Fiat 126p Town, a detailed Oppo review

". ." (xllx) 07/09/2015 at 18:40 • Filed to: shoebox, blue torpedo

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Since January of this year I’ve been a proud owner of a 1999 Fiat 126p, a car that until just a few years ago was considered one of the very least desireable vehicles in Europe. Since that’s quickly changing today and the little Fiat is getting more and more appreciated as an automotive icon I decided to get one while they’re still nice and affordable.

When we bought the car it had a whole bunch of problems. It had sat in somebody’s garden since 2011 before being put on sale. Fortunately, for a car that’s notoriously rust prone it survived remarkably well, but still had a lot of problems. There was a small amount of rust, the engine was leaking oil and fuel, the fuel tank had a bunch of holes, all the rubber seals and gaskets were completely rotten, the brakes were both ineffective and partially stuck on, and the interior was horrible. It ended up undergoing a full mechanical restoration and is awaiting a whole new paint job next year.

The Fiat 126 was designed in Italy in the early 70’s as a replacement for the venerable Nuova 500. Production started in 1972. The car was instantly adopted by authorities in communist Poland as an affordable solution to bring cars to the people and christened Fiat 126p. For many years it was one of the very few vehicles a regular Polish citizen could buy, and pretty much the only one that was even remotely affordable. Over its 28 year producition run, the car received many updates, making it faster, more eceonomical and easier to use, but the basics of its construction always remained the same.

My car is equipped with the later 652 cm3 air cooled inline 2 cyliner engine that churns out 24 horsepower and 42 Nm (31 foot-pounds) of torque. Early models had a 594 cm3 motor with 1 less hp. The car has a 21 litre (5.5 US gallon) fuel tank and for me uses between about 7 (40.5 Imperial MPG, 33.5 US MPG) and 8 l/100km (35.5 Imperial MPG, 29.5 US MPG) in a fully urban cycle. It weighs in at less than 600 kg (1320 lbs) and measures just over 3 metres in length (3054 mm, 10 feet) and 1377 mm (4.5 feet) wide. That makes it smaller than the classic Mini. Next to regular sized cars, even in Europe it looks hilarious. Those tiny dimensions however make squeezing through tight spaces a treat. The turning circle is just over 8 metres.

As a person who’s 183 cm tall (6 feet), I fit in the front quite comfortably, provided I have the seat all the way back which leaves me with about two fingers worth of spare headroom. Taller people (or those with better posture) may be forced to remove the limiter that prevents seats from going too far back and sliding them as far as they’ll go.

Legroom up front will be a problem for pretty much anyone due to highly intrusive wheelarches. I wear 44 size shoes (10 US, 9 UK) and can opearate the pedals without issues after getting used to the car, but people with feet a couple sizes larger may be forced to drive barefoot. Pedals are very stiff by modern standards.

Being a final revision model (Town), my 126p has a bunch of features that make it less of an automotive caveman compared to earlier cars. The very last series of 1000 cars called Happy End introduced no changes and only differed in available colours. Here are some of the “amenities” introduced to the 126p during its long production run.

It has a catalytic converter built into the muffler and will take unleaded petrol.

It uses tubeless tyres (size 135/80 R12).

It has an electronic ignition module and a carburettor that will cut fuel while coasting. Additionally, there’s a carbon filter for the fumes coming from the fuel tank.

It has an alternator and a fully electric starter.

It has H4 headlights with factory bezels that stop water from getting into the trunk.

Four headrests that are unreasonably low even when extended all the way up.

Four seatbelts made by Sabelt with the front two on a rolling mechanism.

Mirrors on both sides. Mirrors are actually a bit weird. I believe they’re flat (not convex), so blind spots are massive. Good thing all round visibility is fantastic. Reversing using mirrors took some practice before I stopped ending up too close to the inside of the turn.

It also has an intermittent mode for the wipers and an electric pump for the windshield washer fluid, while old cars used a manual pump in the form of a big rubber button on the dash. The container that fluid comes from is however still literally just a bag.

Since it has the late gauge cluster, my Fiat also comes with a reasonable range of warning lights. Warning lights not visible in the photo include: fuel reserve, choke on (also signalled by a really annoying beeper), rear windshield heater on, parking lights on, high beams on, fog light on. Since there is no ECU, there’s no check engine light. With an air cooled engine, a temperature gauge is also absent. A resetable trip counter is the only piece of optional equipment missing from this particular car, but there is some confusion as to whether it was even actually offered for 1999.

My particular car (maybe) has (probably) all the optional equipment available in the year it was made. That includes such luxuries as:

A heated rear windshield.

