Poles who decades ago paid up front for one of the now-iconic Polish-made Fiat 126ps, but never received it before the fall of communism, are still eligible for compensation.
The Fiat 126p – known affectionally in Polish as the Maluch (Little One), which the manufacturer accepted as its official name in 1997 – became a cultural icon in Poland due to its popularity as an affordable family car in the final decades of communism.
With demand so high, people could sign up in advance to receive either a Maluch or the larger Fiat 125p. They made prepayments for the purchase, and the vehicles were then distributed by a draw (or to “those with the right connections”, notes Business Insider Polska).
1983 Old Top Gear in Poland https://t.co/5FYQvBI3Rb @KresySiberia @polishodyssey @thevieweast @HOCommunism
— Cold War Conversations Podcast (@ColdWarPod) February 6, 2019
However, after the fall of communism in 1989, the scheme was discontinued, meaning that many never received their cars. Of 1.5 million people who made a prepayment in 1982-85, around 340,000 had not received delivery at the start of the 1990s, according to Bankier.pl, a finance and business website.
In 1996, legislation was passed to regulate compensation claims for unfulfilled purchases. That led many to immediately reclaim their money, but not all. In 2018, there were still at least 250 people eligible for compensation, reported Bankier.pl. There is no cut-off date for making claims.
Last month, Poland’s finance ministry published its latest indexation of compensation payments. As a result, those who in 1996 would have received the compensation rate of 5,930 zloty for an undelivered Fiat 126p can now claim 13,852 zloty (€3,040). For the Fiat 125p, the figure is now 19,629 zloty.
The four-passenger rear-engined Fiat 126 was launched in 1972. At a time when there were only half a million cars in Poland, the communist authorities bought a license to produce the model in Poland. In a period of increased consumer spending, it was intended as an affordable transport option for ordinary families.
With incremental variations distinguishing it from the Italian original, the Polish version was manufactured in the Silesian cities of Bielsko-Biała and Tychy between 1973 and 2000.
In 2017, after learning of Tom Hanks’ affection for the Maluch, the citizens of Bielsko-Biała sent a customised version of the car to the actor’s LA home as a gift. As a thank you, Hanks helped raise money for a paediatric hospital in the Polish city.
Tom Hanks has been for his first drive in the customised Fiat 126 'Maluch' sent to his home in LA as a gift from the people of Bielsko-Biala after they learned of his love for the car, which used to be produced in their city https://t.co/syELstLyKt
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 2, 2017
The larger Fiat 125p was also licensed for production in Poland’s state-owned Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (FSO) factory in Warsaw between 1967 and 1991.
Yet demand for both cars outstripped production capabilities. Families would have to wait on a list for years or hope for car coupons distributed by the authorities.
Today the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) plant in Tychy continues to operate as one of the carmaker’s largest facilities in the world. In December, the company announced a 755 million zloty (€166 million) investment to begin producing new hybrid and electric models at the factory.
Main image credit: Tomek Wyszomierski/Flickr (under public domain)
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
