FIAT

50 years of the Fiat 126...As popular as the Nouva 500 was, available from 1957 onwards, it had already passed its heyday in the early 1970s. More modern and comfortable cars appeared in the Fiat lineup, but the management found it difficult to get rid of them. For the sake of simplicity and cost-effectiveness, they didn't start the development from scratch, they calculated that they could repeat the success of the 500 by bringing together the proven technical fundamentals in a more modern, roomier and safer body. That's how Ghia studio designer Sergio Sartorelli (until the arrival of Smart) designed Europe's last rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive small car.

The starting point was Pio Manzù's 1968 Fiat City Taxi study car, and the 127 also associated with the Manzù name. Sartorelli did not have an easy task as he had to increase the size of the passenger compartment while maintaining the wheelbase. The solution was to move the starter so that the firewall and rear seat could be pushed back 10 cm, and the roof was extended to increase headroom. The size of the trunk and the safety of the small car were also increased by placing the tank under the rear seats. The steering column, which was replaced by a rack and pinion, gave way in the event of a collision and 3 of the 4 gears of the manual transmission were synchronized, in addition to these, only minor changes were made to the structure. They knew customers would insist on the 500, so they made the last, puritanical R-series, and when the 126 was shown at the 1972 Turin Motor Show, the two little things appeared together at the Fiat booth.

Both were powered by the same 594cc engine, but the outgoing model only had 18 horsepower compared to the new model's 23 horsepower. Those who wanted the simplest Fiat could buy it until 1975, but the more sophisticated and lively 126 quickly won its place in the market. It is not disputed that in the mid-70s, the new model did not have as many laurels as the 500, which became a cult. Less charming design is also to blame for this, but rising living standards have also favored its bigger brothers, although in 1972 production began specifically for the 126 at the Cassino plant, and even Termini Imerese in Sicily housed a production line.

Had the KGST not regulated market processes in the Eastern Bloc, the modernized 500 would have been listed among the least successful Fiats, but in 1970, a major political turning point sent Poland into a frenzy. Edward Gierek, who replaced Władysław Gomułka, became the secretary general of the United Workers' Party, which promised to modernize industrial production and make consumer goods widely available, which he fulfilled on the basis of loans from Western countries. An important part of his strategy was the expansion of the automotive industry. As a continuation of the 39-year cooperation with the Italians, in 1971 they signed a contract for the licensed production of the new 126 and, in addition to the factory built near Bielsko-Biała, they also started to build the factory in Tychy, which is considered a of the biggest Polish investments of the decade. According to the original plans, production would have started sometime in 1974 on the assembly lines of the Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych, i.e. the small car factory, and finally in 1973 the first Fiat 126p was completed with a raised chassis, a Different radiator grille and yellow index caps instead of white.

Thanks to Kispolszki, the successor to the 500 also had the opportunity to motorize a country! In 1976, the updated version was presented in Italy with new rims, stronger brakes, more sophisticated upholstery and, in the case of the Personal version, plastic bumpers. In 1977, the air-cooled two-cylinder had 652 cubic centimeters and 24 horsepower, and in 1979, after 1,352,912 examples, domestic production of the car ended and, from then on, the Western European market also passed. to be supplied by the Poles. Another update in 1985, then in 1987 the Bis with floor engine and rear trunk was a novelty, and finally remained in production until 2000, when the 3,318,674,126pt was celebrated. The owners accepted their typical flaws – as with other socialist products – and learned to live with them, as it was the cheapest option for them to have a car of their own.

Auto-Motor, Hungary