Openable rear windows, which are a great thing to have since newer models like mine don’t have quarterlights. (I also like the little holder you can put the rear seatbelt buckle in while it’s not in use.)

An electric ventilation fan that connects straight to the dashboard vents. It makes a lot of noise and doesn’t push a lot of air, but it’s there and I guess works well enough for defogging the windshield. Oh, and since all it does is take air from the boot and move it to the cabin, it’s best to avoid putting anything smelly in the frunk.

Cloth seats. As standard seats were covered in black vinyl that’d fry you alive in the summer.

We’ve also installed a 12V outlet, as it’s a very useful thing to have. The wiring was all there from the factory, even for the backlight. There is no radio. There isn’t even a speaker, although there is dedicated space for one ahead of the front passenger.

If you’re wondering how it is to use a 126p, after driving it for a few weeks I can provide a few answers.

You unlock the car by manually turning one of its keys in the door lock like some sort of barbarian without remote central locking. There are 3 separate keys for the doors and engine lid, the fuel filler cap, and the ignition. The first 2 follow the same design while the ignition key is one sided and smaller.

The doors don’t open very wide, but it’s enough to slide in.

There is no handle to shut the door with once you’re inside, but the door pocket works well enough for that. Door cards are fully padded, but there is a whole bunch of painted metal showing.

Opening doors makes the interior light turn on and there’s no way to disable that feature. The light is actually much brighter than it looks in the photo. You can also turn it on with the doors closed using the switch on the side.

If you decide to fold your mirrors you’ll have to readjust them afterwards, since it’s the entire housing that swivels, while the glass is fixed in its frame.

Since this is a late 126p, you start it by turning a key. In early cars you had to turn the key to enable ignition and then pull a lever located on the tunnel to activate the starter.

Before you turn the key however, you have to pull the choke lever located between the front seats; it’s the one on the left.

The engine can get pretty loud when started cold, especially as choke raises idle revs considerably. Once it’s warmed up and you let it run naturally however, it’s a really cool little powerplant. When you don’t rev it high, it really seems like you can feel every stroke the way the car’s rear end shakes, especially when idling. The motor feels really really old school in the way it works - it appears like it has a whole load of torque and it never, ever gives up. While the numbers it produces are not impressive in the slightest, it’s a much more competent powerplant than they would suggest. The electronic ignition system limits revs to a max of 7200 per minute.

To make the car suitable for a wider range of weather conditions some cars have this flap on top of their engines. The car takes air for its cooling system from the outside and is able to circulate it around the cylinders, crankcase and all the other parts that require cooling. However, when you open the aforementioned accessory, some of the cool air will get dumped out of the cooling system and into the engine bay before reaching the engine itself, decreasing airflow around all the hot bits and making it easier for the motor to stay well warmed up in cold temperatures. After some driving the engine lid can get really flippin’ hot.

The gearbox is a four speed. Gears 2 through 4 are synchronised, but 1st is not. That’s actually the biggest issue with driving the car in modern traffic. Once you’re out of 1st you’re not coming back down until you’re completely stationary. The gearbox definitely requires patience. Even if you’re stationary, when going for 1st you have to give it a brief moment between pressing the clutch and trying to shove the gear in, otherwise it’ll grind. The fact that to reliably get 1st you need to be off the brakes while moving the leaver is also a bit counterintuitive. When it comes to speed, the 126p is easily capable of keeping up with modern city traffic. Once you get out of the very short 1st gear you’re really off. 2nd can take you up to about 25-30 kph if you’re being economical, or over 40 kph if you’re accelerating hard. 3rd offers good acceleration and versatility as well. As a general rule you’ll accelerate up to your desired speed in 3rd and then shift to 4th when all you need it to hold momentum. 4th gear is actualy rather long and you probably don’t want to shift into it at under 50 kph. Reverse can often be a bit difficult to get into. It’s engaged by pushing the lever towards the floor while in neutral and then going right and down. Most of the time you’ll need a few attempts before you get it in.

The shifter itself is ridiculous by current standards. It has long throws, a whole lot of slack and the gears themselves are in weird positions. 1st is much further towards the front than you’d expect, same goes for neutral. 2nd gear is exactly where you’d expect neutral to be, and since there is a lot of slack on the shifter it’s impossible to tell 2nd and neutral apart just by rocking the gear leaver side to side. Still, once you’re used to the gearbox it’s not that bad to use and I’ve never actually missed a shift on it. The shift from 3rd to 4th is surprisingly quite nice and slick. 1st to 2nd not so much as you need to be slow and careful, but that may just be a weak synchro on my car. The clutch is also a bit grabbier than usual on the grounds of it being an unsprung solid disc.

