The FSO Polonez Car

The Polonez, whose name refers to the well-known dance present at all school and academic events across Poland, first rolled off the assembly line of the Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (Passenger Car Factory) in 1978. Nevertheless, its debut in Poland occurred already in 1977, when the first seven units, still assembled in Italy, arrived in the Polish People's Republic.

One of the features of the Polonez that brought it deserved popularity was safety, even if its angular body lines and rather austere design might suggest otherwise. In 1978, the Polonez was the only car produced in the Eastern Bloc countries to pass American crash tests, which proved that the level of passenger safety was high and met standards. In 1994, similar tests were conducted according to European standards – after which it began to be exported globally, with the highest sales in China, where over 41,000 units were delivered.

The technical solutions of the car, which the French would call "polonaise," were mostly borrowed from its predecessor, the Polski Fiat 125p. Until the mid-1990s, the Polonez had brakes adapted from its "older brother," which were too weak for its weight, leading to general criticism. So, maybe the Polonez isn't the dream car for parallel parking on a steep incline, but it certainly looks great on a t-shirt – red, like orangeade, or green, like grass freshly painted green.

The illustration was created by Wrocław-based artist Paweł Grabowski.