But that is not the only reason the rear engine Italia Mini, at the time, composed an outstanding success story. By almost 5 million systems, the Fiat 126 outsold its popular predecessor, the Fiat Nuova500 As Fiat’s primary designer Dante Giacosa confessed in his memoirs, the advancement of the Nuova 500’s follower, Italy’s nationwide monolith of 1957, was the most significant obstacle. Giacosa, who put Topolino on wheels as early as 1935, supported the Fiat 126 task as an expert for age factors, however this was not successful. As inexpensive as a spaghetti meal, with an optional folding roofing system for that dolce vita sensation under the southern sun and painted as intense as the clothing on the streets of the old town of Bella Napolis, the little Fiat 126 won the general public’s compassion much more. than its predecessors the worldwide city cars and truck neighborhood.
It was not without factor that the little two-cylinder dwarf was constructed practically the same for practically 30 years and offered practically 5 million systems throughout this time, Fiat happily revealed in2000 At that time, the last example of the run of the little individuals was produced in Poland as an unique design “Happy End” and moved to the Fiat Museum in Turin. Therefore, the Fiat 126 went beyond the sales rate of the Nuova 500 and even wound up its designated follower, the Cinquecento released in1991 The Fiat 126, with its open edges, might not match the legend of the kiss shape of the Nuova 500, which was restored in 2007 in a contemporary 500’s retro style. The relationship in between Fiat 126 fans and their least expensive automobile (with a length of 3.05 meters as brief as the British Mini, however with 1.37 meters narrower) was close, as was the abundance of labels and even main labels reveal.
In Italy, the van variation of the Fiat 126 was promoted as Bombel (” little child”) and in Germany, more than 85,000 Fiat consumers reacted to the importer’s require the better-equipped Fiat 126 name, which later on altered to the126 Young child. From 1975, the tiniest four-seater in Europe turned into the very first significant vehicle business to break brand-new production records in Eastern Europe– the work of the Fiat Nuova 500, which was constructed for a brief time at the very same time, ended that year– in Poland. “Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych” (FSM) developed these little ones in the works of Bielsko-Biala and Tychy, which the regional language called “Maluch” (” dwarf”, “little”). From 1997 even the “Maluch” signature decorated the back of this early Polish vehicle, which varied from the Italian initial generally in the 126 p code type and the more effective chassis style.
Maluch production ended up being so lucrative that production in Italy was stopped early and ultimately all Fiat 126 s were “made in Poland by FSM”. FSM-Fiat dominated the entire world, in numerous Eastern European nations they were offered as “Little Poles”, in Cuba as “Polaquito” and in Australia as “Niki”. Cavaletta, on the other hand, was the name of an Italian beach cars and truck based upon the Fiat 126, which, to the dissatisfaction of numerous beach cars and truck fans, was not mass-produced. When Fiat production began in Zastava in Yugoslavia, purchasers believed they saw a little bit of metal, “Peglica”, in the kind of a sober126 Slovenians, on the other hand, took pleasure in the wise “Bolha” flea.
The Austrians were likewise able to come up with a specialized, the Steyr-Puch126 Alpine engine and four-wheel drive expert Steyr-Puch offered the 126 the Haflinger off-road engine, with increased output to18 kW/25 hp. With a leading speed of 117 km/h, the 18 kW/25 hp Steyr-Puch was 12 km/h faster than the Fiat 126– and might unexpectedly summon the Mini 850 and even the VW1200 In plain contrast to the Fiat 126 of German origin, which was geared up with devices from the Steinwinter business and 250 cc stroke engines from Gogggomobil, which passed away in1969 These 126 s, called “Kidney” (Fiat Goggo), were focused on holders of the formerly released Class IV license on the automobile: at one time more than 30,000 Fiats were offered a year in the Middle Kingdom, and the dwarf was remarkably frequently utilized. like a taxi.
After all, Fiat had actually boldly stressed the four-seater functions of the 126: “Four upholstered seats, with a complete view and adjustable front seats,” stated the prospectus back in1972 From 1976 the Fiat 126 Personal 4– called the Bambino in the nation Germany– had rear seats mainly embellished with velour or replica leather, along with bumpers and body defense pieces made from plastic. The way of life was revealed in sweet colors such as orange-red, Tyrolean green or butterfly blue, and from 1978 likewise scandal sheets 126 “Silver”, “Red”, “Black” or “Brown” with stripes soft ornamental and tinted. windows. 2 years later on, nevertheless, the economical front-wheel drive Fiat Panda debuted and now contended with the Fiat 126 for the status of king of minimalists. The factor Fiat’s ingenious engineers plunged the veteran 126 into the eternal youth.
The 126 BIS came out in 1987 with a rear tailgate and folding rear seats. The horizontally installed, water-cooled engine included extra freight area under the big hatch. The smart Dante Giacosa, now older, enjoyed that his last “kid” still provided the possibility of advancement. Production of the 126 BIS was stopped simply 4 years later on due to the fact that the modern-day two-cylinder engine tended to get too hot. In addition, the contemporary Cinquecento, released in 1991, lastly made the 126 BIS outdated in Western Europe. Not so in the rest of Fiat’s little cars and truck world. Production of the Polish Maluch in tested type continued. After the last facelift and parts from the Cinquecento, Fiat traded under the number 126 EL from 1994, and 3 years later on the Poles provided it a three-way regulated catalytic converter. It is not unexpected that the memory of the number 126 in Eastern Europe is so brilliant to this day.
Photo: Fiat, Fiat Poland
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