Today's thing now rarely seen

"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse) 01/13/2019 at 16:09 • Filed to: Fiat 126

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This very small Polish thing. Thirty years old this year.

shop-teacher > Cé hé sin 01/13/2019 at 16:22

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It looks like a Saab that was left in the dryer too long. So cute!

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Cé hé sin 01/13/2019 at 16:24

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polish thing?

isnt that a fiat?

DutchieDC2R > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 01/13/2019 at 16:59

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Polski Fiat 126p, it was built in Poland alongside the production in Italy.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > DutchieDC2R 01/13/2019 at 17:00

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aha!

thank you... it all makes sense again now

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 01/13/2019 at 17:05

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*Looks at his Oppo username, looks at the picture *

It’s OK everybody else, I got this. :D

*clears throat*

It certainly is! A FIAT 126, but a FIAT 126p! Specifically a FIAT 126p BIS!

The BIS was a version that featured a water-cooled engine laid flat under the rear floor and actually had an opening rear hatch, all other 126 models were air-cooled with no rear hatch and a small trunk in the front (the BIS also had the trunk in the front). BIS models are not as popular, nor reliable as their water-cooled engines had a tendency to blow head gaskets. They were 702cc while most 126ps had a 652cc air-cooled engine - all 2-cylinders. Horsepower was around 23-24hp for the air-cooled models and 26hp for the BIS, all with 4-speed manuals only. The 126 was based on the older FIAT 500 floor pan with different bodywork, so the drivetrain and suspension, etc layout is essentially the same...in fact, 126 transmissions and engines are almost a straight swap into older 500s.

FIAT, themselves, produced the 126 from 1972 when it was introduced into the early 80s (‘80 if memory serves?), however, Poland (still communist at the time) was looking for a people’s car and purchased the license from FIAT to natively produce the 126 in Poland. Technically, FIAT 126s were those produced in Italy, while 126p (‘P’ for ‘Polski’) were those produced in Poland.

The 126p was produced and sold from the Polish Tychy factory into the early 90s and continued to be manufactured in the second Biesko-Biala factory all the way until the year 2000 with almost no changes other than slightly bodywork tweaks, slight interior changes (such as using a lot of interior parts from the FIAT Cinquecento, also produced at the Tychy plant) and a few minor mechanical updates like electronic ignition in the late 80's and a catalytic converter in 1996 or so on the ELX. So, imagine driving around in a car in 2000 with almost no changes since 1972 based on a car from 1957. :P

I love the 126 (my favorite car!) , even though I’ve never seen one in person...other than in Poland and some ex-Eastern Bloc nations, they are somewhat unloved as a classic compared to their FIAT 500 brethren. I’m hoping to import one here to Canada sometime in the next few years! Borsuq here on Oppo owns a 1998 FIAT 126p Town:

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/fiat-126p-town-a-detailed-oppo-review-1716895942

Awesome little interesting cars! :D

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 01/13/2019 at 17:06

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tldr :p

cheers for the lesson mate :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 01/13/2019 at 17:09

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Hahaha, not a problem man! :P

Cé hé sin > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 01/13/2019 at 17:29

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Ja, meneer.

Plenty of Fiats, including the current 500, are made in Poland. The 126 was made in Italy and Poland until 1980 and thereafter in P oland only.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Cé hé sin 01/13/2019 at 17:31

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learning things today cheers :)

Cé hé sin > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 01/13/2019 at 17:34

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Note that the 126 was made in Poland almost from the start - production began in Italy in 1972 and in Poland in 1973. The vast majority of all 126s were made in Poland.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Cé hé sin 01/13/2019 at 17:35

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Yup! Forgot Polish production actually started a year later, was thinking it started the same year as the Italian production!