Maluch took my family of four in 1991 from Poland to Italy. End of communism, first look into western world. It do not failed us, best holidays ever. Regards to beautiful people of Rimini.
@@Wok_Agenda, they did. I went there from Northern Ireland with the Scouts in 1985. It was under communist rule and was a shit hole at the time. The shops were practically empty, if you wanted any decent grub you had to shop on the black market. Russian military everywhere too. It's changed a lot since then.
These cars are much more relevant than expensive cars. They mobilized countries, generations, families. Cars like this one remind me of the saying "to evaluate a society you have to see how they treat their most vulnerable". Nuova 500, Panda, Uno, Mini, Ka, Renault 4 & 5, Honda City, Honda Fit/Jazz, etc. they were fun and featured innovative technical solutions for cost savings and compactness. And they even had hot and fun versions and some even racing versions. Mini Cooper, Abarth 850, Uno turbo, countless Nuova 500 tuning kits, etc. These economical cars are much refreshing now that car companies only want to sell very expensive bloated cars for they bring a much higher profit. Best wishes.
I can remember reading a review in and old autocar magazine, and he said that anyone could design an expensive car, but to design a small, economical cheap, easy to maintain car, you had to be really clever.
This is the sort of car we actually need today...not heavy EVs, but simple, effective transport. A mate of mine had a 500 Topolino...huge fun, back-out around most corners. Low speed hilarity
Say it louder for the people in the back. I ride a motorcycle most the time and vehicles are huge. I think they’ve gotten even bigger from the monster luxury cars of the 70’s. Even the new M5 is like 2.5 tons. Absolutely insane
@@ricbrook7059 yes, but they are still heavy by comparison & although I concede that they have their place in the urban environment, they still are less efficient in overall terms than an ICE alternative & rely on rare minerals. Cheers.
@@howardsportugal Only by a few 100kg's but the weight is low and the engines way more torquey so drive better than most ice superminis. Batteries are a lot more power dense these days compared to when EV's 1st hit the market and the electrics a lot more efficient.
Brilliant, little cars like this are hilariously good fun. I often say you can have more fun driving a slow car fast than you can driving a fast car slow
I love the same approach to a 126 or a Miura... without mocking any model, for every car was the result of someone's idea meant for very different kind of customers.
I owned one in Australia about 20 years ago, they were called the FSM Nikki 650, such a fun little car. I also owned an original 500 at the same time, beautiful👌
I knew a girl back in the 90s who owned a Nikki 650. It’s funny that this car in the video is a dog car because hers was too. She had a large foxhound she used to take everywhere in it. She also had horses so there was often a bale of hay in it too. Amazing little car. There’s actually one for sale on Carsales at the moment for $11,500! I think that’s about double what they were new 😂
Agree. An upbeat and positive view on all cars. A real passion of all cars reviewed and that makes it engaging content to watch, even if you aren't interested in that particular car. So miss the bits where Jack messes with the spanners though, often a real journey.
I came in one day and my wife told me she had bought a car. "BUSTER" she declared. Fiat 126 in white. She loved it. I drove it on a 250mile round trip and it was great fun. Brilliant in snow. Fond memories.
Mam bought an air-cooled special in 1979. Barring the sunroof leaking (dealer solution was park facing the other way) and the engine earth strap rotting it was a very noble little commuter for 6 miles a day. In May 1985 she gave it to me! What I learned in about) 3 years in that little thing set me up for much of my driving life - notably maintainance of speed (tyres can be replaced as my sidewalls proved), slow down with brakes and gearbox (no servo and drums all around). Too many other tales, ask me if you like. Not even watched your take on the (I think) water cooled BiS yet Jack, but you are doing some of my history, which I love. As anaside, on the Amalfi Coast, there's loads of air cooled 126s still looking very good.
Being pedantic; the Italian-built aircooled 126 started with 600cc & was later 650cc. The later Polish-built 126 Bis had the 700cc watercooled engine. I commuted an '89 G reg 126 Bis into London for about 3 months back in the mid 90s. It would do an indicated 80 mph on the motorway but because the brakes were not servo assisted you literally had to stand on the pedal from those speeds lol.
My Minis would regularly pass the 80 mark except I never noticed anything wrong with the brakes... Even if after a spirited drive I found myself in a hedge... It was my fault, not the car.
The water cooled Bis was built in far less numbers than the air cooled model. In Poland they tell you to avoid the Bis, since the engine is problematic.
My grandad had a clapped out 126 that he drove everywhere on and around the farm he lived on - across fields, along dirt tracks through the woods, anywhere and everywhere. He had enormous wellies, so it was either 100% throttle or 100% brake, except for the times he missed and hit 50% of both! You could see the ground wizzing by from the back 'seats' as he took me to school, it was so rusty. He and the Major who'd employed him all his working life used to go out together for drives, chatting and reminiscing, age and illness being a great leveller of class, even in somewhere as feudal as a Kentish farm.
Easy to park? the turning circle is tiny, and great visibility. It's so small you can go through tiny gaps in traffic, so around town it's probably the fastest car, plus you don't need a big parking space.
We used to do the same just inside Poland - with no rear boot mind you. The whole interior was a boot with passengers sitting among stuff. Ah, the memories.
In Poland we even made a special lightweight 4 people caravan for this car. The car was officially tested if it could pull it in the mountains with full load. It could (travelling mostly at 2nd gear tops).
Myself & two mates followed the 1982 RAC Rally around North Wales in one of these, we had a lot of fun & took turns to squeeze into the back , great little car!
There is something to be said for a car that requires one to use "all the power all the time". This might be my favorite kind of driving experience. Best quote in this posting (regarding the brakes): "It doesn't really particularly want to stop." Brilliant! Another engaging and informative outing!
I remember in the late 80s seeing one of these in Loughborough with a giant clockwork-style key mounted on the engine lid which rotated when the car was moving.
I LOVE that sweet little car! But its very difficult to really find a good one today. The engine sounds great. Never drove one, but I am sure its great fun. I dont need speed for fun. I did see a lot of them in Hungary in the 90's. Now I drive a Trabant for fun 😊
I had a later air-cooled pea-green 126, my friend an earlier bogey-green smaller engined one. Loved them. Remember going to the worthing motor show in the mid-late 80's and Fiat had a BIS there with the bonnet and boot open. Someone was scratching their head and wondering where the engine was 😃.
My family had fiat 126p from 1981 untill 1994 , from my kindergaden to my university . Car that I leard to drive , car that can do u -turn in two lanes .One of moust fun thing to drive even with 24 hp . Great little machine and true testament to italian design
Oh memories. I bought a '78 126 Personal 4, in cat poop beige, with the full height black belt strips, and flip back fabric sunroof. It was supposed to be my young wifes car, but you know what us guys are like; it was also my 2nd car, lol. It was such great fun and got me along the snow piled A143, to work when my Cortina Estate couldn't. We had an '79 white Alfa Sprint alongside it back then. Happy days, as they say. Another great vid, thanks.
