Syrenka, Polonaise, Fiat 126r, Warsaw. These are iconic cars of the Polish People's Republic.

At present, it is becoming more and more difficult to meet the popular Kid on the roads. Even more rarely, we can see how crowded Warsaw was a few decades ago. These are just two examples of cars that once captured the imagination of motorists.

You can write a whole monograph about the iconic cars of the Polish People's Republic. We have selected five models that are clearly associated with this period.

Fiat 126р

At that time Fiat 126p was one of the most popular cars in Poland. They say - and this is no exaggeration - that this model, produced from 1972 to 2000, motorized our country. In Poland, it was created from June 6, 1973 to September 22, 2000.

Between 1973 and 2000, the factories in Bielsko-Biala and Tychy produced 3 Fiat 318s. Tychy.

The Fiat 126p is a rear-wheel drive car with a 2cc 594-cylinder engine and a maximum output of 23 hp. Its predecessor was the Fiat 500, successor to the Fiat Cinquecento.

In the 70s, the development of the automotive industry in Poland gained momentum. In the past, a car was an almost inaccessible luxury item. On the one hand, this situation has developed because of the low economic opportunities of citizens, and on the other hand, because of the deliberate actions of the government. It is also worth emphasizing that during this period, public transport was very well developed - for example, at the turn of the 70s and 80s, the cost of a car trip for a family of three was much higher than the cost of buying three trains. tickets for the same itinerary.

According to statistics, by 1978 there were more motorcycles and mopeds on Polish roads than cars. The situation began to change after Poland acquired a license to manufacture the Fiat 126. Its moderate price made the car extremely popular in a short time.

How much did "Maluch" cost? At the start of production, the Fiat 126p was valued at the equivalent of 30 local salaries, which meant an amount of PLN 69. zloty. Moreover, Polska Kasa Oszczędności has started collecting prepayments for this model.

Of course, the car was available in the so-called "second hand market", so it was possible to own the car without having to wait in line (which could take several years, and malicious people say some of those waiting never got their car). ). However, you should have taken into account the much higher price. The sellers initially wanted around 110K for "vehicle in stock right away". zloty. There was no shortage of applicants, and it is thanks to them that fans of this car still have plenty to choose from.

FSO Polonez

A million cars produced, a Polish-Italian romance and long-standing hopes that a car built entirely in Poland would conquer the world. Polonaise - because we're talking about him - left the Geran factory on May 3, 1978.

The adventure of the first (almost) completely Polish car begins in Italy. There, representatives of the Car Factory went in search of a car worth millions that would correspond to the realities of the Polish People's Republic. In the autumn of 1974, a contract was signed in Turin with Fiat for the creation of a car, which, as the first, was to be produced from start to finish in Poland - and only in Poland. Polish designers drew inspiration from the twin-body cars that conquered Europe in the 70s. In bold plans, the future polonaise was to conquer even the American market; be like a VW Golf or Renault 5.

Of course, the propaganda of the Polish People's Republic was still "trumpeting" the success of the Fiat 125p ("big Fiat"), but in fact - despite the success of sales - the car that rolled off the assembly line in 1967 was already a little outdated. Therefore, one more step had to be taken.

“Warszawska Fabryka Samochodow Osobowych, which has gained increasing popularity thanks to the Fiat 125p produced, will soon be expanded to fulfill orders coming from all over the world,” Stolitsa wrote in 1975. At that time, the production of the Fiat 125p reached its zenith. peak (in 1975 and a year later, as many as 115 11 cars were produced), but from the next year, production gradually slowed down. The view of the engineers was already turned in the other direction. When the "big Fiat" reached its highest sales, the factory bought XNUMX hectares of new land from the railroad workers. For polonaise purposes, a new press plant (larger than the Palace of Culture and Science) and one of the most modern welding shops in Europe were built there, with equipment imported from the West for foreign currency. Almost all halls have been expanded.

