Photos provided by the vendor

Highlights

Lovely 126, recently restored
LHD model from Poland with very low mileage
Imported in 2019
Mechanically overhauled

THE APPEAL

It’s a little-known fact, and it may not have the iconography attached to it that its predecessor did, but the Fiat 126 enjoyed a production run of 10 years greater than that of the legendary Nuova 500.

Introduced in 1972, the tiny two-door saloon was assembled not just in Italy, but also at the Tychy manufacturing g plant in Poland where local firm FSM built the 126 under licence – and continued to do so long after production ceased in Fiat’s homeland in 1979.

From that point forward, Fiat had a financial interest in FSM (later Fiat Cars Poland and still owned by the Italian firm today) and the 126 was built for all markets in Tychy by ‘Polski-Fiat’.

This one is a 1986 ‘650E’ model – one of the very last air-cooled 126s, fitted with the larger 652cc engine. It has been restored by a 126 enthusiast and has had a recent bare metal respray, a full engine overhaul, mechanical refresh and refurbished interior.

THE HISTORY AND PAPERWORK

Manufactured in 1986
Imported to the UK in 2019
NOVA declaration complete and all import duties settled
Full UK V5C
New MOT to be arranged on sale
Only covered 56kms since restoration

THE INTERIOR

Seats retrimmed in original black vinyl
Immaculate grey carpets
Tailored grey floor mats with rubber heel mats
Excellent vinyl door cards
Basic single-dial dash with simple switchgear – three rocker switches, a heater and a passenger side lower storage tray
Dash-mounted speaker grilles
No radio - original blanking housing
Gear knob made of amber sourced from the Baltic Sea

THE EXTERIOR

Complete strip down and rebuild with bare metal respray
Repainted in original white to a high standard
Underside in good order and comprehensively undersealed for future protection
Refurbished steel wheel in authentic grey with correct centre caps
Genuine Fiat mud flaps
Black plastic bumpers and side rubbing strips in excellent order
Correct black roof gutter piping

THE MECHANICS

652cc air-cooled twin
Four-speed manual gearbox
Engine completely refurbished
All hoses and pipes replaced with new ones
Suspension components overhauled as per photos with brand new wishbones
Transverse leaf springs sandblasted and repainted
Reported by vendor to be in great mechanical order with no known issues
MOT to be renewed before sale

SUMMARY

It may have taken longer to get there than the Fiat 500, but the 126 is rapidly emerging as a cult classic car in its own right – hardly surprising when you consider that over 4.5 million of them were sold between 1972 and 2000.

In Poland, where most 126s were made and it was a perennial best-seller, the car has an enormous following and the plus side of that is that parts are plentiful and easy-to-source. It’s an easy, inexpensive and enjoyable car to own, which really comes into its strength in urban areas where it’s a good a city car today as it always was.

This one is a little gem – well-restored and beautifully presented, it’s a fabulous and frugal Eighties classic.

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