Thank you for this review 🙏 Seeing this, makes it obvious what we need today - small, very smart designed cars, instead of 2.5 t SUV to join the traffic jam in rush hours. Well done 🍀👍
Nearest modern equivalent was the last Smart Forfour, also RWD, only fastest version was 108BHP. The electric version was surprising fun to drive with a nice control layout.
I wonder how better would it be with modern technology? Biggest concern might be EU safety regulations. Probably the final price of the car would be something to consider as well. You don't want to pay for this flee too much, compared to any modern A-line car.
Jack, I enjoyed the reference to LJK Setright, a real champion of the small car. I believe he owned a Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - if you could get hold of one of those I'd love to see it! "Small enough to go through most gaps....sideways"
I recall with fondness a Car Magazine supplement called 'Our Cars', where LJKS wrote approvingly about his Wizzkid's length being just right, at three (2?) of his strides
My mum had one in 1978. Loved it. Bouncy, noisy, slow. But fun, and it had a sunroof! It also got us home in the bad snow in late 79 when all the cortina’s and chevettes were stuck in the ditches. Such a sturdy little car. I wish we still had it.
Back in 1999 I was at one of Altrincham Motor Auctions weekly sales. In that sale a mint H reg (1990/1) white Fiat 126 was driven into the ring, a typical one elderly lady owner car that had covered very low miles. "Who's going to start me at 200" called out the auctioneer, "who the fcuk is going to bid on that!" responded one particularly gobby trader that I remember. It was driven away with no bid. Another one I should have bought...
Jack - thank you for reviewing this Italian master piece, it's all anyone needs from a car, seemed to be keeping up with the SUV's in the video with no problem.
I did my drivers license in one of these back in 1996. They are fun to drive, like a budget Porsche. Rear wheel drive and very light. Lots of fun to have in one of these, just don't take them on the motorway.
Had a 500 gardiniera the wife had a BIS later on as a school run wagon. Great fun to drive cars and park it in the smallest spaces. We p/x'd it for a new Panda 1000 Super which went on to be the kids learning to drive car, sold it on at 85K miles, never any problems.
I love cars like these and I love the comments below with their stories. My first car in NZ nearly 50 years ago (Good God - where did that time go?) was a Simca. My neighbour had a rally version (yep) and I lusted after one. I liked it so much, my second car was another Simca!! Huge fun to drive. Fitted me and three mates. Comfy soft seats. And cute. The girls liked them. Nothing beats a comfy seat to impress. Trust me. I haven't seen one for decades!!
The original used 1970’s version in yellow was our first family car back in Poland. 4 of us were going on holidays in this tiny car. It had a rusted floor with a hole in it and with no carpet on it was a challenge to go over the puddles... I also remember 3 of us had to get out on a steeper hill or the car would not have made it. It was horrible car but it was also the only car a regular citizen can get after the long wait. My first car was Kia Morning (picanto in Europe) and I still miss it - we have such fond memories thanks to it. Small, less serious cars are so much fun. Especially these days with all the limits around. Bis was a luxury only few could afford and I only ever seen one on my street back in time - same as the one you’ve driven.
I think this is my very favourite of your videos! The LJK Setright quote is gold. These are known as "peglica" (little iron, as in ironing clothing) in Bosnia & Hercegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
Most of them were imported from Poland to Yugoslavia, later Crvena Zastava started to assemble them near the end of Zastava 750/850 production, because Yugo was bigger car than mentioned Zastava models.
Yep. ( was 1st in Korea in summer 1987 -- Hyundai Pony 5 doors + pick-ups; 100% black-painted Anglo-German Ford Cortinas + Granadas (n0 relation to U.S. "Ford Granada" cars) )
Sweet little car, sweet memories.. We had a blue series one when I was a child in the 70s... I remember sleeping across the back seat... Loved the thing to bits! ❤
A friend of mine had one - said it was great in the snow due to the rear-engined layout giving it traction. She also said that with such a short wheelbase it could do the tightest 'donuts' of any car she'd driven!
I was a Fiat "savant"* from the age I got my license in the US. I had three 850 spiders and a 128 4-door (couldn't fit into an X1/9). A story about the 126p Polski Fiat ... I was visiting family back in the Czech Republic in 1991, and went out to the country with a friend to visit his old schoolmate. He had a white 126p parked in the driveway in pristine condition. At 21, I was large, a bit impulsive (and a bit drunk) - so while my friend went to knock on the door of this old country house, I couldn't help myself, and I started opening the doors and the rear hatch to look at the engine (wasn't sure if it was a 2 or 4 pot) The poor owner didn't know what was going on until my friend explained to him that I was excited to see a "modern" version of the 500. He took me for a ride around the block to scratch my itch - didn't let me drive it tho (I don't blame him). The "B roads" in the the Czech countryside are amazing for spirited driving, overtaking , the occasional game of cat-and-mouse (and several ways to get wrapped around a tree if you're not careful). It was a great trip where we "repatriated" two Maserati Bi-Turbos and an Audi 100 Avant.
In 1990 I was still at my folks. My dad had a 75 Twin-Spark Veloce. I had an Integrale. And there was a Fiat 126 that my dad had bought for £50, along with a bonus of moss on the back shelf. My brother and me hated it. It was so small I once got my foot trapped under the seat when I was trying to get out of the back.
My mum had a Deville version of the 126, which was kind of luxurious with carpet up the dash. I scared myself a bit as I had failed to understand the lack of front end grip compared to the Mini. The start up noise is unmistakable though, very like a 500.
I was selling Fiats in the UK in 87 and the only model we had a 6 month waiting list on was the BIS, we didn't even have a demo. Every other model the majority sold were Pre Reg'ed and or sold as how much of the bonus were we willing to give to get a sale nevermind the cars dealer margin as we were constantly chasing registration bonus but every BIS was sold full up, absolutely no discount. Bizarre.
My parents graduated to from a 500 to a 126 in 72, as a family of 4 we had many touring holidays, from our home in norfolk we did wales scotland and cornwall fond memeories of myself and my sister crammed in the back with a suitcase.
