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Ottorino Bianco, known as Toni Bianco (Concordia Sagittaria, January 8, 1931), is an Italian automobile entrepreneur and designer, settled in Brazil[1].

Biography[]

A sports car builder, he was born in the province of Venice in Italy in the early 1930s, and with the devastation of his homeland by World War II and the lack of opportunities, he moved to Brazil in the early 1950s[2].

Settling in São Paulo, he initially worked in banks and as a laborer in the construction of wooden houses, until he became employed in a mechanical workshop in the Bela Vista[3]. In this workshop, he began his apprenticeship with car mechanics and soon after, he started working in the workshop of the Losacco brothers (relatives of Giuliano Losacco), who were already involved with automobile competitions in Brazil. With Victor Losacco, he learned to design vehicles and living with Chico Landi[4], he became involved in the medium. In 1955, he helped build a sports car for driver Celso Lara Barberis and the following year, he built, in partnership with Victor Losacco, a open wheel car for driver Ciro Cayres. [2][5]

In 1957 he began preparing vehicles on tubular chassis for National Mechanics race competition. In 1959 he started working at Escuderia Tubularte, where he designed the first Brazilian Formula Junior, with its own chassis, Porsche engine and Volkswagen suspension. In 1962 I created, with Chico Landi, Indústria de Automóveis Brasil, where he started manufacturing the Fórmula Júnior, but with national engines[6].

Later, he opened, with Luiz Greco, Bino-Samdaco, a Ford dealer that prepared Corcel cars sold as Corcel Bino. In 1970 he created Fúria Auto Esporte Ltda, where he started assembling the Fúria sports car and later designed and manufactured the Fúria GT at the request of the FNM|FNM[7]. In 1974, Fúria Auto Esporte closed its activities and Toni created Toni Bianco Competições, in Diadema, where he continued preparing competition cars.

In 1976 he launched in the X Salão do Automóvel the Bianco S, an urban version of the Fúria. The Bianco S was a great success, with more than 180 units sold. The car had a fiberglass reinforced plastic body mounted on the Volkswagen Brasilia platform, 1.600 cc engine with double carburation and 65 hp. In addition, it brought electric windows, leather interior trim and laminated green windshield with built-in antenna (for the first time in Brazil)[8].

In 1978, it launched the Bianco SS, with minor exterior changes, a new dashboard, new leather seats and three-point seat belts. Bianco sold its factory to Tarpan Indústria e Comércio de Fiberglass, as it did not have the structure to meet the large demand.

Toni designed, still in 1978, a replica of the Fiat X1/9 for Corona, of which he was Director. This replica was marketed under the name Dardo F 1.3. In 1983 he designed the first Brazilian minivan, the Grancar Futura.

In 2017 he launched the Bruna model[9][10].

References[]

  1. Redaction (27/02/2014). "Meet Toni Bianco, the Brazilian-car-creator". 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Claudio Larangeira. "From imagination to reality". 
  3. Paulo Roberto Peralta (17/06/2006). "Toni Bianco (Ottorino Bianco)". 
  4. Written by Administrator (6/04/2011). "Toni Bianco". 
  5. Teresa Gago (17/02/2009). "TONI BIANCO, THE IMBATIBLE BINO". 
  6. Bianco Lexicar Brasil
  7. Lexicar Brasil: Fúria Lexicar Brasil
  8. Francis Castaings. "Beauty is fundamental". 
  9. Bruna: Toni Bianco's dream] Auto Estrada - Published on 05/24/2017.
  10. Quatro Rodas. Profile: Toni Bianco, our last handcrafted builder. At 86, celebrated designer Toni Bianco creates yet another car. Now at home and using aluminum sheets and a hammer Quatro Barras - Published on 08/15/2017.

See also[]

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