Polonaise has already acquired many myths. One of them concerns the name. Apparently, she was chosen in the nationwide plebiscite "Rice of Warsaw". The truth about the causal power of the people is somewhat different. Employees of the Technological Museum discovered that the competition was a fake. The name was thought up two years earlier and secretly planted in the editorial office. There, in a rather sophisticated way, the illusion of transparent competition was created.

Fiat 125р

Polish engineers worked hard on new generations of Sirena 110 and Warsaw 210, but no one had any illusions that in the realities of the socialist economy we would be able to create a modern product that could compete with world leaders. The final decision was made in 1965 by signing a licensing agreement with Fiat to produce a car that had never been seen before.

For two years, with the help of the Italians, preparations were made for the launch of production. There was a lot to be done, because although the FSO plant was founded as a juggernaut capable of producing many parts on site, a number of components had to be produced by sub-suppliers. This was a positive development that contributed to the modernization of the industry, since the production of the Fiat 125p required technologies that were unknown to us until now.

In 1966, an appendix was added to the contract, which indicated exactly what the Polish Fiat 125p should be. The Italian counterpart was to receive the chassis and similar though not identical body, engines and transmission from the outgoing Fiat 1300/1500, as well as its own Żerań product-only elements such as a front belt with round headlights or an interior with a sliding speedometer and leather upholstery. In this form, on November 28, 1968, the first Polish Fiat 125p rolled off the assembly lines of the FSO.

No matter how much the propaganda of the time praised success, it was not without problems. In the first full year of production, only 7,1 thousand jobs were created. pieces, and reaching full processing capacity, allowing the production of over 100 thousand pieces, took six years, i.e. two years after the end of production of the Italian prototype.

Initially, the Big Fiat was a luxury item. The price for Kowalski was unattainable and meant the price of saving his entire life. When the FSO mastered the production process, work began on simplifying the design of the “big” Fiat and depriving it of many interesting equipment options, and chrome was replaced with plastic. These two processes meant that in the 80s a car could be bought for 3 annual salaries, in line with the national average. But he was already a shadow of his predecessor. The quality was widely complained about, which was one of the reasons why the rights to use the Fiat brand were canceled in 1983.

FSO Mermaid

The origins of Syrena date back to 1953. In June, a team was formed to develop proposals for a car "for the people". The team consisted of experienced designers, including: Carola Pionier - chassis, Frederic Blumke - engineer Stanislav Panchakiewicz - bodybuilder with pre-war experience in PZInż. and Jerzy Werner, co-author of pre-war Polish projects based on licensed Fiat, who was a consultant. Since our metallurgical industry was in its infancy and body sheets were like a medicine, it was assumed that the body of the future Sirena would have a wooden structure, like most pre-war cars: a ribbed frame covered with felt and covered with dermatoid - a fabric impregnated with cellulose acetate, primitive imitation of artificial leather. Only the hood and fenders had to be made from sheet metal. For the drive, Blumke proposed a two-stroke engine manufactured by WSM Bielsko. The annual production of sirens was not to exceed 3000 pieces.

Engineer Stanislav Lukashevich, head of the Body Bureau of the Main Design Department of the FSO, from the very beginning shook his head at these “weaving technologies” - as the idea of ​​​​a wooden body was called. I decided that the tree is a relic, with this technology 3 thousand. cases could be made in a year, but this required a huge carpentry base and a lot of dried wood. Lukashevich forced a steel hull based on Warsaw's body parts. It was decided to build both bodies and only decide which one is better.

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Panchakiewicz drew a curved body suitable for wooden technique, from Warsaw he adapted, among other things. windows and light. Lukashevich transferred the front and rear fenders, doors and most of the roof from the Warsaw M20 to his body.

The chassis, the same for both pre-prototypes, was designed by the then FSO chief designer Karol Pionier, also using Warsaw suspension and wheels, and a two-cylinder two-stroke engine which was an extension of the engine. pump drive, was the work of Ferdinand Blumke. The gearbox was borrowed from the GDR Ifa F9.

The name "Siren" was suggested by Zdzisław Mroz, head of the Group Research Laboratory of the FSO Chief Designer's Office.

Both prototypes were ready in December 1953.