I learned how funny these are from our Auzzie friend - Wade on 'Dankpods' and his car channel - 'Garbage Time' where his little Fiat - 'Tony' has done a lot (run on all kinds of fuel, like, booze! 🤣🤣) 😎🇬🇧
The FIAT 126 finally arrived at Number 27. Thx! This version of the 126 is named ‘Bis’. Still wonder why. Does it mean ‘Again’ or ‘Applause’? The Bis has a Aluminium water cooled 2 cylinder 700 cc engine with a Aluminium head. It’s feed comes from a detuned 2 barrel Weber 30 DIC. Formaly fitted on the FIAT 850 Spider. If you like to tune your engine you take the latter one or the one from the Panda 30 (30hp). But also a Swiatek .pl ‘385’ camshaft. For the rest you can optical tune it with Abarth and Giannini parts like Alu. valve cover and sump. There are lowering kits as well. If you are doing your homework well you get a really nice ‘Bomba’. In 1972 after FIAT acquired ABARTH the Studio Experienza started a study for a FIAT 126 ABARTH 775. Code name ‘SE 028’ and ‘AB-1C-1’. They used a double intake head, bigger valves, a Weber 30, later a 40 DCOE and cylinders up to 770 cc. They were not impressed about the gain. In the early 70ties while the Oil crisis was going on not interesting enough to continue so they cancelled the whole project and start developing the Autobianchi A112. It was clear that the days and the engine design of the 2 cylinder saw better days. After ABARTH left the project FIAT used but redesigned the double ported inlet head to bolt on the standard air cooled 126 engine. But this time the air cooled cylinders went from 650 cc to 700. Together with the 850 30 DIC carb FIAT bolted the whole engine into the just to be launched FIAT Panda 700.
It means "again", from Latin bis "twice". The expression came to be associated with applause, but it literally means "again", "encore". BTW - the Panda 30 had the air-cooled 650cc from the first generation 126, or at least in Italy it did.
Had a 126 when money was tight great fun love to have one again just for the laughs It’s hard to believe that my lawnmower has more power the only problem I had was the fuel pump diaphragm splitting but she would still run but had no grunt 😂the choke and starter where on the floor the starter one just shorted the starter out by pulling a lever across 2 contacts simple design great little run around I was a big lad then and the lads at work would take the pee expecting the doors and wings to blow off when I stopped 😂👍🇬🇧
Interesting to hear the different names in different countries. We had one new in 1977 with a sunroof. It was known as a lorry driver's ashtray. We has to get a rust perforated sill repaired at 6 months old, but it was fun.
Anouther fact, you can wipe all the windows (including the rear) from the drivers seat. Tiny turning circle, unless you rev it up and dump the clutch, then it will squat down on the outside rear, and almost pivot. It's great for a teenage boy just after their test, because they can thrash it, and still not brake the speed limit. The windscreen washer on mine was just a rubber bulb that you poked.
I sat in the FSM Nikki here in Australia at the 1988 Brisbane motorshow. I loved it, but my feet were too big for the pedals. I hit both accelerator and brake at the same time.
A brilliant and immersive experience; driving such a low powered car really makes you think about maintaining momentum through the miserly use of those small brakes. My wife had one in 1981 and sadly at 7 years of age it was already as rusty as hell and full of holes.
I have a huge soft spot for these "people's cars". And there is nothing like wringing one out just keeping up with daily traffic. No one around you knows you're racing! A couple of weeks ago, I took my Citroën 2CV to participate in a fundraiser car show at my local road course race track. Part of the package was Parade Laps around the track. I got assigned to a very mixed group, including some snotty Ford Mustangs etc. Well, while everyone else in the group were doing semi-sedate parade laps, I was running flat out and having a whale of a time!
Yes, apart from the awful heating/demisting that would take an age to work, at least in my 1973 one. I'd end up with ice on the inside of the windscreen on really cold winter mornings, and it would take half an hour or so before any heat came through!
More cars like this please! One of my all time favourite pieces of motoring journalism was by LJK Setright on the 126bis when it came out. At the start of the article recalled, unable to find a parking space, driving a 126 up the steps into a posh eatery (where he was meeting someone) and leaving it in the lobby!. He also spoke about someone he knewfromp Fiat UK who, when he needed to get back to Italy, would always choose a 126, : "circumventing the impossibility of going quickly by simply never going slowly" It was, briefly I think, the cheapest new car in the UK at £2995 if memory serves. I have to say, the early cars with their dainty chrome bumpers look much better (IMO) than later cars like this but I'd still have one in a shot. Just remember, you don't have to be going fast or have many hundreds of horsepower to smile and have fun in a car, bravo for this😁👍😁👍😁👍😁👍
My father bought one in 1975 because it was the only new car under 1k, he paid £999 for our tomato red one. It was for my mother but she wasn’t keen on it, so it was his most of the time. It was driven flat out everywhere for two years, nothing ever broke, bought a set of tyres for it and sold it for 900. Said it was the cheapest (lowest depreciation) new car he’d ever owned.
Here in Australia there was a car brand called a "Nikki", I think, 650 cc twin cylinder air cooled engine that looked exactly like that Fiat. I believe it was manufactured in one of the Eastern European countries.
@@AphonenewNew Yes. FSM began making the cars in 1971 under 'Polski Fiat' brand, and from 1979 was the only supplier of the car for Italian FIAT. After 1990 FSM was sold to FIAT with huge controversy surrounding paid price vs. value of the factory. However Bosmal, FSM's R&D division that designed BIS and many unrealised versions, survived as an independent company and to this day does R&D for most European brands. The first Fiat 500 EV for US market was their job. Aside from research on cars, they also work on trains, drones, weapon systems and composites.
I loved my Fiat 126 BIS. With the front and back seats folded right down you could even sleep two in it. I fitted 4 rally style spot lights along the front bumper, great for night driving but it did slow the engine down when they were switched on. 😂
Drove a 126 just after launch. They had a promotion involving cars fitted with accurate consumption meters. I managed 65mpg and received a little plaque mounted on a marble paperweight. I had trouble with the pedal layout - I had to take my shoes off to drive it at all!
One of my old girlfriends had one. Brilliant in London but a trip to the New Forest was slightly more testing😊. Great little cars though.... keeping the engine spinning was the trick so Setright was probably .... well,..... right!
Old lady used to drive one of these near me in the mid 90’s in Essex when I was a tiny kid. I used to laugh at her thinking it was so weird and sounded funny. Looking back, she was cool, and I’d love to see one on the road now. Wonder what happened to her car. It was a faded orange. Doubt it exists anymore 😢🤦♂️
My mum had one in red she called the baked bean .Mum and the baked bean took my friends and myself all over the North West playing rugby on Sunday mornings
I myself own and drive an old 126 "red" edition. Lovely car. It is cheap to maintain, more reliable than one might think, and it just has an unbeatable charm. I can't even count how often people come up to me and tell me how their parents (or themselves in their youth) had one and how they loved it. No one gives a rats ass about some brand-new Porsche or whatnot, but a Fiat 126? Constant smiles and thumps up.
My first car in 1990 was an 82 lime green 126. Great car, taught me how to look ahead at what others were doing. Had to power on at the bottom of a hill. Because of having no synchromesh in 1st gear. There was a v8 drag racing 126,back in the early 2000s.
An air cooled 126 was my first car.. Now it’s a lot of nostalgia, back then I was so happy to move on to…. Suzuki Alto, which in comparison was so modern.
Great video as usual, interesting to see the hatch arrangement. Our arts teacher had one nicknamed the "washing machine". A group of students lifted it up and turned it over and left a packet of "Bold" on the back seat!
@@The_0p3r8t0r it's just like on hilll starts or in heavy traffic I often smell it. Almost like it needs a bigger plate, nice drive though, even though it's built to a strict budget.
