Tom bought himself and early birthday present this weekend. He has always wanted this "classic" Polish item since the first week we arrived and he spotted them across the city. After telling me multiple times that he was "definitely going to get one" I just shrugged it off as one of his funny wants. He is so lucky that his friends have been helping him search for the perfect model, and lo and behold, found one this weekend. Here is Tom's new toy. He is so excited to take official ownership of it this weekend!
What is this crazy car you ask? It is a Polish legend....its called a Maluch and is very famous around Poland. Maluch translates into english as "little one" or "toddler" This car became quite famous during communist times when afforadable cars were nearly impossible to get. If you could afford a car, you purchased a Maluch. And, due to the limited supply of all goods people had to wait months and even years during this time to get a car. Therefore, although they are small and basic, they became quite a covented item across Poland. Every Pole can tell you stories about riding in a Maluch. These cars are no longer produced, so Tom's car is technically a vintage vehicle. His model was built in 1987.
Here is Wikipedia's description of the car:
The car was produced in Poland under the brand Polski Fiat 126p (literally in English: Polish Fiat 126p) between 1973 and 2000. To distinguish it from the original Italian car, the letter "p" was added to its name. It was produced by Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych (FSM) in Bielsko-Biała and Tychy under Italian Fiat licence. Due to a relatively low price it was very popular in Poland and was arguably the most popular car there in the 1980s. Its very small size gave it the nickname Maluch ("the small one","small child", pronounced. The nickname became so popular that in 1997 it was accepted by the producer as the official name of the car. It was exported to many Eastern Bloc countries and for several years it was one of the most popular cars in Poland and in Hungary as well.
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