1964 Autobianchi Primula: Fiat’s Trailblazer

Ask any car enthusiast to nominate the template for the small front wheel drive hatchbacks that proliferate today and you will hear very different answers. For me, it is the 1964 Autobianchi Primula. It arrived fully formed with all the attributes which have endured.

Its front wheels were driven by a 1.2 litre four-cylinder transverse mounted engine through a gearbox and driveshafts that were separate from the engine, unlike BMC’s in-sump arrangement. Its sloping rear pillars framed a true hatchback door, which was attached to a rear compartment cover that rose when the door was lifted. It was the first car in the Fiat Group to have rack-and-pinion steering. Four-wheel disc brakes and a sealed cooling system added to the innovations. All this in 1964!

Although Fiat created Autobianchi in 1955, in equal partnership with Bianchi and Perrelli, the origin of the Primula goes back to the late 1940s. That was when Fiat began development of a small front wheel drive car. Progress was slow because they could not work out how to combine the engine, an efficient transmission and drive shafts in the small engine bay.

When BMC announced the Mini, and then the 1100, and received worldwide praise for its drivetrain layout, Fiat doubled down on their project.

Fiat’s breakthrough was arranging and linking the engine, clutch, gearbox and unequal length driveshafts to fit side by side. Cheaper and more efficient than BMC’s drivetrain, it was an industry game changer.

And yet, surprisingly, Fiat was worried that a hatchback combined with newly developed front wheel drive technology would be seen as too advanced and deter potential buyers. To prevent any failure being associated with the Fiat brand they released their new car under Autobianchi name. To further mitigate any buyer reluctance, they also offered it as a two and four-door sedan with a conventional boot lid.

Fiat need not have worried about the Primula. It was awarded second place in the 1965 European Car of the Year. BMC’s 1800 was the winner. A four-door hatchback was added to the range in 1966.

The Primula’s drive line effectiveness was improved over time. In 1969 it was used in the award-winning Fiat 128. By the mid-70s it had become an automotive industry standard.

The Primula’s production run ended in 1970. Few survive because of Fiat’s reluctance to effectively rustproof their products.

1964 Vanden Plas 1100 Princess: Small Luxury

Cars such as the Mercedes A class, Audi A1 and BMW 1 series are often said to have “invented” the small car luxury niche. I have a different opinion. The successful pioneer in this category was BMC’s Vanden Plas Princess 1100/1300.

The idea for the Princess originated with two one-off cars. The first was a special-order luxury Morris 1100 for Fred Connolly, of Connolly Leather fame. It was fitted out by BMC’s in-house coachbuilders, Vanden Plas.

The second was a luxury 1100 show car, also built by Vanden Plas, which BMC commissioned for the 1963 Earls Court Motor Show. It was given an impressive upright grille and named “Princess”. The enthusiastic reaction convinced BMC to release a production version.

And so, in April 1964, the Vanden Plas Princess appeared. The interior was sumptuous. Walnut was inlaid across the dashboard and capped each door. The front seats had individual arm rests built in, and picnic tables were fitted to their back. All seats were covered in Connolly leather. Thick pile carpet covered the floor. The rear passengers benefited from reading lamps. Extra sound deadening suppressed road noise.

A small number of Princesses made it to Australia. Shannons Club contributor, Nairn Hindhaugh, who worked in BMC Australia’s PR department, and has owned a 1971 model, recalls that:

“They were never part of BMC Australia’s range, but they were quietly offered from time to time on special order. People could also buy them in the UK, though BMC Australia, use them for a year and bring them over here under an export scheme. BMC Australia imported a couple for evaluation. One was tested in 1965 by Wheels, Modern Motor and Motor Manual magazines.”

The July 1965 edition of Wheels began its test with a dismissive observation:

“Why does it exist? Not for the wives of cabinet ministers or St Ives or Toorak matrons looking for the ultimate status symbol, surely?”

