No other car model in Poland can beat the amount of Fiat 126p produced. He was extremely popular. It cost a fortune of approximately 20 monthly salaries and waited in line for its purchase for up to 3 years. To buy this car you had to have an allowance and make prepayments. Later there was a car draw, because there were always more willing than producer cars. Many customers have not received the car to this day.

Polish Fiat 126p accelerated to a hundred in less than a minute, could reach a speed of 105 km per hour and burned about 6 liters of gasoline per 100 km.

The production of Fiat 126p started 47 years ago at the Polmo production facility in Bielsko Biała and Tychy. The car was called Toddler because of its small dimensions and in the decade of 73-83 these was the most common can on Polish roads. Over 3 million were produced, and production was closed only in 2000, i.e. 27 years since the start of production. Production was discontinued due to the lack of profitability of modernization of the production line and decrease in demand due to better second-hand cars imported from the West. In the first production year over 180.000 cars rolled of the belt and in the last production year only over 12.000 copies.

The Fiat 126p model was constantly modernized and had many varieties. The most perfect technical solution went to models produced for export, among others to Italy, when the design and first copies of the vehicle were born. Fiat 126p could be found in China, Australia and Cuba. The biggest rarity was the Bosmal convertible from 1991 produced in the amount of 507 copies. Currently, many collectors are transforms the classic Fiat 126p for the cabriolet solutions. However, it cannot be used on Polish roads because the EU has imposed restrictions on the loudness of the car’s engine (louder motorcycles EU do not bother). Fiat 126p also had a station wagon, a pickup, with a front engine, a military version and a tracked vehicle, but the production of these model was only experimental.

It was tight and loud, but daredevils conquered the world with it. Arkady Pawel Fiedler defeated Fiat 126p 16 thousand kilometers of roads in Africa, 22 thousand kilometers in Asia and 10 thousand kilometers in Europe and Rafal Kozlowski reached 22 thousand kilometers to Vladivostok (and returned).

Fiat 126p can now be bought for 2.000 PLN or 500 USD. There are many sellers. However, not everyone shares the opinion that this car carries an emotional positive load of memories and its value is an improvised repair technique, as one car salesman rightly quoted, “it reminds us of times (…) patience from living in match-sized houses and match boxes and small vehicles…” this refers to the model of life imposed by the state, where the government decided what material goods the society deserved. I notice that the authorities in Poland are currently trying to return to the models of deciding how Poles should live, when they can leave their homes, when to shop, what to wear, and even when they are allowed to work and when they are not. Maybe there are times in Poland when the government will again order buying cars with a specific pattern and color. (Brux)

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