On the road it’s not a very difficult car to drive. There are more things to keep in mind that in a normal, modern automobile, but it’s not completely out of this world. It’s tall and narrow so in corners it feels a bit scary. The steering is obviously unassisted, so while it has a little play in it, it’s rather quick and direct. Brakes are four unassisted drums, and while you need to use a lot more force on them compared to other cars, they do a good enough job. Braking distance is absolutely terrible, but it’s not the drum brakes that are at fault, it’s the tyres. Grip levels can be terrifyingly low at times. Stops that you’d make in a normal car with no drama at all are either unattainable in the 126p or will make you balance the brakes on the point of lockup. It’s very, very easy to lock all four wheels with one kick of the middle pedal. It can create some awkward situations when the lights start changing just ahead of you. Never before has the term “death rings” been more appropriate.

Dials are clear and precise enough. The fuel gauge can get a little floaty at times, but that’s because most cars have had the damper inside the tank removed. Due to the tiny tank, the needle goes down very quickly. The fuel reserve light starts coming on when you have just over a third of the tank left. Unfortunately, warning lights are slightly on the dim side, especially the indicator light.

The dim light, a relay that doesn’t tick loud enough to be heard over the engine and an indicator stalk with a very smooth action can create some confusion as to whether you’ve indicated correctly. Blinkers also cancel out earlier than they do on most cars. One really annoying thing about the indicator stalk is that it won’t let you turn on the blinker while your steering wheel is turned the other way, that little issue is especially annoying on roundabouts. Stalks are hollow from the back and feel cheap, but not horribly so.

While we’re on the subject of interior quality, you’ll be pleased to learn that it’s much better than one would expect. Plastics are obviously cheap, but they’re not nearly as cheap as in something like a Cinquecento. The main part of the dashboard is made of metal and covered with a fake-stitched sheet of rubber/vinyl with padding underneath it, which makes it all quite soft and pleasant. Nothing feels like it’s going to break if you touch it, and the entire floor is nicely carpeted. If I had to point out the cheapest feeling parts it’d have to be rear side cards.

Here’s one of them.

This is probably the biggest interior quality no-no, exposed rivets above the front seats.

Only the front passenger gets a handle to grab on to.

Going back to the topic of rear seats. You get in the back by lifting either of the front seats. They unhook from the floor when you press on the small lever near the base. There is no mechanism to slide the seats forward when you raise them though, all they do is pivot on a hinge.

Space in the back is obviously rather limited. Photos above show rear leg space behind me as a driver. There is no way I could fit behind myself.

Here’s proof. Headroom is very limited as well - there isn’t enough for me to sit up straight. Rear seats definitely aren’t suitable for adults. Even teenagers could be a squeeze.

As a matter of fact, even up front if you put two bigger guys in the car, it’s going to be a bit tight in terms of width. Seats are very narrow and right up against the very thin doors (the driving position is actually a bit twisted, with the steering wheel and pedals being much further to the right than the driver’s bum), but larger people will still end up bumping into each other’s shoulders. Think flying in economy class. If you stretch your arms to the sides it’s possible to touch the glass on the passenger side without leaning over, that’s how narrow this thing is.

As in many aircooled cars, the HVAC system is a confusing mess. I can mostly get it to work the way I want, but it’s far from intuitive with controls for it in 3 different places. Going from the bottom you have the lever that opens the heating flap. Pulling it opens a flap and lets hot air from the engine bay come through the centre tunnel and into the vents. Above, on the dashboard there are two tab thingies that can be pulled out or pushed in. The one on the left lets in air from the outside of the car, while the one on the right directs air either towards the dashboard vents or towards the legs. On top, between the vents you have the control that lets you switch between directing air through those very vents or up, towards the windshield. Seems manageable in theory, but it doesn’t quite work the way you’d expect it to at times. As for the heating - it’ll melt your face off as long as you’re able to keep some heat in the engine. If you get stuck in traffic in cold weather, however it’s going to get chilly. Also, since the system relies on the engine fan to push air to the front of the car you get more heat the higher you rev.

This here cubbyhole in front of the gear stick is much more practical than you’d think. A Mcdonald’s drink tray fits (or rather wedges in) perfectly and stays nice and stable.

The other two remaning cubbyholes are nice to have as well. Unfortunately, the one in the middle of the dash would have to go if I ever wanted to install a radio. The one on the right is great for carrying 2 or 3 500 ml bottles of beer. They fit nice and snug if you put two in the bottom and one on top.

