Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (English: Passenger Automobile Factory), commonly known as FSO.

FSO was a Polish automobile manufacturer, located in Warsaw. The FSO plant was established in 1948 by the Communist Polish government.  In 2011 the factory ceased production of cars as a result of the global crisis and the entry into force of the Free Trade Treaty. The first FSO car was the Warszawa which was essentially a Polish manufactured re-badge of the GAZ-M20 Pobeda, built under license from the Soviets.

 

Headquarters Warsaw, Poland

syrena 102  1957-1972

The Syrena was a Polish automobile model first exhibited at the Poznań Trade Fair in 1955 and manufactured from 1957 to 1972 by the Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (FSO) in Warsaw and from 1972 until 1983 by Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych (FSM) in Bielsko-Biała. 177,234 were manufactured by FSO and 344,077 by FSM, a total of 521,311. During its remarkably long production run it underwent only minor modifications.

The Syrena was produced in various models: 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, while the most popular model was the 105. All were two-door sedans with two-stroke engines, initially of two cylinders. In 1965 the Syrena received a larger three-cylinder engine.

From 1968 a prototype model named laminat was produced. A van called Syrena Bosto and a pick-up called the R20 were also produced. A coupé Syrena Sport and a hatchback Syrena 110 (in 1966) remained prototypes only.

A Siren is a mermaid who, according to the legend, protects the river Wisła and the Polish capital city, Warsaw. She is featured on the city's coat of arms. Also a diminutive name Syrenka (little siren) is commonly used for the car in Poland.

warszawa 203  1951-1973

FSO Warszawa (from Polish: Warsaw) was an automobile manufactured in FSO factory in Warsaw, Poland between 1951–1973, based on GAZ-M20 Pobeda.

The Warszawa was the first newly designed car built in Poland after the World War II. Warszawas were popular as taxis because of their sturdiness and ruggedness. However, they were underpowered for their weight and had high fuel consumption. In total, 254,471 cars were made.

Named after the city of Warsaw, the Warszawa was until 1957 identical to the Soviet Pobeda, built under license, which was given to Poland by GAZ at Joseph Stalin's insistence. Exports of the car started in 1954 to countries such as Romania, China, Bulgaria and Albania.

The first major modernization took place in 1957. The new model was called FSO Warszawa M20 model 57, but not long after its name was changed to Warszawa 200. 

The Warszawa was the basis for two rigid panel vans, the Żuk (made from 1958 to 1997) and the Nysa (made from 1958 to 1994). The gearbox, clutch, and chassis of the Warszawa were also used in the FSR Tarpan. These vehicles lead to the basic chassis of the Warszawa being produced until the 1990s. Additionally, there was a commercial variant of the saloon car.

Production of the Warszawa continued until late 1973, by that time it borrowed many parts from the Polski Fiat 125p.

polski fiat 125p  1967-1991

Polski Fiat 125p is a motor vehicle manufactured between 1967 and 1991 in Poland under a Fiat license by the state-owned manufacturer Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (FSO). It was a simplified and altered variation of the original, Italian-made Fiat 125, with engines and mechanicals from the Fiat 1300/1500. To distinguish between the models, Fiat and FSO revived the marque Polski Fiat. After termination of the license, the car was branded as FSO 1300, FSO 1500 and FSO 125p.

There were two main versions, differing in the engine employed: the 1300 model (1295 cc, 60 PS), entering into production in 1968 to go on until the late 1980s, and the 1500 (1481 cc, 75 PS), from 1969. Polish cars differed in many details from Italian ones: most visible were the double round headlights instead of the square ones, simpler bumpers and front grill, orange color front turn signal lenses, simpler body sheet metal stampings, and the old Fiat 1300/1500 chassis and interior.

Unlike the Fiat 125, the car was also available as an estate (125p Kombi; introduced in 1972), and as a pickup developed in Poland after Italian Fiat 125 production ended in 1972. The station wagon won the 1978 Estate Car of the Year Award in the United Kingdom.

The car was produced until 1991. In total, 1.445.689 were manufactured. By that time the design was 24 years old and used mechanicals which were essentially 30 years old, with only minor improvements. From 1978, a version with an entirely new body was available – the FSO Polonez. The Polonez survived with improvements until 2002.

polonez  1978-1991

The FSO Polonez is a motor vehicle that was developed in Poland in collaboration with Fiat and produced by Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych from 1978 to 2002. It was based on the Polski Fiat 125p platform with a new hatchback design by Giorgetto Giugiaro. It was available in a variety of body styles that included two- and four-door compact-sized cars, station wagons, as well as commercial versions that included pickup truck, cargo van, and ambulance versions. Production totaled more than one million units excluding the pickup truck and van variants. The Polonez was marketed in other nations and was popular in its domestic market until Poland joined the European Union in 2004.

The car's name comes from the Polish dance, the polonaise, and was chosen through a readers' poll conducted by the newspaper Życie Warszawy.

In 2021, about 33,000 vehicles were still registered in Poland.

The internal components, including modernised 1.3/1.5 Litre engines, (pistons and carburetor), the chassis, and other mechanicals, were from the Polski Fiat 125p, but the body was an entirely new liftback body designed in the early 1970s by Centro Stile Fiat as a new prototype of Fiat.

In 1979 the FSO Polonez 2000 Rally with a 2-liter Fiat DOHC engine appeared. It was sold mostly to government officials. The Polonez 2000 has a Fiat twin-cam engine with 1,995 cc, 110 hp, a 5-speed gearbox, a 0–100 km/h acceleration of 12.0 seconds, and a 175 km/h top speed. 

 

polonez caro  1991-1997

1991 marked the end of FSO 125p production. Along with this, FSO's 1.295 cc engine ended production. FSO imports to the United Kingdom were temporarily stopped. On the other hand, the facelifted FSO Polonez Caro appeared. It had new headlamps and grille (similar to the design of the FSO Wars, a prototype car was supposed to be the successor to Polonez), new front and rear bumpers, steering wheel, new rooflet over instruments, and improved front crash safety. Also new was the FSO Polonez Caro 1.9 GLD with Citroën's 1,905 cc diesel engine, 67 hp, 120 N⋅m, and a top speed of 150 km/h. The Caro GLD was sold across mainland Europe.

The Polonez Caro Sedan was a prototype - later produced as the FSO Atu - with 4-door sedan bodywork, with a completely new dashboard and upholstery (project by FSO), new rear suspension: rigid rear axle with longitudinal wishbones, reaction bars, and coil springs. Rear lamps same as in the Caro version. Under the hood, the Polish carmakers installed one of its older 1.6-liter engines fitted with a fuel injection system developed by Daewoo.

Production of the Caro ended in 1997. It was succeded by the new Caro Plus and Atu Plus.

1957-1986

1991-1977

1978-2011

Create Your Own Website With JouwWeb