Museo Nicolis - Bianchi “Type S2”

The Bianchi S2 is the car which best reflects the aim of the company to build cars for less wealthy people. Thanks to its technical solutions and the introduction of this model, Bianchi proved once again to be a point of reference in the automotive world for the time. The car shown in the museum has a significant historical importance: it was used by the General Staff of the Italian Army during WWI to observe military operations: the letters S.M. that stands for Stato Maggiore (General Staff) are engraved on the front leaf-spring. The car has right-hand-drive according to a law provision whereby all vehicles had to stay on the extreme right side of the road in order to not frighten the horses and give the right of way to the other means of transportation. At the level crossings, since there were no barriers at the time, the driver had to stop the car and get off to check if there was a train coming and then get back in the car and drive off. Bianchi cars had large success not only thanks to the undoubtedly high quality of the materials and their refined design, but also their customer care. Included in the vehicle price there were a couple of days of driving school, every model was fitted with a tool box with a wrench, a tape roll and a hand pump. There was also a door-to-door servicing: specialized mechanics were sent throughout Italy to repair the customers’ cars.