The lever above your pedals opens the frunk.

It’s tight and not a great place to store things you want to keep clean but it’s there. Aside from the clutter it also houses the battery, the washer fluid bag, the brake fluid reservoir, the fusebox, electrical relays, the spare tyre, the fire extinguisher...

...the original toolkit...

...the jack...

...and the car’s ID plate. Plus some wires I guess.

That’s about it. My little Fiat has been an absolute hoot so far. Also, thanks to it I can feel all superior because I own a car with actual, operational side intakes.

If you have any more questions about this car don’t hesitate to ask.

P.S. The car is still missing the partial engine undertray it should have, but that’s not going to be installed at least for the next few weeks and I don’t know if I’ll have the time to write a review later on.

Jedidiah > . . 07/09/2015 at 18:52

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This is a 99? It looks like it’s from 81

. . > Jedidiah 07/09/2015 at 18:53

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It’s an early 70’s car, just slightly facelifted.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > . . 07/09/2015 at 19:02

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Nice right up, it’s an interesting little car. I’d miss some of my creature comforts if I had one though haha.

Birddog > . . 07/09/2015 at 19:11

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Thanks for the write up! That was a great tour.

. . > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 07/09/2015 at 19:12

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It’s not that bad. Could use a radio, but that’s about it. I’ll probably get a decent bluetooth speaker for it to solve the lack of bangin tunez.

Spasoje > . . 07/09/2015 at 19:22

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I think I have the same fuel filter on my Zastava 750...not factory, of course :)

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > . . 07/09/2015 at 19:52

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It’s such an odd mix of 70’s mechanicals and 90’s updates. Very cool!

Funktheduck > . . 07/09/2015 at 19:58

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Cool write up.

Cool car

RustedSprinter > . . 07/09/2015 at 22:08

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Awesome! Just AWESOME!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 07/09/2015 at 23:02

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LOVE the write-up man! Thank you! :) Makes me want to own one even more! :D Sounds like I should fit in one alright, I’m 28 but I’m a pretty small guy (5 feet, 7 inches tall, 130lbs and size 7 shoes) so I should fit in it just fine. The pedals do look like they would take some getting used to what with 2 being top-hinged and the other being floor hinged! That holder for the rear seatbelt is REALLY clever - neat little detail! I don’t mind not having remote locking. My old Subaru had it, but my current Hyundai doesn’t, so I’m quite used to that....the three keys thing would take some getting used to as I am accustomed to one key doing everything on my current car, but multiple keys was pretty common back in the day for many cars, and considering the 126p was originally designed in the ‘70’s with few updates, that’s probably par for the course.

A few more questions/comments to pester you with... :P

1. The sliders for the HVAC on the dash that pull in and out to direct air in from outside or between your feet...are they “variable”, i.e. do they have to either be completely in or completely out? Or can you, on the one that directs air at your feet for example, slide it in halfway to have SOME air coming at your feet AND at the dashboard vents?

2. I can see the front headrests are adjustable in your pics - are the rear headrests adjustable / easily removable as well?

3. Very handy that the wiring was already there for the 12v plug - did you buy an OEM 12v outlet specifically from another 126, or just get one at a local auto shop?

4. I can imagine the little alternator works hard, have you considered doing any LED bulb swaps on some of your lights? (It wouldn’t be necessary, of course, but for your interior bulb or reverse bulb, or side repeaters?)

5. The electronic system limits the engine to 7200rpms? That’s quite surprising - the 650cc engine is pretty much the same as the one on the 500R and based on the older 500 engines and I seem to recall that those had much lower maximum engine speeds...something like 4500rpms? Was the 126’s engine strengthened to run at those higher RPMs all the time?

6. That little silver flap on the engine for warmer or cooler weather...it’s obviously manually controlled, but is it only controllable by opening the engine bay? I assume there’s no linkage to open or close it from inside the car? If not, no problem at all, just curious! :)

7. Does 2nd gear still have a fair amount of low-end torque for slow speed traffic situations? You could double de-clutch to get into first, but where it’s non-synchro, that could be quite grind-y if you don’t get it perfect every time. Can you stay in 2nd most of the time even if going quite slowly and still have the grunt to pull away?

