Fiat 126 is a small city car made by Fiat from 1972 until 2000 over a single generation. It has a rear-engine design, seats four passengers and replaced the Fiat 500, reusing many of its major elements. Most examples were built in Poland, where the car became a people's car and a cultural icon known by the nickname Maluch, meaning "The Little One". Total production reached about 4.7 million units.
Design and development
The 126 shared its wheelbase and much of the mechanical layout of the Fiat 500 but used a slightly larger, redesigned bodyshell with improved safety and more interior space. Moving the starter motor allowed the rear seat to be shifted back, and the roof was lengthened for rear-seat headroom. The engine grew from 594 cc to 652 cc in 1977. A later BIS version of 1987 gained a rear hatchback and a water-cooled flat-twin engine, a change that gave it more cargo space.
Life in Poland
In Poland, the car was built under license by FSM as the Polski Fiat 126p from 1973 to 2000. Its low price made it the most common Polish car of the 1980s. The model was updated several times, including new plastic bumpers and a dashboard in 1984, and it was exported widely across Eastern Bloc countries, as well as to Australia, Cuba and China. In 1997 the manufacturer officially adopted the Maluch nickname as the car's name.