Fiat 126

Fiat 126 Polski Fiat 126p
Manufacturer	Fiat (1972-1980) Fiat 126 Key Dates Time Line - illustrating the life of the orginal Fiat 126 from 72', the Fiat 126 de ville and the Fiat 126 BIS FSM (Polski Fiat 126p, 1973-1992) Fiat Auto Poland (1992-2000)
Production	1972-2000
Class	city car
Layout	RR layout
Body style	2-door sedan
Engine	594 cc Straight-2 652 cc Straight-2 704 cc Straight-2
Transmission
Length	3054 mm (120.2 in.)
Width	1377 mm (54.2 in.)
Height	1335 mm (52.6 in.)
Weight	580-619 kg (1279-1365 lb)
Wheelbase	1840 mm (72.4 in.)
Fuel capacity	20.5 L
Predecessor	Fiat 500
Successor	Fiat Cinquecento
Related	Fiat 133 SEAT 133 Zastava 126
Designer

Italian Fiat 126 post facelift

At the beginning of the 21st century Fiat 126p was still a common sight on Polish parking lots.

Polski Fiat 126p 1973

The Fiat 126 is a city car introduced in October 1972 at Turin Motor Show as a replacement for the Fiat 500. Most were produced in Poland as the Polski Fiat 126p until 2000. It was replaced by the front-engined Fiat Cinquecento in 1993.

History

The 126 used much of the same mechanical underpinnings and layout as its rear-engined predecessor with which it shared its wheelbase, but it featured an all new bodyshell closely resembling a scaled-down Fiat 127.

Engine capacity was increased from 594 cc to 652 cc at the end of 1977 when the cylinder bore was increased from 73.5 to 77 mm. Claimed power output was unchanged at 23 PS, but torque was increased from 4.0 mkg to 4.4 mkg.

A subsequent increase took the engine size to 704 cc in new "restyling" model Fiat 126 Bis (1987-1991), with 26 bhp of motive power.

In Italy, the car was produced in the plants of Cassino and Termini Imerese until the 1980s.

The car continued however to be manufactured by FSM in Poland, where the 126 was produced from 1973 to 2000 as the Polski Fiat 126p. After the introduction of the 126 Bis (126p with water-cooled engine - Polish own construction), the original model continued to be produced for the Polish market. The car was also produced on license by Zastava in Yugoslavia. In 1984, the 126 received a facelift, giving it plastic bumpers (for all versions) and a new dashboard. This model named Fiat 126p FL. In 1994, the 126p received its next facelift, and some parts from Fiat Cinquecento, this version named 126 EL. The 126 ELX introduced a catalytic converter.

Despite clever marketing, the 126 never achieved the frenzied popularity of the 500. The total number of 126 produced is : 1 352 912 in Italy, 3 318 674 in Poland, 2 069 in Austria and an unknown number in Yugoslavia.

Polski Fiat 126p

The car was produced in Poland under the brand Polski Fiat 126p (literally in English: Polish Fiat 126p) between 1973 and 2000. At first it was almost identical with the basic model: differences included the higher chassis, the modified grille on the back, and the front blinkers that were white in Italy but orange for other markets. To distinguish it from the original Italian car, the letter "p" was added to its name. It was produced by Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych (FSM) in Bielsko-Biała and Tychy under Italian Fiat license. Due to a relatively low price it used to be very popular in Poland and was arguably the most popular car in Poland in 1980s. Its very small size gave it the nickname Maluch ("the small one", pronounced "Mah-looh", Template:IPA2). The nickname became so popular that in 1997 it was accepted by the producer as the official name of the car.

It was exported to many Eastern bloc countries and for several years it was one of the most popular cars in Poland and in Hungary, too. It also found market success in Australia for several years from the late 1980s to the early 1990s under the brand name FSM - Niki 650.