Lovely, charming car the 126. My uncle had one - and it was so low powered that if we were 4 up in it, and came to a steep hill, one of us had to get out and walk to meet us at the top of the hill. My uncle also used to regularly bump his head on the roof liner. But, the ‘fart-box’ as we nicknamed it was cute, fun, and had bags of character.
I passed my driving test in a 126. Had to perform a three point turn, though the car could easily just of steered in a circle. Remember taking my mates on a trip, it struggled up hill with four sweaty teenagers on board, but was great fun, it had a sunroof, which was great as Trev was tall, and needed the give in the roof.
My neckt door neighbour had one, One night on the way home pub we pick it and turned it round on his drive. His face the next morning. If only we had camera phones back then
I saw 126 bis around Italy in the nineties, there were a few, but they could be found... With 126p, the Poles used to come from Poland in Yugoslavia to the sea... at least 2000km, with small N126 polyester caravans and roof superstructures full of things that they would sell later, before returning, for a good profit.
Comparing 126 BIS to aircooled 126p myself - BIS was much quieter, faster, fuel efficient and easier to steer when parking because of rack & pinion. It felt almost luxury. However, old 126p engine lasted longer. It could do +100,000 miles before overhaul when you applied the best oil. I know many 150,000 miles 'champions'. The BIS engine died after 45,000-60,000 too many times. It tended to overheat because of people didn't care to bleed air from cooling system properly. Single deeper overheating began the domino effect.
The engine overheated not because of improper air bleeding but because of the location of the radiator. It was placed next to the rear left wheel and eventually got clogged with mud, which reduced the cooling efficiency. Then it was just a matter of time before the headgasket popped, pumping the exhaust gasses to the cooling system and blowing the hoses. I had this model and battled the odds. Otherwise it was really fun and practical city car with the extra hatch trunk spce and the folding back seats. It was also faster, quieter and with a real heater thanks to the water cooled engine.
@@jacutin5033 These are another factors, indeed. Forgotten or improper air bleeding was very common issue. I had another type of car with radiator tended to clogge by bugs. It needed radiator core cleaning twice summertime. Never overheated it because I looked & listened - a bit too high temperature on gauge, a bit too long working fan - these were subtle signs of trouble.
LGK Setright was a superb character. Always loved reading his reviews on car's. So much knowledge. He loved a Honda in the 90's i recall. If you haven't heard of him check him out : )
Hilarious.. reminds me of a family holiday in Mallorca.. my uncle was too tight to get a bigger hire car.. my dad went nuts but we blasted around the island for a few days, cramped and crowded but it got us around 😂 makes a change from the exotics Jack 😮
my mate had three duff air cooled ones, he made one good one, then asked me to take the rest away for scrap. i made my kids a fast go-cart out of the bits, no glass, doors, bonnet, interior or boot, just one seat, a tin can for petrol, and small battery behind the seat, you could pick that thing up is was light, so it flew, originally 40 bhp/ton, now not far off 80bhp/ton...
I remember these well from my Fiat days. Great fun to drive, the slightly lower profile tyres made it feel like a little go kart. Generally quite reliable, but they seemed to go through head gaskets every 18,000 miles or so.
Most interesting. Back in the late 80s, early 90s the 126 was a popular car for young adults who were "living on a budget" in London. Two friends did so and both sold the cars (after MoT failures) to owners of 500s, for the engine upgrade. A whole generation of Italians (now on their 50s, 60s and maybe older) learned to drive in the original 500. Muscle memory still makes them reach down for the starter. This was a clever, if boxy, update. On going flat out, you are right. The same is true of a 2cv and maybe a 4L. I suspect the rose on popularity is more a.functipn of mad 500 prices and also the ULEZ hall pass. I don't know, but I imagine that is it. Good video about a nice car.
in the mid 80`s my girl friend and here sister an me drove from Austria to Munich airport in a 126. I can not imagine anymore how we suff the suitcase and ourself in that little car . It was winter and snow and took us endless hours over the alps . What a road trip....with laughing
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Maluch took my family of four in 1991 from Poland to Italy. End of communism, first look into western world. It do not failed us, best holidays ever. Regards to beautiful people of Rimini.
Ciao!
What wonderfull story!
Didn't knew poland had communism...
Kind of@@Wok_Agenda
@@Wok_Agenda, they did. I went there from Northern Ireland with the Scouts in 1985. It was under communist rule and was a shit hole at the time. The shops were practically empty, if you wanted any decent grub you had to shop on the black market. Russian military everywhere too.
It's changed a lot since then.
These cars are much more relevant than expensive cars.
They mobilized countries, generations, families.
Cars like this one remind me of the saying "to evaluate a society you have to see how they treat their most vulnerable".
Nuova 500, Panda, Uno, Mini, Ka, Renault 4 & 5, Honda City, Honda Fit/Jazz, etc. they were fun and featured innovative technical solutions for cost savings and compactness.
And they even had hot and fun versions and some even racing versions. Mini Cooper, Abarth 850, Uno turbo, countless Nuova 500 tuning kits, etc.
These economical cars are much refreshing now that car companies only want to sell very expensive bloated cars for they bring a much higher profit.
Best wishes.
We need Real peoples cars again but it electric Thron away vehicles
What a lovely and insightful comment! I heartily agree.
I can remember reading a review in and old autocar magazine, and he said that anyone could design an expensive car, but to design a small, economical cheap, easy to maintain car, you had to be really clever.
Totally agree. Even EVs have gone the wrong way - Taycan is largely irrelevant, we need cutting edge design in the small car.
@@joejoejoejoejoejoe4391
I recall the same, written in Car Magazine, in 1991, about the new FIAT Cinquecento
This is the sort of car we actually need today...not heavy EVs, but simple, effective transport.
A mate of mine had a 500 Topolino...huge fun, back-out around most corners. Low speed hilarity
Say it louder for the people in the back. I ride a motorcycle most the time and vehicles are huge. I think they’ve gotten even bigger from the monster luxury cars of the 70’s. Even the new M5 is like 2.5 tons. Absolutely insane
We're now getting small, lightweight EV's!
@@RobertSmith-le8wp agreed...I used to bike to London everyday. Being invisible to car drivers wasn't fun!
@@ricbrook7059 yes, but they are still heavy by comparison & although I concede that they have their place in the urban environment, they still are less efficient in overall terms than an ICE alternative & rely on rare minerals. Cheers.
@@howardsportugal Only by a few 100kg's but the weight is low and the engines way more torquey so drive better than most ice superminis. Batteries are a lot more power dense these days compared to when EV's 1st hit the market and the electrics a lot more efficient.
Brilliant, little cars like this are hilariously good fun. I often say you can have more fun driving a slow car fast than you can driving a fast car slow
Top
A slow car is the only way to have fun on the choked English roads.
My mum work in Tychy factory in Poland, where BIS (watercooled) Fiat 126p were made.
