Urbanina Primavera

With a surprise in store for the end of this article, I’ll try to explain the Urbanina concept as best I can before you get there.

Urbanina was designed with its mechanical components housed in a slim sandwich chassis that sat underneath the bodywork — absolutely the way to design a car if the top part must be swappable between a number of different body styles.

First shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1965, with a patent awarded for the concept in 1967, the Urbanina project is sort of like a classic version of Gordon Murray’s T25 and T26 urban car projects (that everyone seems to have forgotten about.) 

With both gasoline and electric options, the Urbanina was either very much ahead of its time…or an ambitious shot in the dark that seems to make more sense as we go.

The skateboard-like chassis is the major component for the project, featuring an Innocenti-sourced (likely from the Lambretta scooter) 198-cc two-stroke engine within.

An electric version featuring a Bosch motor was available. Specs on the electric version show the vehicle offered 4.6 horsepower, a 90 km (55 mile) range, and top speed of 50 km/h (31 mph), while the gasoline version had 7 horsepower and a top speed of more than 60 km/h (37 mph). 

One source says it'd hit 60 mph, which I think is a bit optimistic even with its three forward speeds…and potential basket weave bodywork.

Almost forgot to mention: the bodywork was designed to swivel like a teacup ride (truly the Nissan Pivo we have at home), allowing occupants to exit using either side of the Urbanina — important, as there's only one door.

Depending on weather, owners could easily swap the bodywork, with the model name following whatever body was placed on the chassis; names like:

• Invernale  
• Minigip
• Primavera (the wicker-bodied one, supposedly)
• Quatro Stagioni

Bankrolled by the wealthy Marquis Piero Girolamo Bargagli and built in a shed on his property by amateur inventor Narciso Cristiani, the world hadn't seen anything like the Urbanina…and despite claims of thousands of orders, just a few were made over a half-dozen years before the project was abandoned. 

Some still exist even today — blessed are thy collector car-loving neighbours.

At a reported 600,000 lire for the basic version, it was a tough sell. At the same time in the mid to late ’60s, a new Fiat 500 F cost 475,000 lire and the 600 D 640,000 lire. 

Not to worry — Urbanina evolved into the Milanina microcar, then became the starting point for the Zagato Zele…which was actually exported into the U.S. and sold as the Elcar 1000.

I'll give Marquis Piero Girolamo Bargagli the final line:

“Just as the Romans had a small chariot for use in the city and a much bigger and heavier chariot for long trips, so will man of the future have a small car for the city and a bigger vehicle for the distances.” — Marquis Piero Girolamo Bargagli, Palm Springs Desert Sun, February 1967

CORRECTION: A source I’d used stated the car had only one pedal; the material I’ve revisited now (in higher resolution) points to Urbanina having a traditional gas and brake, offset with its accelerator to the right of the steering column and brake pedal in front of the column.

READ NEXT: The surprise? I have two.

First is the website, urbanina.it, created as a digital library for the past, present, and future of these unique cars — that’s right, this article is only scratching the surface of this lovely Italian city car. Run by an association called ‘l'auto elettrica tra passato e futuro’, I recommend giving their website a visit.