The vehicle presented is a light cargo van manufactured in 1959-64 in which Warszawa M20 mechanical components and equipment items were used extensively.
The Nysa N59-F had a body-on-frame design and a body fully made of steel, with a skeleton structure covered with steel panels. An interesting component is the wooden floor (even though the vehicle was made in the second half of the 20th century!). As was typical of communist era Poland, the available components were adopted in ways that were not always consistent with their original purpose: the front suspension components used here were designed for passenger cars. This resulted in premature wear and high failure rates. The engine and braking system were also unsuited to the greater weight, especially of the fully loaded vehicle.
The early Nysa models were built on the initiative of the Zakład Budowy Nadwozi Samochodowych in Nysa, which meant that the first units were produced using basic production technologies and hand tools. Due to the lack of appropriate premises, components were painted outdoors, dependent on the weather conditions. Up to 450 hours of labour were needed to produce a single van.
The N59 model was the first to be offered on foreign markets. The vans were particularly popular in Hungary.
Despite its shortcomings, the Nysa, improved with the help of the Fabryka Samochodów Ciężarowych in Lublin, proved better than the minibus developed at FSO at the same time, and it was chosen for mass production. In general, 1350 vans in three versions were built in 1959, 200 of which were sold abroad.
The unit presented here underwent a comprehensive renovation in 2014-2016 that restored its original appearance and original technical solutions. It is one of a mere few original vans remaining in Poland.