8. Braking distance - you say the tires help to make it very poor. Do you mean the size of the tires the car uses in general, or the EXACT tires that happen to be on your car? I know there are disc brake conversions for the classic 500, do you know of any for the 126? :)

9. “The fuel gauge can get a little floaty at times, but that’s because most cars have had the damper inside the tank removed.” - Not sure what you mean by “damper” here, care to elaborate for a nitwit like me? ;)

10. Ever consider replacing the dim indicator warning light with an LED bulb to make it brighter? It seems relatively easy to do from some of the links I’ve found on Rezerwa126p.pl (at least on the Cinquento cluster on later models). As for the indicator relay, is it a standard part, or specific to the 126? You might be able to get a different one with a louder tick that could plug straight in (I know motorcycle relays are really loud due to bikes’ “open” natures, maybe there’s a motorcycle flasher that could plug straight in)?

I’ll stop there before you get annoyed at me, haha! :D

Cé hé sin > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/10/2015 at 04:58

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The fuel gauge damper is there because the level of fuel is measured by a float in the tank. As you drive along the fuel sloshes around and without the damper the gauge would move with it. The damper slows the reaction of the gauge to the movement of the float.

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/10/2015 at 07:08

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I really don’t mind answering questions, don’t worry about it. :D

1. You can have those sliders just partially out, after all all they do is open and close flaps. The problem is the airflow isn’t that huge even at the best of times so “sharing” it among multiple zones probably won’t blow you away.

2. Only front headrests are adjustable. Rear ones are bolted to the rear parcel shelf, so they’re removable, but won’t extend.

3. I don’t think the 126p ever had a dedicated 12V outlet, but I could be wrong. I picked up mine during one of my part-hunting visits to an old guy who hoards ridiculous amounts of car related stuff. I think it was meant for a Polonez Caro/Atu Plus. The only issue with fitting a 12V outlet to a 126p is that it uses an older type of connector for the wiring, so most currently obtainable 12V outlets won’t be plug and play. Still, adaptors are available and if you can’t get one it’s nothing a couple of minutes with a soldering iron won’t fix.

4. My dad threw the idea of installing DRLs (since headlights must be on at all times in Poland) and doing some LED conversions on the table, but I didn’t like it too much. I prefer to keep the car as original as possible. Plus, it seems like the reconditioned alternator I got is doing a fine job so far.

5. The 7200 RPM thing is just an interesting tidbit I read a while ago. I agree that it’s a surprisingly high limit and I probably wouldn’t want to rev the engine that high. It’s possible that if the engineers didn’t think that particular version of the engine couldn’t take it they wouldn’t set the limiter that high, but then again maybe they were idiots, it’s anyone’s guess. :P There was also a grey version of the ignition module, mostly used in 700 cm3 Cinquecentos (modified BIS engine, funnily enough they made it spin the other way for the Cinquecento), and that according to various reports had a limit of between 6500 and 6800.

6. Yeah, to change the setting you have to stop and open the engine lid, no way to do it remotely. Also, it’s probably not a good idea to do it on a warmed up engine, cause it gets seriously bloody hot in there. Even the engine lid often gets pretty damn got.

7. 2nd gear is very well gauged and very versatile. It’ll take you from a near standstill if need be (especially if you don’t mind slipping the clutch a bit, which you probably won’t since they’re really cheap), to decent speeds. Official specs give 2nd gear a range of between 13 and 50 kph, but I’d say you could go a bit lower in a sticky situation. Still, a non-synchro 1st means that from time to time you’ll need to stop to get going again, there’s no getting away from that. Double declutching combined with rev matching would be the theoretical way to go back to an unsynchronised 1st, but I wouldn’t recommend it. 126p boxes have a nasty habit of falling apart if you’re not sympathetic with your shifting. It’s not worth it.

8. My particular tyres are what most 126ps use (Dbica tyres), but they are indeed generally considered crap. I could probably improve grip by fitting new rubber (as my tyres are from 07), which I’ll probably do soon enough, but in the end there’s no getting away from the fact that they’re tiny and very narrow. The most popular way to do a disc brake conversion on the 126p is using Cinquecento parts. Some modifications are needed (steering knuckles for example). and you have to use 13” wheels after you’re done so I didn’t bother. I like my 12”s even if they make going over speed bumps or potholes difficult.

9. Here are a few photos of that part from Rezerwa126p:

The little damper, that’s supposed to keep the arm steady when fuel is sloshing about, inevitably gets clogged with sand and other impurities generally found in fuel tanks and stops. Happened in my car - when I bought it the fuel gauge wouldn’t go under the halfway point. Deleting the damper is a very common mod and Rezerwa has a tutorial on how to do it. Not having it in there has a much smaller impact on fuel gauge precision than you’d think as well.

10. I’ve not really considered doing mods like that. I just learned to pay more attention to indicating while I’m driving the Fiat. I believe the relay itself is easily replaceable with generic parts, so it wouldn’t be difficult. I might change it at some point, but it’s not something that has be done ASAP.

