FSO Polonez

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 at the Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych in 1978. However, its debut in Poland actually happened 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 well-deserved popularity was its safety, even if the angular lines of the bodywork 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 compliant with 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 taken from its predecessor, the Polski Fiat 125p. Until the mid-90s, the Polonez had brakes adapted from its "older brother", which were too weak for its weight, leading to general criticism. So perhaps the Polonez is not the dream car for parallel parking on a steep incline, but it certainly looks great on a t-shirt – red, like orange soda, or green, like grass freshly painted green.

The drawing is by Wrocław artist Paweł Grabowski.