Polski Fiat was a Polish car brand that produced and assembled cars from the Italian brand FIAT under license.

Polski Fiat was founded in 1921 as a trading company for Fiat cars. On the basis of a licensing agreement with Fiat, the state-owned company PZInż (Państwowe Zakłady Inżynieryjne) installed the Fiat 508 and Fiat 518 models in Warsaw from 1934 and offered them as Polski Fiat.

Fiat was to develop a design for the factory, provide the instrumentation, documentation and help put it into operation. Initially, Fiat cars were imported. From 1932, the cars were made inside the factory and in april 1934 the Passenger and Semi-Truck Car Factory was opened at Terespolska Street.  The first cars were assembled from Italian parts (model 508 I). 2500 to 3000 cars were assembled annually. From 1936 to 1938, the Polski Fiat 508 was produced in a modified form, a total of 9300 units were produced. In addition, the Fiat Topolino was installed in small numbers. With the German invasion of Poland, the production of civilian vehicles was stopped.

The brand ceased to exist with the outbreak of World War II, when the PZInż factory was bombed by the Germans in 1939.

A new license with Fiat was concluded in 1948, but after the completion of the new FSO factory in Warsaw-Żerań, this agreement was terminated in 1949. Instead, the FSO Warszawa was produced from 1951 to 1973.

The Polski Fiat brand reappeared in the 1960s, when the Polish government re-established contacts between the Polish automobile industry and Fiat and signed a licensing agreement for the mid-range Polski Fiat 125p.

The agreement was signed in 1965 and the first cars were assembled from parts by the manufacturer FSO in 1967.

The in-house production started in 1968. In 1977, the license was renewed for another five years.

After that, the manufacturer was forbidden to call the cars Polski Fiat and the brand name was replaced by FSO in 1983. That name had already been used in 1978 with the introduction of the FSO Polonez model. Production of the 125p ended in 1991.

Between 1973 and 2000, a second licensing model was produced by FSM: the small Polski Fiat 126p, for both the Polish and Western European markets.

The Polski Fiat brand disappeared in 1992, when Fiat bought the Polish factory. Since then, all Fiats produced in Poland have been sold under the Fiat brand name, which was only used for export markets until 1992.

The 125p and 126p were produced entirely in Poland, in addition, some Fiat models were assembled from original parts. FSM assembled the Fiat 127, FSO the Fiat models 128 3 P Berlinetta, 130, 131 and 132. These cars were given the names Polski Fiat 127p, 128p 3, 130p, 131p and 132p.

508p

The Fiat 508, also known as the Balilla, is a small passenger car produced in Italy by FIAT since 1932. It was also, from 1935, produced under license in Poland by the State Engineering Works under the name Polish Fiat 508.

Under a license agreement signed on 21 September 1931 with the Italian company FIAT, the assembly and later production of the small passenger car Fiat 508 Balilla began at the State Engineering Works in Warsaw^. It was the most popular passenger car on Polish roads in the thirties.

In Poland, the first version of Fiat, designated 508 I, was initially assembled from parts, in which a 1-liter engine with a power of 20 hp and a three-speed gearbox were used.

At 34/36 Terespolska Street, in the Passenger and Semi-Truck Factory of the State Engineering Works in Warsaw, in the years 1935–1939, a total of approximately: 3500 units of the 508 III Junak, 1000 chassis for bodywork (e.g. outside the factory), 2500 derivative versions: rover, van, "pick-up", and 508/518 were produced. In 1933, a Fiat 508 cost 7200. The price of the 508 III Junak in 1936 was 5400 PLN, and in 1939 4950 PLN.

518

The Fiat 518/Polish Fiat 518 Mazur was a Polish passenger car assembled (1934–1937) and then produced in 1937–1939 at PZInż in Warsaw, based on the license of the Italian FIAT.

The car was produced in 2 body versions:

• a 6-seater carriage with strapontens and often with a separate driver's compartment,
• 5-seater, with deeper, more comfortable reclining seats for sleeping.

This car was comfortable and elegant, with a finish bordering on luxury cars. Equipped with - innovative at the time - dual-circuit hydraulic brakes.

In the Polish Army, Polish Fiat 518 passenger cars were used in army administration and operational planning institutions, and an off-road version was also created for the needs of the army. This car was a 4-door, with a tarpaulin folding roof and a typical chassis of the 518 model (with rigid axles), equipped with an off-road reducer and wide tires (160x40) with an off-road tread.

Currently, there is at least one working Fiat 518 in Poland.

125p

Polish Fiat 125p – a middle-class passenger car, produced in Poland at the Warsaw Passenger Car Factory from 1967 to 1991, under the license of the Italian company FIAT. After the license expired in 1983, the name was changed to FSO 125p. There are also FSO 1300/1500 markings. Colloquially called the Big Fiat.

The car was introduced as a successor to FSO Warszawy 223/224. Structurally, it was a variant of the Fiat 125, which in turn was based on the 1300/1500 model.