History of PF 126p

• 1972 – the FSM car factory was built in Bielsko-Biała.
• 6 June 1973 – the first Polski Fiat 126p constructed from Italian parts. It cost about 69 000 zlotys (an average monthly salary in that times was about 3,500 zlotys while low income was 800 zloty)
• 22 July 1973 – the official opening of the factory's production line (till the end of that year over 1500 Fiats were manufactured) .
• September 1975 – production started in a factory in Tychy.
• 1977 – engine capacity increased from 594 cc (36,26") to 652 cc (39,80"). Engine power increased to about 24 hp equal about 17 kW.
• 1978 – production of types with engine capacity 594 cc stopped.
• 1979 – production of Polski Fiat 126p continued only in Bielsko-Biała.
• 1981 – 1,000,000th Polski Fiat 126p produced.
• December 1984 – technical changes in the construction and body. Type FL created.
• 1987 – beginning of the production of Polski Fiat 126p Bis version (capacity 700 cc - 42,73").
• May 1993 – 3,000,000th Polish Fiat 126p produced.
• September 1994 – body improvement, creating type "el" with parts similar to those used in Fiat Cinquecento.
• January 1997 – introduction of a catalytic converter.
• 22 September 2000 – production was stopped after a production of 3,318,674 units. All Fiats of the last limited Happy End series were yellow or red (500 cars in red and 500 cars in yellow).

The global production of this amiable car was 4,673,655 units: 1,352,912 in Italy, 2,069 in Austria by Fiat-Steyr and 3,318,674 in Poland.

Political connotations

The PF 126p has a very special meaning for the Poles and its story had a connection with Polish politics during the communist period (Polish People's Republic, up to 1989). In a communist system, a private car was considered a luxury good, due to limited availability and low salaries. In 1971 there were only 556,000 passenger cars in Poland. It should be noted that in a socialist planned economy, decisions on whether a state-owned factory could produce a car were taken on political and not just economic grounds. The authorities themselves initially did not find the idea of private cars attractive. The first relatively cheap Polish car was the Syrena, but its production was limited. Limited numbers of cars were also imported from other Eastern Bloc countries. It was difficult to buy a foreign car because the Polish złoty, like currencies in other communist states, was not convertible, and there was no free market. The PF 126p was supposed to be the first real popular car, to motorize ordinary families. The licence was bought after the rise to power of a new communist party leader, Edward Gierek, who wanted to gain popular favour by increasing consumption after the Spartan period under Władysław Gomułka. Despite the fact that it was a very small city car, it was the only choice for most families, playing a role of a family car (during holidays it was common to see four-person families driving PF-126s abroad with huge suitcases on a roof rack; sightings of PF-126s towing a small-type caravan were also occasionally reported). Its production, however, was not sufficient and the PF 126p was distributed through a waiting list. Often families had to wait a couple of years to buy a car. A coupon for a car could also be given by the authorities based on merit.

Nicknames

In Poland it is called Maluch, which literally means 'a little kid' or 'something small', or mały Fiat ('small' Fiat), on contrary to Fiat 125p ('big' Fiat). In some regions, it is also called Kaszlak (derived from kaszel = cough). Fiat 126 is commonly considered to be very unreliable, though the parts are very cheap and widely available.

In Albania it is known as (Kikirez). In Croatian and Serbian it is known as Peglica (diminutive of pegla = 'iron'), in Slovene as Bolha (= 'flea'), Piči-poki (loosely translated as Fast-and-loud) or Kalimero on Slovene coast after a cartoon character Calimero. In Hungarian, it is known as kispolszki (while the 125p is the nagypolszki, which means 'big' Polski), kispolák or törpe-polyák, where kis means small, törpe dwarf, and polák or polyák is an old-fashioned word for a Pole; also, the car was nicknamed egérkamion, meaning a mouse's truck.

In Germany and Ireland (and possibly in the UK), the Fiat 126 was known as the "Bambino", the Italian word for child.

In Cuba it is known as "Polaquito". In Chile it is known as "Bototo".

External links

• FIAT 126p Fanclub Bulgaria
• International Fiat 126 Club-Slovakia
• Fiat 126p Fanclub Romania
• Fiat 500 History -Gizmohighway Auto Guide
• Club126UK Forum for Fiat 126 Owners
• Fiat 126 Club UK
• Polish Fiat 126p Fan Club – Terytorium126p (there is an English-only forum section, for foreign users)
• www.Fiat-126.de - Fanseite "Fiat 126"
• www.Fiat-126-Forum.de - Das deutschsprachige "Fiat-126-Forum"
• Fiat 126 Club NL
• Fan Club Fiat 126 - CZ
• Fiat 126 Club Tábor-Czech Republic
• Fan Club Fiat 126 - DE
• Fiat 126 Club-Hungarian
• 126 China Group