Syrena — women's t-shirt

FSO Syrena

The idea to produce the Syrena came from the then Presidium of the Government in 1953. The intention was to create an efficient and economical car for cadres and representatives of the intelligentsia of the time. In 1956, the production documentation for the Syrena was finally completed, so that in 1957, the assembly lines of the Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (Passenger Car Factory) could start running at full capacity.

The Syrena, whose name evoked the Warsaw Mermaid (Syrenka), was a car frequently seen in the capital. Its elegant body with streamlined curves and round headlights made it resemble Western cars, in which beautiful women with scarves on their heads sped along the French Riviera. And although in the People's Republic the backdrop for driving a Syrena was less picturesque – though, thanks to the Palace of Culture, equally iconic – its users must have felt distinguished and derived considerable pleasure from the ride.

The production of the Syrena ended in 1972. The total number of units that hit the roads over these fifteen years exceeded half a million. The car also received many critical opinions – it was accused of generating a lot of noise, an inefficient cooling system, lack of corrosion resistance, and high fuel consumption in winter due to the engine's thermal inertia. Despite this, today we remember the Syrena with sentiment, whose sight immediately puts us in a nostalgic mood.

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