She mount rear electric cirquit. Matbe even in this one!
I love the same approach to a 126 or a Miura... without mocking any model, for every car was the result of someone's idea meant for very different kind of customers.
I owned one in Australia about 20 years ago, they were called the FSM Nikki 650, such a fun little car.
I also owned an original 500 at the same time, beautiful👌
I knew a girl back in the 90s who owned a Nikki 650. It’s funny that this car in the video is a dog car because hers was too. She had a large foxhound she used to take everywhere in it. She also had horses so there was often a bale of hay in it too. Amazing little car. There’s actually one for sale on Carsales at the moment for $11,500! I think that’s about double what they were new 😂
Nice.
This chap is a most excellent and engaging presenter 👍
Glad you think so! I’m sure not everyone will agree!! 😆
@@Number27 They's wrong Jack. You get it right
@@Number27 We do agree.
Agree. An upbeat and positive view on all cars. A real passion of all cars reviewed and that makes it engaging content to watch, even if you aren't interested in that particular car.
So miss the bits where Jack messes with the spanners though, often a real journey.
I came in one day and my wife told me she had bought a car. "BUSTER" she declared. Fiat 126 in white. She loved it. I drove it on a 250mile round trip and it was great fun. Brilliant in snow. Fond memories.
Nice.
Mam bought an air-cooled special in 1979. Barring the sunroof leaking (dealer solution was park facing the other way) and the engine earth strap rotting it was a very noble little commuter for 6 miles a day. In May 1985 she gave it to me! What I learned in about) 3 years in that little thing set me up for much of my driving life - notably maintainance of speed (tyres can be replaced as my sidewalls proved), slow down with brakes and gearbox (no servo and drums all around). Too many other tales, ask me if you like. Not even watched your take on the (I think) water cooled BiS yet Jack, but you are doing some of my history, which I love. As anaside, on the Amalfi Coast, there's loads of air cooled 126s still looking very good.
Being pedantic; the Italian-built aircooled 126 started with 600cc & was later 650cc. The later Polish-built 126 Bis had the 700cc watercooled engine. I commuted an '89 G reg 126 Bis into London for about 3 months back in the mid 90s. It would do an indicated 80 mph on the motorway but because the brakes were not servo assisted you literally had to stand on the pedal from those speeds lol.
Yes, I was surprised when he said the 700c was introduced in 1975!
My Minis would regularly pass the 80 mark except I never noticed anything wrong with the brakes... Even if after a spirited drive I found myself in a hedge... It was my fault, not the car.
The water cooled Bis was built in far less numbers than the air cooled model. In Poland they tell you to avoid the Bis, since the engine is problematic.
Agreed about the fun and flat-out at all times. I had one for an air-cooled one for a couple of years, a bequest from an elderly relative.
@@williambooth5769 Me too for my first car, a hand-me-down from my Grandmother, gawd bless her.
My grandad had a clapped out 126 that he drove everywhere on and around the farm he lived on - across fields, along dirt tracks through the woods, anywhere and everywhere. He had enormous wellies, so it was either 100% throttle or 100% brake, except for the times he missed and hit 50% of both! You could see the ground wizzing by from the back 'seats' as he took me to school, it was so rusty. He and the Major who'd employed him all his working life used to go out together for drives, chatting and reminiscing, age and illness being a great leveller of class, even in somewhere as feudal as a Kentish farm.
Which farm/whereabouts in Kent was this? I've experienced quite a lot of the feudal farm shenanigans myself here!
@FMFGUF #YiKeS
I would honestly love something like this for just popping to the shops, easy and cheap to run, easy to park and keeps the rain out!
Microcars like Ligier, Aixam... They are fun, economical and comparable to these.
Easy to park? the turning circle is tiny, and great visibility. It's so small you can go through tiny gaps in traffic, so around town it's probably the fastest car, plus you don't need a big parking space.
@@knkjkjn They are too slow. Dangerously so.
@@martinrichardhorrocks9869 Not any slower than the moped, and there are "adult" versions of these which can go up to 100 km/h and seat 4.
I knew a Polish family of four who went on holiday every year to Greece in one of those . God knows how!
We used to do the same just inside Poland - with no rear boot mind you. The whole interior was a boot with passengers sitting among stuff. Ah, the memories.
In agony?
In Poland we even made a special lightweight 4 people caravan for this car. The car was officially tested if it could pull it in the mountains with full load. It could (travelling mostly at 2nd gear tops).
Myself & two mates followed the 1982 RAC Rally around North Wales in one of these, we had a lot of fun & took turns to squeeze into the back , great little car!
There is something to be said for a car that requires one to use "all the power all the time". This might be my favorite kind of driving experience. Best quote in this posting (regarding the brakes): "It doesn't really particularly want to stop." Brilliant! Another engaging and informative outing!
Thanks for another great episode, proving that all italian cars are interesting, not only the Lambos or Ferraris. Great stuff!
I remember in the late 80s seeing one of these in Loughborough with a giant clockwork-style key mounted on the engine lid which rotated when the car was moving.
Awesome😂
I LOVE that sweet little car! But its very difficult to really find a good one today. The engine sounds great. Never drove one, but I am sure its great fun. I dont need speed for fun. I did see a lot of them in Hungary in the 90's. Now I drive a Trabant for fun 😊
saw / heard / smelled Trabis in summer 1989 in West Germany
I had a later air-cooled pea-green 126, my friend an earlier bogey-green smaller engined one. Loved them. Remember going to the worthing motor show in the mid-late 80's and Fiat had a BIS there with the bonnet and boot open. Someone was scratching their head and wondering where the engine was 😃.
My family had fiat 126p from 1981 untill 1994 , from my kindergaden to my university . Car that I leard to drive , car that can do u -turn in two lanes .One of moust fun thing to drive even with 24 hp . Great little machine and true testament to italian design
Had two of these through the late 80s early 90s, never had so much fun in a car, loved them. Had the removable radio, so cool.
Oh memories. I bought a '78 126 Personal 4, in cat poop beige, with the full height black belt strips, and flip back fabric sunroof. It was supposed to be my young wifes car, but you know what us guys are like; it was also my 2nd car, lol. It was such great fun and got me along the snow piled A143, to work when my Cortina Estate couldn't. We had an '79 white Alfa Sprint alongside it back then. Happy days, as they say.
Another great vid, thanks.
I thought poop brown was just a British Leyland colour.
I had fun in the snow with mine.
Nice.
Thank you for this review 🙏 Seeing this, makes it obvious what we need today - small, very smart designed cars, instead of 2.5 t SUV to join the traffic jam in rush hours. Well done 🍀👍
DEAR FIAT,
Please start making these again.
Signed: Everyone.
Nearest modern equivalent was the last Smart Forfour, also RWD, only fastest version was 108BHP. The electric version was surprising fun to drive with a nice control layout.
@@EbenBransome I had a Smart for a year living in central Madrid. Hated everything about that thing......