Nauraushaun > . . 07/10/2015 at 07:25

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God...how did tfhey get away wit that in 1999!? I thought the Mitsubishi Mirage (the hatch based on the Lancer) was a cheap low-spec car. Plastic dash, no tacho, etc. But this is ridiculous. It’s like any other car from the 70s, but it was built in 1999 !

I’m not trying to hate on your car. It’s a very cute little oddball car from the 70s. The only problem is...it isn’t from the 70s. It’s like if, in 1999, Microsoft tried to sell you early DOS for your desktop. Or a gaming console with two colors. Or a black and white TV. Or a rotary dial telephone. Or a horse.

. . > Nauraushaun 07/10/2015 at 07:36

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That’s why they stopped making them eventually. In the early 90’s Poland had just undergone a switch to a capitalist economy, which was unbelieveably hard on the people, so a car that cost about half anything else on the market did had its place. It may have been ridiculously crude but it did get you places and everybody knew them through and through. Eventually the economy picked up and sales dwindled. By the late 90’s they were almost giving 126ps away and stopped production in 2000.

. . > Cé hé sin 07/10/2015 at 07:49

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That’s exactly right.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Cé hé sin 07/10/2015 at 08:03

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Ah yes, I knew about that....guess I just didn’t clue in with the term damper, haha, forgive me! I’m used to them being called baffles. :)

EDIT - AH! I see what you mean by damper! I thought you meant metal “walls” within the tank that helps prevent the fuel from sloshing around, but you’re right there is an actual little damper unit in there! :D

EDIT #2 - I’ll respond more in-depth to your larger post later today - off to work at the moment! :D By the way, mind if I link this on the Facebook FIAT fan page I help moderate? I think some of the fans may enjoy your excellent article! :)

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/10/2015 at 08:32

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Go right ahead. :] Your enthusiasm is what keeps me posting. :D

Nauraushaun > . . 07/10/2015 at 08:40

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Oh so it was a Poland thing? I was going to say, cars like this exist, but only in really poor countries where getting people in cars at all is the challenge. I think I’ve read the Mini and/or Beetle was produced somewhere in the world into/after the 90s...

I suppose it makes sense then - if you want a 126P, you import one of the more modern 90s ones. But the rust and the neglect...it sounds like a 70s/80s car might have even been kept in better condition!

. . > Nauraushaun 07/10/2015 at 08:47

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I think the classic Mini went out of production in the year 2000 as well. It’s not always the case of providing a very basic, cheap car to the people, but it’s also partially about keeping an icon alive. The 126p was the Polish Model T, Mini or Beetle - the car that got the nation moving when it first came out.

And it wasn’t just on the Polish market either. Until sometime in the 90’s you could get them from Fiat dealers all over Europe, although demand was minimal seeing how much more modern cars like the Panda were available.

And honestly I didn’t care what year my 126p was. I came across one that was in good enough condition to save (it wasn’t rusted through, which is very common) and I got it.

Nauraushaun > . . 07/10/2015 at 09:13

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I don’t really understand that. What’s the point of keeping something alive, when it means building something that’s completely out of date and that no one really wants?

ALL OVER EUROPE? That’s what I was afraid of initially, and the reason I commented at all. Who the hell would buy one when you could get a Panda? Or a Nissan Pulsar for that matter? Even an N13 from the 80s is miles ahead of this car, or so it seems.

I see. It must have helped that it was such a late model, I’d always prefer a later car to an earlier one.

. . > Nauraushaun 07/10/2015 at 09:16

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It sold as long as it did because it was incredibly cheap. In the Polish market it cost exactly half of the price of a new Cinquecento.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 07/10/2015 at 23:21

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1. Ah, sounds like it is just best to leave them on one or another :)

2. Not a worry that the rear headrests aren’t adjustable...not many people would be fitting back there anyway on a regular basis other than sporadic trips!