The departmental commission rejected Lukashevich's concept, but decided that he was right that the car should have a steel structure, and to save metal, the roof should be made of wood. In the autumn of 1954, it was decided to build several Sirena prototypes according to a new concept, i.e. with a steel hull and wooden roof coated with dermatoid. It was completed in March 1955. One of them, to find out what people think about the Siren, was shown in June this year at the Poznań International Fair. The people met the Mermaid with enthusiasm.

To test this structure in action, a 54-kilometer rally "Siren" was organized in August. The first stage from Warsaw, through Opole, Krakow to Rzeszow, 6000 km long and fitness tests on the Rzeszow routes, was easy for the Mermaids. Then there was a jump to Bielsko, where the engines were tested. The Sirens performed better than four other similar cars for comparison: Renault 700CV, Panhard Dyna 4, DKW Sonderklasse 55 and Goliath 3E.

The sirens were controlled, in particular, by Marian Repeta, a race car driver and creators of the car: Stanislav Panchakiewicz, Karol Pionnier and Ferdinand Blumke. The prototypes worked flawlessly throughout the route. But in one of the corners, Pionyer drove too fast and rolled over. The wooden structure of the roof was solid, and the dermatoid was torn to shreds. This convinced Piognier that the Siren should be all steel.

The car began to be manufactured in March 1957 by manufactory methods, on a piece of free space near the Warsaw conveyor. Body sheets were tapped by hand on asphalt-cement "galleys", they were often welded with an oxy-acetylene torch, seams and seams were polished with files and smoothed with tin, then with epidate, a material invented by Polish chemists.

In total, in the first year of production - from March to December 1957 - the FSO left 201 cars. In March - 5, April and May 0, June 18, July 16, August 3, September 22, October 26, November 45 and December 66. This is official data. They are taken from archival production protocols published in 1972 by Zheransky's weekly Facts.

Serial production, on a primitive tape with manual stuffed carts, but with bodies welded in the so-called. welding of conductors began in the autumn of 1958. Initially, the staff of the Sirena assembly shop consisted of ... 4 people. Nevertheless, in 1958, 660 cars were already produced, and a year later the planned production level was reached - 3010 Model 100 Sirens left Zheran.

In 1958, it was decided that if you want to continue producing this car, you need to modernize it. There was no money for complex changes, so they were introduced as gradually as possible. Hence, as many as 5 significant upgrades to the Siren in just 15 years. Model 101 with improved running gear entered the line in the spring of 1960. The Syrena 102, which debuted in 1962, upgraded the bodywork technology with sheets pressed on presses, resulting in faster assembly, and the sill design was redesigned. In '62, 5185 cars rolled off the assembly line, and in '63 - 5956 in the standard version, 141 Syren 102 S with a liter Wartburg engine and 2223 cars of the next model 103.

Model 103 looked really modern. The radiator grill was changed, the trunk lid was shortened, and the exterior lighting was modernized. A year later, a record was set: 9124 Sirena 103 and 391 Sirena 103 S with the mentioned Wartburg drive were manufactured.

At the same time, the Model 104 was being built in the DGK offices. The first 6 units went on tour at the end of 1964. The 104 has undergone many changes to improve safety and comfort while traveling. Finally, the rear suspension has two telescopic shock absorbers, instead of a single lever, the fuel tank was moved from under the hood to the rear, which made it possible to install an efficient heater with a supercharger. There was also a lot of new inside, other upholstery materials, soft sun visors, clothes hangers. But the most important thing was the new power unit, consisting of a three-cylinder S 31 engine with a power of 40 hp. and 4 speed gearbox. In 1965, 20 cars were assembled for road and tolerance tests, and in July 1966, a tape was launched.

All these changes allowed to significantly expand production. In six months, 6722 vehicles left the factory. The assembly grew rapidly, and in 1971 reached its apogee - 25 units. But all this is not enough. However, it was impossible to develop this production in Zheran due to lack of space, which required new workshops for PF 117r. 

