FIAT 126P

The Polski FIAT 126P was a small car made in Poland, between 1973 and 2000. It was the Polish version of FIAT 126 and, to differentiate it those manufactured in Italy it to him had been added the letter P , in the same way that FIAT had already proceeded with rebadgée FIAT 125 FIAT 125P.

Since 1973, the FIAT 126P was built under license by FSM in the very new factories of Bielsko-Biała and Tychy built with the assistance of FIAT Auto. At the time, the Polish mode was still under Soviet supervision.

This car became in very little time, thanks to a tightened price, the car of reference of Polish until 1990. They had called it Maluch (“small the „). This nickname had become so popular that in 1997 manufacturer FSM used it as official name of a special series.

Initially marketed under the mark FIAT-Polski until 1982, date on which FIAT withdrew its license for the FIAT 125P with the manufacturer, it became FSM 126P then. FIAT having acquired an important participation in FSM. It was the beginning of the opening of the countries of the ex Eastern bloc. Exported in almost all the countries of the Soviet Block, it was the car also most sold in Hungary during one decade. A version light van as FIAT 500 Giardinetta was also built locally but ever exported in Occident.

History of the model

  • June 6th, 1973: the first FIAT-Polski 126 P built with components coming from the factories of FIAT in Italy leave the factory and are sold 69.000 zlotys (the working average monthly salary was of 3.500 zlotys),

July 22nd, 1973: official unveiling of the assembly line of the factory,
  • 1977: the cubic capacity of the engine of the exported cars passes from 594 Cm3 to 652 Cm3, the power is changed to 24 cv,
  • 1978: the engine of 594cc is definitively removed range,
  • 1979: the production of the FIAT Polski 126 P is concentrated on the site of Bielsko-Biała.
  • 1981: the millionth FIAT Polski 126 P leaves the factory,
December 1984: important technical innovations appear, commencement of series FSM 126 " FL" ,
  • May 1993: 3.000.000 of FSM 126,
  • September 1994: improvements with the body and the interior completions on version “EL „with integration of common elements with the FIAT Cinquecento also manufactured by FSM.
  • January 1997: introduction of the catalytic pot.
  • October 2000: manufacture stops. The last series will be baptized Maluk Happy End and will be painted in yellow. On the whole more than 3.320.000 specimens will have been manufactured in Poland.

The total production of the model FIAT 126 was higher than 4.670.000 specimens including, 1.350.000 built in Italy.

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