No, please don't - they're awful!
Fiat is bancrupt as all other brands
I wonder how better would it be with modern technology? Biggest concern might be EU safety regulations. Probably the final price of the car would be something to consider as well. You don't want to pay for this flee too much, compared to any modern A-line car.
Jack, I enjoyed the reference to LJK Setright, a real champion of the small car. I believe he owned a Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - if you could get hold of one of those I'd love to see it! "Small enough to go through most gaps....sideways"
I recall with fondness a Car Magazine supplement called 'Our Cars', where LJKS wrote approvingly about his Wizzkid's length being just right, at three (2?) of his strides
In former Yugoslavia we called it "peglica" or little clothing iron.
You still see some in the countryside
My mum had one in 1978. Loved it. Bouncy, noisy, slow. But fun, and it had a sunroof! It also got us home in the bad snow in late 79 when all the cortina’s and chevettes were stuck in the ditches. Such a sturdy little car. I wish we still had it.
Why can't I like this clip twice? ;)
Yep.
Love these...just bought a white Panda 1.1 Eco, great fun to drive
Your smile and the intermittent laughter between each sentence says it all, a lot of fun in a little car.
Back in 1999 I was at one of Altrincham Motor Auctions weekly sales. In that sale a mint H reg (1990/1) white Fiat 126 was driven into the ring, a typical one elderly lady owner car that had covered very low miles. "Who's going to start me at 200" called out the auctioneer, "who the fcuk is going to bid on that!" responded one particularly gobby trader that I remember. It was driven away with no bid. Another one I should have bought...
Such a great fun little car
Jack - thank you for reviewing this Italian master piece, it's all anyone needs from a car, seemed to be keeping up with the SUV's in the video with no problem.
I did my drivers license in one of these back in 1996. They are fun to drive, like a budget Porsche. Rear wheel drive and very light. Lots of fun to have in one of these, just don't take them on the motorway.
Had a 500 gardiniera the wife had a BIS later on as a school run wagon. Great fun to drive cars and park it in the smallest spaces. We p/x'd it for a new Panda 1000 Super which went on to be the kids learning to drive car, sold it on at 85K miles, never any problems.
Nice.
I love cars like these and I love the comments below with their stories. My first car in NZ nearly 50 years ago (Good God - where did that time go?) was a Simca. My neighbour had a rally version (yep) and I lusted after one. I liked it so much, my second car was another Simca!! Huge fun to drive. Fitted me and three mates. Comfy soft seats. And cute. The girls liked them. Nothing beats a comfy seat to impress. Trust me. I haven't seen one for decades!!
The original used 1970’s version in yellow was our first family car back in Poland. 4 of us were going on holidays in this tiny car. It had a rusted floor with a hole in it and with no carpet on it was a challenge to go over the puddles... I also remember 3 of us had to get out on a steeper hill or the car would not have made it. It was horrible car but it was also the only car a regular citizen can get after the long wait. My first car was Kia Morning (picanto in Europe) and I still miss it - we have such fond memories thanks to it. Small, less serious cars are so much fun. Especially these days with all the limits around. Bis was a luxury only few could afford and I only ever seen one on my street back in time - same as the one you’ve driven.
I think this is my very favourite of your videos! The LJK Setright quote is gold. These are known as "peglica" (little iron, as in ironing clothing) in Bosnia & Hercegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
Most of them were imported from Poland to Yugoslavia, later Crvena Zastava started to assemble them near the end of Zastava 750/850 production, because Yugo was bigger car than mentioned Zastava models.
Love the 126, we need little cars like this and the original Panda again.
I bought one for my wife when she passed her test in 1990 she, hated it and thought it wasn't cute enough... I loved it!
Such a adorable, compact car. Love from korea
Yep.
( was 1st in Korea in summer 1987 -- Hyundai Pony 5 doors + pick-ups;
100% black-painted Anglo-German Ford Cortinas + Granadas
(n0 relation
to U.S. "Ford Granada" cars) )
I learnt to drive in a 500.Still remember spinning my 126 on a wet roundabout.
Sweet little car, sweet memories.. We had a blue series one when I was a child in the 70s... I remember sleeping across the back seat... Loved the thing to bits! ❤
Beautiful tiny car full of character and tricks
A friend of mine had one - said it was great in the snow due to the rear-engined layout giving it traction. She also said that with such a short wheelbase it could do the tightest 'donuts' of any car she'd driven!
I was a Fiat "savant"* from the age I got my license in the US. I had three 850 spiders and a 128 4-door (couldn't fit into an X1/9). A story about the 126p Polski Fiat ... I was visiting family back in the Czech Republic in 1991, and went out to the country with a friend to visit his old schoolmate. He had a white 126p parked in the driveway in pristine condition. At 21, I was large, a bit impulsive (and a bit drunk) - so while my friend went to knock on the door of this old country house, I couldn't help myself, and I started opening the doors and the rear hatch to look at the engine (wasn't sure if it was a 2 or 4 pot) The poor owner didn't know what was going on until my friend explained to him that I was excited to see a "modern" version of the 500. He took me for a ride around the block to scratch my itch - didn't let me drive it tho (I don't blame him). The "B roads" in the the Czech countryside are amazing for spirited driving, overtaking , the occasional game of cat-and-mouse (and several ways to get wrapped around a tree if you're not careful). It was a great trip where we "repatriated" two Maserati Bi-Turbos and an Audi 100 Avant.
In 1990 I was still at my folks. My dad had a 75 Twin-Spark Veloce. I had an Integrale. And there was a Fiat 126 that my dad had bought for £50, along with a bonus of moss on the back shelf. My brother and me hated it. It was so small I once got my foot trapped under the seat when I was trying to get out of the back.
My mum had a Deville version of the 126, which was kind of luxurious with carpet up the dash. I scared myself a bit as I had failed to understand the lack of front end grip compared to the Mini. The start up noise is unmistakable though, very like a 500.
I was selling Fiats in the UK in 87 and the only model we had a 6 month waiting list on was the BIS, we didn't even have a demo. Every other model the majority sold were Pre Reg'ed and or sold as how much of the bonus were we willing to give to get a sale nevermind the cars dealer margin as we were constantly chasing registration bonus but every BIS was sold full up, absolutely no discount.
Bizarre.
Nice 1st - Person Testimony ;-)
My parents graduated to from a 500 to a 126 in 72, as a family of 4 we had many touring holidays, from our home in norfolk we did wales scotland and cornwall fond memeories of myself and my sister crammed in the back with a suitcase.
This is nice its Napoli and Warsaw in one car!
I learned how funny these are from our Auzzie friend - Wade on 'Dankpods' and his car channel - 'Garbage Time' where his little Fiat - 'Tony' has done a lot (run on all kinds of fuel, like, booze! 🤣🤣) 😎🇬🇧
The FIAT 126 finally arrived at Number 27. Thx!
