Nowadays cars no longer rust as quickly, but in the past the opposite was often the case. Exhibit 1: this FSO 125p that Techzle reader Philip de Bruin encountered. Time to get acquainted with this Fiat from Poland.
Philip saw this FSO 125 for some time on a site along the connecting road between the N3 and the A12 near Bodegraven. At one point he decided to take a closer look at the car. At first it was expected that it would be a Lada or Fiat 124, but the fork turned out to be different. Philip’s photos immediately show that the FSO has undoubtedly seen better days. The rust devil has wreaked havoc, a problem that cars from the Eastern bloc often had to contend with anyway. This specimen can be called quite crispy, especially around the fenders. This 125p doesn’t really seem suitable for public roads anymore.
28 years
A quick license plate check confirms that suspicion. Remarkably, this cream-colored specimen only came to the Netherlands for the first time on February 15, 2013, 28 years after it rolled off the production line in Warsaw. On July 12, 2014, it was last transferred from owner and around that date the car also had its last MOT. The vehicle is not insured, but despite the above, the RDW has not issued a ban on driving on the road. Anyway, the chance seems small that this car can get off the terrain on its own at all.
FSO
FSO, fully written out as: Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych, signed a license agreement with Fiat in 1965. The Polski Fiat 125p rolled off the production line for the first time two years later and was produced until 1991. Because the agreement with Fiat came to an end in 1983, the car was no longer allowed to bear that brand name. Over the years, so many changes had been made to the original that the car was no longer recognizable as a Fiat. It was therefore simply renamed FSO 125p. Ultimately, 1,445,689 units were built, with the last unit being screwed together on June 26, 1991.
125
In fact it was a simplified version of the Fiat 125. The bodywork and braking system originated from that model, but under the skin mainly the now outdated Fiat 1300 and 1500 were used. Where you can recognize the FSO 125p in particular are the four round instead of rectangular headlights. In addition, the bumpers have a simpler design. Still, Polish engineers had thought more about one aspect than the Italians: the 125p had a flat fuel tank above the rear axle instead of a vertical tank at the rear right. This is safer and better for weight distribution. In terms of motorization, you could choose two variants of the Fiat four-cylinder inline engine: the 1300 with 60 hp or the 1500 with 75 hp. The car in question is equipped with the strongest power source, which is linked to a manual gearbox with four speeds. No figures have been released for the top speed and acceleration.
‘Dobre’
From 1981, FSO was imported into the Netherlands by De Binckhorst Auto & Motor Import in Voorschoten. In the specific specification, the 125p at the time cost 11.995 guilders new. According to a piece of paper on the left side window, this copy could be yours, because it is for sale for € 1,000. If we are to believe the current owner, the engine is ‘dobre’, which is Polish for ‘good’. You just have to buy some extra sheet metal.
Philip, thank you!