3. Ohhhh....I should clarify! When I said “12V outlet”, I didn’t mean a dedicated one, I just meant the cigarette lighter! ;) I’m used to calling them 12v sockets even if they aren’t JUST a 12V socket as most people in Canada never use them as cigarette lighters anymore and really only as 12V power sources. My old 2002 Subaru before I bought my accent had a cigarette lighter socket in the dash, but no lighter....just a plastic plug cover thingy. I’m like you....I also doubt they ever came with a dedicated socket from the factory! :)

4. Headlights must be on all the time here in Canada as well - they are called Daytime Running Lights here. It probably wouldn’t be too hard to install a DRL module to keep the headlights on all the time. I’d probably keep my 126 mostly stock when I get one as well, but a few little mods to personalize mine a bit wouldn’t hurt, so I wouldn’t mind LED DRLs mounted somewhere on the front, but I’d be fine without them too! :) I’ve also always liked the “rally light” look, like the yellow-tinted fog lights in this pic , although I wouldn’t want ones that large...my current Accent doesn’t have fog lights but my old Subaru did....I actually really miss them in bad weather as they helped with visibility a lot (Nova Scotia where I live can be VERY foggy in places sometimes as the whole province sticks out into the Atlantic - this is the town I live 5 minutes from as an example, lol)!

5. Guess it’s good to know that little engine is strong enough to be able to rev that high if necessary, haha! :D

6. I figured as much about that little engine flap.....I just know some older cars had flaps and vents controlled remotely by cables or levers, so I was curious if that one was on the 126. Not a big worry as stopping to open it or close it would take only a few seconds, but leaving it open or closed wouldn’t really hurt anything anyway most of the time other than in colder weather.

7. Yeah.....doesn’t seem worth risking damage to the gearbox just to slip into 1st while moving. Stopping for a second wouldn’t be an inconvenience if you’re already going slow enough to warrant using the gear anyway. Nice to hear that 2nd is such a versatile gear though. Not quite as nice to hear that the transmissions can be a bit more fragile! Are they a common failing on the 126? This is probably a really stupid question because it’s a tiny city car, but have you ever taken yours on the local highways at all - how is the gearing? When I get mine it would be mostly used in the local towns (max 50kph/60kph) and local “back roads” (80kph) as I live in a semi-rural area, but a few of my friends live in the provincial capital of Halifax which is 1 hour away on the highway (100kph)...I’ll assume the engine will be screaming it’s little 2-cyl head off the whole way there? :P

8. Hmmm....a disc brake conversion would be a decent and mostly unnoticeable (i.e. the car would mostly retain it’s stock look) safety mod, so I may consider doing one. Considering the 126 is little more than a tin can on wheels, any higher chance of me stopping getting crushed by something would be a plus! ;) That being said, I would be a bit leery to do it with the requirement of the larger wheels. I am sure I could find tires and rims to PRETTY MUCH match, but that always means your speedometer will end up being a little bit off in it’s reading compared to your actual speed...

Glad to hear I’m helping keep you enthused, haha! I have to live vicariously through you until I get a full-time job and can afford to import one myself! :D

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/11/2015 at 06:39

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1. The crappy ventilation is one reason why my car has those opening read windows. They’re less common than you’d think, although can be easily retrofitted. ST and FL models had quarterlights in their front doors. I imagine they got rid of them because it was ridiculously easy to break in by pushing them open. That’s how my dad lost the radio in the 126p he had as a young adult. I’m bitter about that, because that radio is extremely collectable nowadays. :(

2. Rear headrests were a proper afterthought in the 126p. They only added them in the Town version that came out in 1998. Being as low down as they are they’re only really suitable for children. Regarding the rear bench, I believe it was slightly changed in the EL model as well, to comply with safety regulations. They extended the bottom of the seat to prevent children from sliding out from under their seatbelts in case of a crash. Unfortunately, that means rear legroom was slightly decreased.

4. I honestly just dont’ like the look of DRL LED strips, that’s why I opted not to install them. As for foglights, I used mine like 3 times in the 5 years I’ve owned my CLK. They’re not very useful around here. If you want to add lights an alternator upgrade may be in order though, so keep that in mind. By the way, here’s something really cool:

Genuine 126p headlights with wipers meant for the scandinavian market! Had a good chuckle when I saw them. Unfortunately, those are massively rare.

5. It doesn’t sound too comfortable revving that high though. :P The highest I took it was somewhere around 45 kph in 2nd gear and it got quite unpleasant and loud.

6. Many cars don’t even have that flap, so honestly you could pretty much just leave it closed at all times.

7. Gearbox issues happen, they’re not the strongest of boxes. I think the most common failure is the 1st gear and it’;s because people try to force it in. Other thing that I’ve noticed failed for multiple people based on forums was locks that keep gears in once you shift, so you don’t have them popping out. Luckily, many gearbox related issues don’t actually mean the gearbox is broken. More often than not it’s either ruined gearbox mounts, the transmission not resting correctly on them after being taken out, or a failed bit of linkage, especially the element commonly known as ‘the lollipop’, which looks like this:

It’s very cheap and easy to replace, so it’s not a big deal at all. As for the gearbox itself, spare parts are easily available all over the Polish internet at reasonable prices. From what I heard the whole thing is simple enough to be rebuilt by a moderately smart chimpanzee, so many people don’t even bother using a qualified workshop. I’ve not had to do it myself though, so I have no first hand experience.