This version of the 126 is named ‘Bis’. Still wonder why. Does it mean ‘Again’ or ‘Applause’?
The Bis has a Aluminium water cooled 2 cylinder 700 cc engine with a Aluminium head. It’s feed comes from a detuned 2 barrel Weber 30 DIC. Formaly fitted on the FIAT 850 Spider. If you like to tune your engine you take the latter one or the one from the Panda 30 (30hp). But also a Swiatek .pl ‘385’ camshaft. For the rest you can optical tune it with Abarth and Giannini parts like Alu. valve cover and sump. There are lowering kits as well. If you are doing your homework well you get a really nice ‘Bomba’.
In 1972 after FIAT acquired ABARTH the Studio Experienza started a study for a FIAT 126 ABARTH 775. Code name ‘SE 028’ and ‘AB-1C-1’. They used a double intake head, bigger valves, a Weber 30, later a 40 DCOE and cylinders up to 770 cc. They were not impressed about the gain. In the early 70ties while the Oil crisis was going on not interesting enough to continue so they cancelled the whole project and start developing the Autobianchi A112. It was clear that the days and the
engine design of the 2 cylinder saw better days. After ABARTH left the project FIAT used but redesigned the double ported inlet head to bolt on the standard air cooled 126 engine. But this time the air cooled cylinders went from 650 cc to 700. Together with the 850 30 DIC carb FIAT bolted the whole engine into the just to be launched FIAT Panda 700.
It means "again", from Latin bis "twice". The expression came to be associated with applause, but it literally means "again", "encore".
BTW - the Panda 30 had the air-cooled 650cc from the first generation 126, or at least in Italy it did.
The Bis has a watercooled engine that the Poles tell me they won't touch wit a six foot stick. The air cooled is the one to get
Had a 126 when money was tight great fun love to have one again just for the laughs
It’s hard to believe that my lawnmower has more power the only problem I had was the fuel pump diaphragm splitting but she would still run but had no grunt 😂the choke and starter where on the floor the starter one just shorted the starter out by pulling a lever across 2 contacts simple design great little run around I was a big lad then and the lads at work would take the pee expecting the doors and wings to blow off when I stopped 😂👍🇬🇧
Love anything small and fun. Was lent a 127 for a few months and that was so much fun. It just demands to be ragged.
Interesting to hear the different names in different countries. We had one new in 1977 with a sunroof. It was known as a lorry driver's ashtray. We has to get a rust perforated sill repaired at 6 months old, but it was fun.
A different car but had a 127 Sport way back. Orange with black details. Was a fantastically fun thing to drive. Always felt like I was flying along.
Anouther fact, you can wipe all the windows (including the rear) from the drivers seat. Tiny turning circle, unless you rev it up and dump the clutch, then it will squat down on the outside rear, and almost pivot.
It's great for a teenage boy just after their test, because they can thrash it, and still not brake the speed limit.
The windscreen washer on mine was just a rubber bulb that you poked.
Ah yes the screen washer! Same here!😂
@@10secondsrule….and a floor mounted starter…I felt like a race car driver! 😂😂
I sat in the FSM Nikki here in Australia at the 1988 Brisbane motorshow. I loved it, but my feet were too big for the pedals. I hit both accelerator and brake at the same time.
A brilliant and immersive experience; driving such a low powered car really makes you think about maintaining momentum through the miserly use of those small brakes. My wife had one in 1981 and sadly at 7 years of age it was already as rusty as hell and full of holes.
Love stuff like this! Cool little car Jack!
I have a huge soft spot for these "people's cars". And there is nothing like wringing one out just keeping up with daily traffic. No one around you knows you're racing! A couple of weeks ago, I took my Citroën 2CV to participate in a fundraiser car show at my local road course race track. Part of the package was Parade Laps around the track. I got assigned to a very mixed group, including some snotty Ford Mustangs etc. Well, while everyone else in the group were doing semi-sedate parade laps, I was running flat out and having a whale of a time!
Slow car driven fast is always more fun then fast car driven slow
When I was around 12 or 13 years old, I always wanted one of these!
I owned two of these. I had many cars since and none have got close to the fun I had driving the 126.
I had a 126 air cooled. Excellent in the snow!
Yes, apart from the awful heating/demisting that would take an age to work, at least in my 1973 one. I'd end up with ice on the inside of the windscreen on really cold winter mornings, and it would take half an hour or so before any heat came through!
More cars like this please!
One of my all time favourite pieces of motoring journalism was by LJK Setright on the 126bis when it came out. At the start of the article recalled, unable to find a parking space, driving a 126 up the steps into a posh eatery (where he was meeting someone) and leaving it in the lobby!. He also spoke about someone he knewfromp Fiat UK who, when he needed to get back to Italy, would always choose a 126, :
"circumventing the impossibility of going quickly by simply never going slowly"
It was, briefly I think, the cheapest new car in the UK at £2995 if memory serves.
I have to say, the early cars with their dainty chrome bumpers look much better (IMO) than later cars like this but I'd still have one in a shot.
Just remember, you don't have to be going fast or have many hundreds of horsepower to smile and have fun in a car, bravo for this😁👍😁👍😁👍😁👍
Beat me to Setright's driving it into a building. I posted it, carried on scrolling down. This was the next post down from mine, so I deleted.
My father bought one in 1975 because it was the only new car under 1k, he paid £999 for our tomato red one. It was for my mother but she wasn’t keen on it, so it was his most of the time. It was driven flat out everywhere for two years, nothing ever broke, bought a set of tyres for it and sold it for 900. Said it was the cheapest (lowest depreciation) new car he’d ever owned.
Here in Australia there was a car brand called a "Nikki", I think, 650 cc twin cylinder air cooled engine that looked exactly like that Fiat. I believe it was manufactured in one of the Eastern European countries.
Yes, I remember them, they were fairly common in Australia in the early 90s. I remember them being badged FSM Nikki, and that they came from Poland.
@@AphonenewNew Yes. FSM began making the cars in 1971 under 'Polski Fiat' brand, and from 1979 was the only supplier of the car for Italian FIAT. After 1990 FSM was sold to FIAT with huge controversy surrounding paid price vs. value of the factory. However Bosmal, FSM's R&D division that designed BIS and many unrealised versions, survived as an independent company and to this day does R&D for most European brands. The first Fiat 500 EV for US market was their job. Aside from research on cars, they also work on trains, drones, weapon systems and composites.
I loved my Fiat 126 BIS. With the front and back seats folded right down you could even sleep two in it. I fitted 4 rally style spot lights along the front bumper, great for night driving but it did slow the engine down when they were switched on. 😂
Drove a 126 just after launch. They had a promotion involving cars fitted with accurate consumption meters. I managed 65mpg and received a little plaque mounted on a marble paperweight. I had trouble with the pedal layout - I had to take my shoes off to drive it at all!
Nice.
One of my old girlfriends had one. Brilliant in London but a trip to the New Forest was slightly more testing😊. Great little cars though.... keeping the engine spinning was the trick so Setright was probably .... well,..... right!
