Uploaded April 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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You may have noticed that car parking spaces are shrinking. Or rather, our cars are getting wider. Fiat had the answer to the parking spot blues in 1972 when the new Fiat 126 burst on the scene. At just 1.4m wide it’s 28cm or almost a foot narrower than the Smart ForTwo, and only 36cm (14“) longer while accommodating two more people. That’s not a lot of space to cram four people though, especially in the 1970s with flares and platform shoes! Why did Fiat produce such a tiny car using such old-fashioned parts, and why did this tiny Italian car become one of the most popular family cars in Poland?

Optional Extra video: youtu.be/A7dDlveg88I

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Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_500
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_126
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polski_Fiat_125p
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Panda
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Cinquecento
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Seicento
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_500_(2007)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIM_(automobiles)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabryka_Samochod%C3%B3w_Osobowych
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabryka_Samochod%C3%B3w_Ma%C5%82olitra%C5%BCowych
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_100
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Fortwo
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_industry_in_Poland
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Manufacturing_Poland
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_126
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_600
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_City_Taxi
carjager.com/en/blog/article/fsm-126-cabriolet-bosmal-rare-et-culte.html
https://ceautoclassic.eu/bosmal-a-polish-design-institute/
http://www.fiat126p-bombel.pl
ma-de-studio.com/portfolio/fiat_126_vision
petrolicious.com/articles/the-fiat-126p-when-poland-borrowed-from-italy-to-create-a-pop-culture-icon
thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/03/rare-rides-the-1975-moretti-126-minimaxi-more-than-a-fiat
topgear.com/car-news/concept/seventies-fiat-concept-ripe-reboot
toyotapl.com/about-us
https://volkswagen-poznan.pl/pl/fabryki/historia-1992
web.archive.org/web/20090331114717/http://www.fiat126.co.uk

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