As for traveling at higher speeds, I’m sure you know that the quoted top speed is 105 kph. That’s a bit on the conservative side, especially in case of later cars, but it’s not too far off. I wouldn’t really expect more than 110 kph from the car under normal circumstances. I believe that the final gear theoretically allows for speeds up to around 125 kph, but you’d need a pretty big downhill to reach that. I doubt the engine would appreciate it either. And yeah, traveling at 100 kph for an hour wouldn’t be too pleasant and could potentially strain the little motor a bit. Cruising at 90 is more realistic, but the car is most comfortable at around 80-85 kph, it becomes quite loud above that (even my car with the quietest exhaust available and electronic ignition, cars with the old ignition system were much louder still).

8. As I said though, the limiting factor in terms of the barking distance are the tyres, at least for me. I’ll report back once I’ve replaced them, but I’m not sure when that’ll happen. Brakes were absolutely terrible when I first got the car and then for the first few km after we’ve replaced them, but now that they’ve worn in they do a good enough job. Not sure I’d like anything with more bite as even now it’s quite easy to lock up all four wheels. Oh, and don’t be scared of crashing, like in all the safest cars the crumple zone on 126ps ends on the engine! :D

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 07/14/2015 at 08:22

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......those wipers are amazing 0_o.....probably not very effective and prone to failure, but epic nonetheless, hahaha!!! Also.....they MAY just slightly degrade the light performance......being in the middle of the light casing and all, lol.

Is it easy to retrofit non-quarterlight front door windows into older models if I did end up with an FL? I wouldn’t want anybody breaking into it if I was out cruising around.

The rear opening windows on your 126 remind me of the similar rear windows we had in our family minivan when I was a kid growing up, they did quite help when we had to let the van sit in the sun during the summer, and I used to enjoy the motion of opening them as a kid as silly as that sounds, haha....very tactile! :)

I wouldn’t be getting the LED strips, not a fan of those either. I’d probably get some small LED lamps, or integrate something small like “Eagle Eye” style LED lights into the plastic bumper.

Glad to hear the major gearbox issues aren’t quite so major...makes me feel less worried considering parts aren’t common on my side of the Atlantic, haha! :)

I’d be fine doing 90kph on the highway if the car could handle that relatively without protest. Everybody would be passing me, but it’s only an hour trip and there are plenty of passing lanes. I could always take the coast road to the city too...longer trip, but the max speed would be 80kph on that road most of the time and it’s more twisty, so more fun, haha!

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/14/2015 at 10:12

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It’s possible, but could look slightly weird, I’ve seen people on Rezerwa forums ask about a mod like that before. You’d probably need an EL/ELX door to cannibalise for parts though. Also, some welding skills. A straight door swap wouldn’t work because of the stylistic changes in later models. Maybe it’d just be easier to weld the quarterlights shut or something?

Doing 90 is definitely possible, but could prove a bit tiring on longer journeys due to the noise.

BTW, I’ve just found out that rear headrests extend as well. Read about it in the manual, went to the car to check and it turned out they were just hella stuck. :D

Jobjoris > . . 07/16/2015 at 05:38

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Awesome review of an even more Awesome car! Thanks for sharing!

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > . . 07/16/2015 at 07:37

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heyy you published this on my birthday! :D

It’s actually interesting that that happened, as my nanny when I was really little had an orange one of these! yay for growing up in Serbia! :D

. . > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 07/16/2015 at 07:49

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A belated merry birthsmas to you then!

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > . . 07/16/2015 at 07:50

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thanks man!

seeing a Polski "Peglica" (little iron) as we call them here made me nostalgia up a lot

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 08/22/2015 at 19:08

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Random question! :)

Is there a button you have to push to unlatch the buckle from this holder, or does it just sort of slide in and stay there due to friction?

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 08/29/2015 at 15:46

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Nope, no button. You just push the buckle in there and it holds.

slav nation > . . 03/08/2017 at 14:21

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Hi!

I’m a Polish-American living in NC and I’m planning to buy and import a POLSKI FIAT 126 P. I think the car is really cool and it ties in with my proud Polish heritage.

I would like to know if there is any way to contact you outside of this website because I need to ask you some questions about FIAT’s. It’s hard to find good information about this car in English so I would appreciate it if you could help me.

Please get back to me

Chris