Another great video, Bravo Jack
Me and my mate back in 1985 went from York to Keswick in one of these when we were 18, was a great laugh, I remember you could start it with a stick!
Old lady used to drive one of these near me in the mid 90’s in Essex when I was a tiny kid. I used to laugh at her thinking it was so weird and sounded funny. Looking back, she was cool, and I’d love to see one on the road now. Wonder what happened to her car. It was a faded orange. Doubt it exists anymore 😢🤦♂️
My mum had a white D reg 126 i leant to drive in it and passed my test in it in 1991 me and my pals had fun in it 😂 happy days
My mum had one in red she called the baked bean .Mum and the baked bean took my friends and myself all over the North West playing rugby on Sunday mornings
I myself own and drive an old 126 "red" edition. Lovely car. It is cheap to maintain, more reliable than one might think, and it just has an unbeatable charm. I can't even count how often people come up to me and tell me how their parents (or themselves in their youth) had one and how they loved it. No one gives a rats ass about some brand-new Porsche or whatnot, but a Fiat 126? Constant smiles and thumps up.
My first car in 1990 was an 82 lime green 126. Great car, taught me how to look ahead at what others were doing. Had to power on at the bottom of a hill. Because of having no synchromesh in 1st gear. There was a v8 drag racing 126,back in the early 2000s.
An air cooled 126 was my first car.. Now it’s a lot of nostalgia, back then I was so happy to move on to…. Suzuki Alto, which in comparison was so modern.
Great video as usual, interesting to see the hatch arrangement. Our arts teacher had one nicknamed the "washing machine". A group of students lifted it up and turned it over and left a packet of "Bold" on the back seat!
I enjoy chucking our 108 about in a similar way!
Same when we had an aygo
@The_0p3r8t0r did you find that the clutch tended to overheat?
@@rob5944 no... Maybe I didn't chuck it about enough 😂😂
@@The_0p3r8t0r it's just like on hilll starts or in heavy traffic I often smell it. Almost like it needs a bigger plate, nice drive though, even though it's built to a strict budget.
Lovely, charming car the 126. My uncle had one - and it was so low powered that if we were 4 up in it, and came to a steep hill, one of us had to get out and walk to meet us at the top of the hill. My uncle also used to regularly bump his head on the roof liner. But, the ‘fart-box’ as we nicknamed it was cute, fun, and had bags of character.
I passed my driving test in a 126. Had to perform a three point turn, though the car could easily just of steered in a circle.
Remember taking my mates on a trip, it struggled up hill with four sweaty teenagers on board, but was great fun, it had a sunroof, which was great as Trev was tall, and needed the give in the roof.
My neckt door neighbour had one, One night on the way home pub we pick it and turned it round on his drive. His face the next morning. If only we had camera phones back then
think this is my favourite vid youve done!
I saw 126 bis around Italy in the nineties, there were a few, but they could be found... With 126p, the Poles used to come from Poland in Yugoslavia to the sea... at least 2000km, with small N126 polyester caravans and roof superstructures full of things that they would sell later, before returning, for a good profit.
My parents got one 80 model great litle car and we love them. Next buy was the A 112 and three years later they buy Seicento. Thanks for this video
I just remember these for being so cheap to buy, these and the old FSO saloons but I can't imagine many of those are still about.
Comparing 126 BIS to aircooled 126p myself - BIS was much quieter, faster, fuel efficient and easier to steer when parking because of rack & pinion. It felt almost luxury. However, old 126p engine lasted longer. It could do +100,000 miles before overhaul when you applied the best oil. I know many 150,000 miles 'champions'. The BIS engine died after 45,000-60,000 too many times. It tended to overheat because of people didn't care to bleed air from cooling system properly. Single deeper overheating began the domino effect.
The engine overheated not because of improper air bleeding but because of the location of the radiator. It was placed next to the rear left wheel and eventually got clogged with mud, which reduced the cooling efficiency. Then it was just a matter of time before the headgasket popped, pumping the exhaust gasses to the cooling system and blowing the hoses. I had this model and battled the odds. Otherwise it was really fun and practical city car with the extra hatch trunk spce and the folding back seats. It was also faster, quieter and with a real heater thanks to the water cooled engine.
@@jacutin5033 These are another factors, indeed. Forgotten or improper air bleeding was very common issue. I had another type of car with radiator tended to clogge by bugs. It needed radiator core cleaning twice summertime. Never overheated it because I looked & listened - a bit too high temperature on gauge, a bit too long working fan - these were subtle signs of trouble.
In Poland they tell me that the Bis is best avoided
@@erik_dk842 Let's say it has limited number of fans. :D However, it has fans.
LGK Setright was a superb character. Always loved reading his reviews on car's. So much knowledge. He loved a Honda in the 90's i recall. If you haven't heard of him check him out : )
I learned to drive in one of these lol my dad bought one and took me out all the time in it to drive.
we had one. the engine had a defect because it overheated easily. but the car was better than the regular 126 because it had a trunk at the back!
Hilarious.. reminds me of a family holiday in Mallorca.. my uncle was too tight to get a bigger hire car.. my dad went nuts but we blasted around the island for a few days, cramped and crowded but it got us around 😂 makes a change from the exotics Jack 😮
my mate had three duff air cooled ones, he made one good one, then asked me to take the rest away for scrap. i made my kids a fast go-cart out of the bits, no glass, doors, bonnet, interior or boot, just one seat, a tin can for petrol, and small battery behind the seat, you could pick that thing up is was light, so it flew, originally 40 bhp/ton, now not far off 80bhp/ton...
I remember these well from my Fiat days. Great fun to drive, the slightly lower profile tyres made it feel like a little go kart. Generally quite reliable, but they seemed to go through head gaskets every 18,000 miles or so.
Fun to hear you mention LJK Setright. I read his columns in Car & Driver in early 70s. 8)
My uncle had one in the late 90s/early 00s, called it the fridge and had a couple of appropriate magnets on the boot. Fun little car.
Most interesting. Back in the late 80s, early 90s the 126 was a popular car for young adults who were "living on a budget" in London. Two friends did so and both sold the cars (after MoT failures) to owners of 500s, for the engine upgrade.
A whole generation of Italians (now on their 50s, 60s and maybe older) learned to drive in the original 500. Muscle memory still makes them reach down for the starter.
This was a clever, if boxy, update.
On going flat out, you are right. The same is true of a 2cv and maybe a 4L.
I suspect the rose on popularity is more a.functipn of mad 500 prices and also the ULEZ hall pass. I don't know, but I imagine that is it.
Good video about a nice car.
Never had it, never driven it but this is one of my all time favourite cars.
in the mid 80`s my girl friend and here sister an me drove from Austria to Munich airport in a 126. I can not imagine anymore how we suff the suitcase and ourself in that little car . It was winter and snow and took us endless hours over the alps . What a road trip....with laughing