In 1968, Poland developed secret plans to build a new plant to produce a high-volume popular car that would replace the Sirena. It was decided that, like Italy, Germany or France after the war, poor Poland could only drive in small and cheap cars because society's purchasing power was low. In early 1969, a Polish government delegation travels to the GDR to meet with demolition industry ministers and heads of CMEA planning committees to discuss a "general inexpensive socialist car". The Polish side proposes to press all common body sheets with us, because we have a modern press plant at the FSO. The Czechs want their engine to be like this, and the Germans say that this is their specialty and the engine should be German, because Otto and Diesel were Germans. There is a dead end. The case for a new plant in Poland would have been a failure if not for Edward Gierek, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party since 1970, who believes that a second car plant should be built in Silesia. This indicates that the Bielsko region is the optimal location for such investments. In Bielsko-Biala there was a Mechanical Equipment Plant, which produced, among other things, engines for Siren and a Machine Tool Plant, there was a forge in Ustron, a foundry in Skocov, an Automotive Equipment Plant in Sosnowiec, etc. It remains only to choose a car that will be produced at the new plant.

This gives the Little Mermaid a second life. Before Poland chooses a licensor, Silesia must learn how to produce cars. It was decided that he would study at Sirena, whose production would be moved to Bielsko-Biala.

FSO in 1971 The FSO hastily develops the latest modification of this car in Geran. A team is assigned to which I am appointed, we draw up documentation for the car, which consists in placing door hinges on the front pillar, and locks and handles in the back of the door and strikers of the lock on the central pillar. Handles PF 125r are adapted to the "inverted door". In June 1972, an information series is created, and in July, production starts simultaneously in Warsaw and Bielsko. By the end of the year, 3571 Syren 105s had been built in Geran. From 1973, they were produced exclusively by FSM. Unless, in addition to the sedan, the R-20 pickup truck, intended for farmers, is also produced. Its design was created in the FSO on the basis of model 104, the frame was developed by engineer. Stanislav Lukashevich.

Bielsko promised that the Sirena would go down in history as soon as the production of the PF 126p was fully launched, but they did not keep their word. Changes in the rules caused another upgrade. In 1975, the "105" gets a dual-circuit brake system and the 105 Lux version appears: with a gear lever in the floor and a handbrake lever between the seats. Armchairs received backrest angle adjustment. The dashboard also has space for a radio.

Moreover, in the same year, the production of passenger-cargo Bosto Syrena was launched. This wagon was also built by Géran and was intended for service and fine craftsmanship. Bosto could carry four people and 200 kg of luggage.

FSO Warsaw

It was assumed that after World War II, the Polish automotive industry would be able to afford the Fiat. As early as 1946, the Central Planning Office prepared a plan for the recovery of the Polish automobile industry after the war. In 1947, negotiations began with Fiat to begin production of the 1100. On December 27 of this year, an agreement was even signed under which we had to pay Italy with coal and food for licensed production rights. Unfortunately, the Marshall Plan went into effect, and cheap coal from the United States, some argue, actually contributed to the fiasco of the Polish-Italian agreements. Big Brother was already at the door.

Light, Soviet technical thought and the “father of all nations” Stalin had an offer for Poland that could not be refused - a license for the GAZ-M20 Pobeda car.

We paid for the technical documentation both for the grain - at that time PLN 130 million, and for stamps and tooling - PLN 250 million. On January 25, 1950, a license agreement was signed for the GAZ-M20 Pobeda car. The Soviet people helped their Polish comrades build a factory and set up mass production of Warsaw M20s. And Pobeda, which has been produced in the USSR since 1946, is nothing more than the development of the so-called. emki, i.e. pre-war Gaz-M1. This car, in turn, is a licensed Ford Model B, produced abroad in 1935-1941.

Warsaw, like the GAZ-M20, was equipped with a self-supporting body with a subframe for the engine. The car was driven by a 4 cm³ R2120 bottom-valve unit, which produced 50 hp.

The last Warsaw rolled off the assembly line on March 30, 1973. This was due to the appearance in 1967 of a successor: the Polish Fiat 125p.

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