FSO Warszawa

The Warszawa was the first car produced in Poland after World War II, making it a pioneer among passenger cars of the People's Republic. Its design was based on the Soviet M20 Pobeda car, and it was later developed and adapted at the FSO (Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych - Passenger Car Factory) in Warsaw. The Warszawa was produced from 1951 to 1973, and from 1954, some units were intended for export.

The elegant Warszawa with its gleaming body, inspired by machines from beyond the eastern border, resembled the heavy-moving cars of Soviet officials, which, though stylish, exuded an ominous atmosphere. Nevertheless, the Warsaw factory introduced numerous modernizations, thanks to which the Warszawa gained a newer, more pleasant image, and its body in red and white versions no longer resembled the mysterious Soviet vehicles.

Production peaked in the late 1960s, with the highest number of cars rolling off the assembly line reaching 17,780 (1968). According to some sources, these records did not include those produced for the army and militia. The largest number of domestic Warszawa units that sped along foreign roads ended up in sunny Bulgaria.

The author of the drawing is the Wrocław artist Paweł Grabowski.