Writing in Modern Motor’s September 1965 issue, Barry Cooke offered a more balanced and gender-neutral introduction:

“Top people’s version of BMC’s 1100 has elegant fittings and a price to match.”

And a high price it certainly had, as Nairn explains:

“In 1965 its price was £1,627. For the same money you could buy a Valiant Regal Safari, Falcon Squire, Holden Premier wagon, Vauxhall Cresta, Triumph 2000 or two Minis.”

Of his Vanden Plas 1300, Nairn says that:

“Mine was privately imported, as most are. It was one of those restoration jobs I never got around to doing. The rust underneath was beyond me so I sold it to someone in South Australia for a full restoration.”

During its ten-year production run BMC sold 37,000 Princesses and upgraded it twice, including a 1.3 litre version. Many second-hand examples were exported to Japan in the 1990s, where they had a cult following.

1984 Chrysler minivan: Ford’s Lost Opportunity

In November 1983, when Lee Iacocca, Chairman of the Board of Chrysler, unveiled his company’s front wheel drive minivans—Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan— he proclaimed:

“I predict the Voyager and Caravan will be to the ‘80s what the Mustang was to the 60s”.

And he was right.

There is no doubt that Chrysler was the first to popularise an affordable, stylish, front wheel drive van that fitted easily into a suburban garage. It was purposefully designed to present the driver with a car like dashboard and high driving position. It had a sliding door and flat floor which allowed passengers to walk into a spacious interior and sit in comfortable seats. The aim was to replace the station wagon with a purpose designed package, rather than convert an existing commercial vehicle, as so many others had done and were doing.

The minivan was a long-held objective of Iacocca and his friend and product planning expert, Hal Sperlich. It was Sperlich who made the Mustang possible when he devised a way to save costs by using the Ford Falcon’s underpinnings.

Work on a garageable van, as Sperlich called it, began at Ford in 1972 when an operational prototype was built, variously called Carousel and Nantucket. By 1973 a much smaller version called “MiniMax” had been constructed by Ghia, which was owned by Ford. Additional proposals were built in 1974, 1975 and 1976.

Trouble was, Iacocca and Sperlich could not convince Henry Ford II of the merits of the MiniMax. In fact, Sperlich made his argument so often and with such passion that he annoyed HFII to the point where HFII had him fired.

Sperlich joined Chrysler in 1977 with Iacocca’s blessing. It was there, as the boss of product planning, that Sperlich worked on the front wheel drive K-car. He also discovered that Chrysler was also working on a garagable van. When Iacocca arrived at Chrysler in 1978, after also being fired by HFII, the van project was given top priority, using the K-car as a foundation.

Chrysler’s finances benefited substantially from the minivan. There was no real competition for at least two years. All those twentysomethings who had bought Mustangs were in now married fortysomethings with children. Needing a family hauler, but not wanting a station wagon—the car of their parents and their childhood—they flocked to the minivan. Many had never been inside a Plymouth or Dodge dealership before, making the minivan a conquest sale for Chrysler.

Only months after Iacocca launched the minivan, Renault unveiled a similar vehicle, the Espace. In one of those supreme automotive ironies, the concept of the Espace was originally proposed in the early 1970s at Chrysler in the UK. A series of takeovers, mergers and manufacturing agreements saw it end up being developed and built by Matra for Renault. Timing is everything.

Too Influential to Forget

For me, the Primula, Vanden Plas 1100/1300 and Chrysler minivan are breakthrough cars.

The Primula pioneered the small front wheel drive hatchback that almost every car company now sells.

The Vanden Plas proved the attractiveness of the small luxury car. Others followed.

The minivan led the global rotation out of sedans and station wagons. It is a trend that continues.

These three cars established the templates for what we drive today. They should not be forgotten. They should be celebrated.

Retroautos^® is written and published by David Burrell with passion and with pride. A special thanks to Nairn Hindhaugh. Retroautos^® stories and images are copyrighted. Reproducing them in any format is prohibited. Retroautos^® is a registered trademark. Reproducing it in any format is prohibited.