The Polski Fiat 126p is a small displacement car produced between 1973-2000 under a licence purchased from Fiat in 1971. Its world premiere on 9 November 1972, took place in two locations – in Turing and on the Plac Defilad square in Warsaw. In the first half of the 1970s it represented the state-of-the-art in its class, with accessible costs of production given the conditions of communist Poland. For that reason, it was rightly hoped that it would bring automotive mobility to Poland.
It was manufactured at the Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych in Bielsko-Biała, and later at the company’s second establishment in Tychy. Initially, the Polski Fiat was merely assembled from Italian components, but later the parts were produced in Poland and some (e.g., engines, gearboxes) were also sent to Italy. Until 1980, the 126 was manufactured both in Italy and in Poland as Fiat and Polski Fiat, respectively. From 1980 it was manufactured only in Poland but still remained part of Fiat’s product range: this was the first such case in the history of the Italian brand.
The popular “Maluch” (eng. “little one”) is a thorough modernisation of the 500 model that had been in production since 1957 and with which it shares the mechanical design. It has a two-door, monocoque “fastback” body. Its dimensions allow it to carry four people and a small amount of luggage. The driveline, consisting of a two-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine, and a four-speed transmission is located at the rear of the vehicle. The engine drives the rear wheels. Independent front suspension is of a multi-link design. It uses a single transverse leaf spring and telescopic shock absorbers. Independent rear wheel suspension comprises oblique links, coil springs, and telescopic shock absorbers. All wheels are equipped with hydraulic drum brakes operating in a two-circuit system without a boosting device. A worm gear is used in the steering system.
The licence for the production of this vehicle provided momentum to the development of individual automotive mobility in Poland. While nowadays we would consider the Fiata 126p as strictly a city car, it was used for pretty much everything you could think of (long distance travel, moving house etc.). By 2000, 3,318,674 units had been produced. The vehicle presented here comes from the first production series, assembled from components delivered from Italy. It is maintained in its original condition.