Warsaw M20 GT. Poland Panamera?
The ongoing Economic Forum in Krynica has become a platform for the presentation of the Warsaw M20 GT prototype. Model referring to the already iconic Warsaw M20. Both cars have a difference of almost 70 years.
According to the creator of this prototype, the Krakow company KHM Motor Poland, the main goal was for the Warsaw M20 GT to stylistically refer to the Warsaw M20, but not to forget about the latest trends.
The Warsaw M20, built in the 50s on the basis of the Soviet M20 Pobeda, became the first mass-produced car in Poland. He immediately became the object of desire for all Polish drivers.
“We want our car to also become what car enthusiasts in our country want,” admits the Krakow-based company. “To do this, we needed to create a car that would appeal with its modern and elegant design and performance,” he adds.
Therefore, the power unit from another legend was taken as the basis - Ford Mustang GT 2016. The new Warsaw M20 GT is equipped with a Ford Performance 5.0 V8 engine with 420 hp. “This unit is a guarantee of amazing performance and beautiful, clear sound,” admits KHM Motor Poland. According to information provided by the company, Ford Europe will supply components for the construction of the new Warsaw M20 GT.
Meanwhile, Andrzej Golebiewski of Ford Polska Sp. z oo, there is no cooperation agreement between the two companies. “In connection with the information published in the media about the alleged cooperation between KHM Motor Poland and Ford of Europe in the implementation of the Warsaw M20 GT project, we would like to inform you that there is no agreement on any cooperation between Ford and the company said. The use of the Ford logo on the KHM Motor Poland website with information about such cooperation is unreasonable and illegal,” read Ford in a statement.
See also: Overview of vans on the Polish market
A bit of history
In 1951, the Osobovichi Self-propelled Vehicle Factory in Zheran was opened in Warsaw. On November 20, on the eve of the anniversary of the October Revolution, a pioneer car, completely assembled from Soviet parts, triumphantly rolled off the assembly line. The licensed Warsaw M-20 was the first passenger car in post-war Poland, an organ donor for Nysa, Zhuk and Tarpan, and the unfulfilled ambitions of designers who tried to improve it. It was a derivative of the GAZ M-2120 Pobeda, and we got it to replace the "imperialist" Fiat, which was originally supposed to be produced in Zheran. The "garbage" body was the penultimate cry of a fashion that was just beginning to call for more angular forms. Four-cylinder, non-strained 50 cc engine with XNUMX hp. with difficulty, but also perseverance set them in motion. Sixteen-inch wheels and relatively high ground clearance made Warsaw resistant to the absence of asphalt roads. Sofa seats made it possible to transport up to six people from poverty. The simple design, in which traces of pre-war American cars could be found, made it easy to repair the “humpback” even in the yard.
1956 - a year of change
In 1956, the FSO finally assembled the Warsaw entirely from domestic parts. A year later, an improved 1957 model, then called the 200, appeared. The next 201, 1960, had smaller 2-inch tires and a more powerful 21 hp engine. Two years later, the overhead valve C-202 engine entered production, and cars with it had the designation XNUMX.
The Warsaw 203 project was renamed 223 after protests from Peugeot for keeping the three-digit marking with a zero in the middle. The car's hump was amputated, making it a typical sedan. At the same time, the most conservative proposal was accepted, although the designers' imagination even suggested a body with a rear window tilted at a negative angle, like the Ford England. A new model appeared in 1964, and the Kombi version joined a year later.
By 1973, more than a quarter of a million Varsovians had been founded. Many of them were exported to Bulgaria, Hungary and China. They even reached such remote corners of the globe as Ecuador, Vietnam or Guinea. Those that remained in the country quietly disappeared from the roads until the end of the XNUMXs.
Whether M20 Warsaw will be happily resurrected - let's hope!
