THE FIAT 126 – A TRIBUTE

When Fiat unveiled the 126 in 1972, they faced two considerable challenges. Firstly, the Nuova 500 was an extremely hard act to follow – the car that tempted many a Vespa or Lambretta rider towards the joys of four-wheeled transport. The two models co-existed until 1975, with owners of the older model hopefully gravitating towards its eventual successor. Warning – this Fiat publicity film contains music of a highly groovy nature.

Secondly, although rear-engine cars were far from uncommon, the genre was now entering its twilight. Fiat’s own 850 would cease production in 1973, with the company’s emphasis now on the FWD 127. Similarly, the NSU Type 110 ran until 1972 and the Renault 8/10 until 1976. Linwood built its final Hillman Imp in that same year and the Simca 1000 in 1978. As for the VW Beetle, the last German-built example left Wolfsburg that same year.

Yet Fiat believed there remained a strong demand for rear-engine urban transport at a reasonable price.

The 126 was powered by the 594cc engine of the 500R and was essentially its predecessor’s formula writ large. The cabin was undoubtedly more spacious, although many drivers mourned the lack of sunroof as standard. The Sergio Sartorelli-designed bodywork certainly looked contemporary, although the specification included two nods to the past; a hand throttle and a floor-mounted starter lever

When British sales commenced in July 1973, the 126 cost £759.33, making it more expensive than the Mini or the Imp. It was also the same length as its BL rival, albeit an inch narrower. ‘For close to £700 we would have expected Fiat to offer something better than the old 500 dressed in a new cloak’ complained Autocar. Tony Bastable of Thames TV’s Drive In seemed keener on the Fiat but still highlighted the Mini and the Imp in his report.

However, the 126 soon gained a devoted following in the UK, while they were ubiquitous in Italian towns and cities. There were frequent upgrades too, the 652cc De Ville in 1976 and, in 1987, a hatchback rear door. By that time, production was focused on Poland, where it was popularly known as the Maluch. In 1971, the country had just 556,000 cars – or 17 per inhabitant.

But when the Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych – Small Car Factory - began making the “Polski Fiat 126p” on the 6th June 1973, it marked a transport revolution. The average citizen could, for quite probably the first time, aspire to owning a motor car. Warning – this FSM publicity film contains large amounts of cocktail jazz.

The Turin plant stopped making the 126 in 1980 and UK sales in 1992, but the Polish model lasted until 2000. And here, in tribute to a remarkable small car, is the 1973 advertisement, filmed in the UK. You too will believe that the 126p could take part in The Grand National.

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