Production began on November 28, 1967.  The drive was powered by R4 OHV petrol engines with a capacity of 1.3 and 1.5 liters, and later the range of power units from the Polonez was additionally taken over. Short series with DOHC diesel and gasoline engines were also created.

The torque was transmitted through: a dry single-disc clutch, a 4-speed manual (from 1985 5-speed) gearbox, a two-piece drive shaft and a rear axle to the rear wheels.

The car was initially available as a 4-door sedan, in 1972 a station wagon version joined the offer, and three years later a pick-up. Throughout the period of Polish production, numerous modernizations of the model were carried out, the most visible of which was prepared for the 1975 year, then the appearance of the body and passenger cabin was significantly changed.

In 1978, its successor appeared – the Polonez, but both models were produced simultaneously until the end of production of the 125p model on June 29, 1991. A total of 1.445.699 units of the model were produced, of which 586.376 units were. 

The logotype was developed around 1975 by Roman Duszek.

127p

The Polish Fiat 127p made its debut in Poland in 1973.

The car was assembled in FSO and was supposed to be an intermediate model between the Polish Fiat 125p and 126p. Unlike these vehicles, the 127p has never been produced in Poland. Instead, the car was assembled from Italian components with a residual share of Polish components such as wipers and emblems. 

The Polish Fiat 127p was sold exclusively as a 3-door hatchback and with a 0.9-liter engine and 48 hp^. Like other Fiat models assembled in FSO, the car was available only for foreign currency. Most of the Polish Fiat 127p cars were built before 1975. Later, several more cars were assembled, the last of which was assembled in 1978. Only a few thousand copies were made.

132p

In the years 1973–1981, the Fiat 132 was assembled in Poland under the designation Polish Fiat 132p. It consisted in installing Polish markings and nameplates in finished cars. In the first year, 390 of them were assembled, in the following year 1974 – 1382 (the most), and a total of 4461 were assembled. 

Polish Fiat 132p assembled in FSO mostly had a 1800 gasoline engine with DOHC timing. Copies of the 1600 version were less common, and the 2000 model was imported in its entirety.  The Polish Fiat 132p 1800 had a power of 105 hp, and in the GLS version – 107 hp at 6000 rpm. The ready-to-drive vehicle weighed 1070 kg. It accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in just over 11 seconds and reached a top speed of 170 km/h.

In the People's Republic of Poland, the Fiat 132 was a ministerial limousine and a popular means of transport of the Security Service for its dynamics.  They were available for sale primarily for currency convertible on the Pewex network.

131p

1975-1981

The Polski Fiat 131P (FSO 131) was Poland's licensed production of the popular Fiat 131 Mirafiori, a rear-wheel-drive family sedan known for its boxy style, reliable OHC engines (like the 1.3L & 1.5L), and robust engineering, serving as a practical workhorse with its MacPherson strut front suspension, solid rear axle, and available 4/5-speed gearboxes, becoming a symbol of Polish motoring alongside its famous rally counterpart, the Fiat 131 Abarth. 

Power was around 65-75 hp for standard models. Standard it had a 4-speed manual, with 5-speed options on higher trims.

While the Polish version was for the masses, the 131 gained international fame through the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally, a specialized Group 4 car that won multiple World Rally Championships (1977, 1978, 1980).

126p

Fiat 126, customarily (since 1997 officially) "Maluch" – a passenger car of the smallest class of cars, designed by the Italian manufacturer Fiat, produced in the years 1972–2000. It was produced by Fiat and under license by the Polish Fabryka Automobil Małolitrażowych (since 1992 part of the Fiat concern as Fiat Auto Poland) as the Polish Fiat 126p (in Italy until 1980, in Poland in the period from 6 June 1973 to 22 September 2000).

4.671.586 Fiat 126s were produced, of which 3.318.674 were produced in Poland (1.152.325 in Bielsko-Biała, 2.166.349 in Tychy) and 1.352.912 in Italy. In the years 1975–1992,  897.316 Polish Fiat 126p were exported.

The Fiat 126 is considered to be the car that motorized Polish society. Its advantages were its low purchase price (it was the cheapest car available on the Polish market) and its simple design, allowing for self-repairs^. However, it was criticized for poor performance, low braking efficiency, and low usable space. For many years, the Fiat 126 was one of the most common cars on the roads in Poland and has received many colloquial names, the most popular of which – toddler, became its official name at the end of the production of this model.

In addition to the basic model with a 2-door fastback body, initially powered by a 594 cc engine with 23 hp, and from 1977 — 652 cc and 24 hp, derivative models were also produced:

• Steyr-Fiat 126 (1973–1975), a product of the Austrian company Steyr, which equipped 2069 Italian Fiat 126 m.in with a more powerful boxer engine (643 cc, 25 hp);
• 126 BIS (1987–1991), a 3-door hatchback with a liquid-cooled engine, with a capacity of 703 cm³ and a power of 25.2 hp, produced at the FSM plant in Tychy (190.361 units);
• 126p Convertible (1991–1995), a 2-door convertible based on fastback assemblies (507 units).