good idea
For the automotive industry in Poland, the 70s were perhaps the most successful. It was a period when even the wildest dreams and plans of Polish automakers came true. The best proof of this is the Polonez passenger car.
Launched into production in the late 60s at a Polish factory FSO (Fabryka Samochodow Osobowych) Italian licensed car Fiat 125p outwardly quickly outdated. It became clear - a few more years and the export potential of this model will finally dry up. The Polish car industry needed a more modern and solid passenger car than the Fiat 125p. It was necessary to create something fundamentally new.
In the first half of the 70s, the Poles turned to the specialists of the concern FIATSp. A from Turin with a request to develop a car with a new body, which would make the most of the already produced aggregate part from Fiat 125p. At the same time, the Polish side set many additional conditions, including a high level of passive safety and a reduction in the cost of producing a new car.
The appearance of a modern Polish car was worked out by a well-known design company Ital Design under the direction of Giorgetto Giugiaro (Giorgetto Giugiro ) - one of the largest constructors and designers of that time, the author of Ferrari, Maserati, Lotus and BMW bodies. True, they say that Polonez- this is just a revised project, which was originally intended for a new Lancia Delta, but for some reason it was sold to the Polish factory FSO.
The first prototype with a load-bearing five-door hatchback body, manufactured in 1975, turned out to be “in trend” - let's recall contemporary cars: Audi 100 Avant, Simca 1307, Renault 30, Volkswagen Passat. At the same time, the hatchback body not only provided the car with a larger capacity compared to sedans, but also significantly reduced air resistance. The new Polish car was distinguished by very good aerodynamics (drag coefficient Cx is 0.35), which, on the one hand, made it possible to slightly increase the maximum speed of the car, and on the other hand, to maintain relatively low fuel consumption.
When developing the new model, much attention was paid to safety and comfort. Thanks to the large wheelbase (2509 mm) and the rational use of internal space, the driver and four passengers freely accommodated in the car. It was convenient to load luggage through the fifth door, which was held open by two gas cylinders.
At the time of its birth, Polonez was one of the safest European cars in its class and certainly the safest in Eastern European countries. The Italians have well calculated the energy-absorbing deformation zones of the body in front and behind. Moreover, they designed it in such a way that it complied with even very strict American standards.
In addition, the car from the very beginning was equipped with inertial seat belts for the front seats and reinforced places for fastening the belts of the rear sofa, designed for three passengers, shockproof plastic bumpers that could withstand small impacts without damage (up to 5 km / h), as well as side plastic overlays in the most vulnerable places, allowing to protect the paintwork from minor impacts.
With all this, Polonez moved and slowed down well (all four of its brakes were disc brakes), had good visibility due to the large glass area of the body and powerful light - four headlights and standardly installed additional fog lights.
The front seats were well adjustable in length and backrest, which, coupled with an adjustable steering column, provided a comfortable driving position for a driver of any height and build. You can also recall a tachometer, a quartz watch, a windscreen wiper and heated rear window, a lock on the fuel tank. Not every European car, even a more prestigious class, could then boast of such an option list! Therefore, the owners Polonez unwittingly commanded the respect of motorists.
True, many "bells and whistles" led to the fact that the car weighed a little more than its classmates, but in the 70s, few people paid attention to such "little things" as being overweight. In addition, the Italians and Poles were sure that Polonez would soon receive a completely new, more powerful line of engines.
The engine from the Fiat 125p under the hood of the Polonez was to replace the petrol engines of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 liters and a two-liter diesel engine. But, as is often the case, plans remained only plans. When the FSO took over the new car body, it quickly became clear that the factory was unable to pay the extra cost for engine development.
As a result, the new car used upgraded power units from Fiat 125p with a volume of 1295 and 1481 cm3 and, respectively, with a power of 60 to 82 hp. All of them had a gas distribution valve mechanism of the OHV type with a camshaft in the middle of the cylinder block, with the only difference being that the Polonez camshaft was driven not by a chain, but by a toothed belt. In addition, the mechanical drive of the engine cooling fan was replaced with an electric one, which slightly increased the effective engine power.
The car was also equipped with a mechanically operated single-plate diaphragm clutch (instead of the hydraulic one used on the Fiat 125p). The gearbox did not fundamentally differ from the Fiat gearbox, but the gear ratios were somewhat changed: 3.75-2.13-1.39-1.0 (for Fiat 125p they are the same as ours. BA3-2103 Zhiguli).
Lucky case
The competition for the best name of the future car was held on the pages of a popular Polish newspaper. In 1978, it was officially announced that the model would be called Polonez - in honor of the traditional Polish dance.
In 1986, the appearance of the serial Polonez was slightly tweaked - instead of black “plugs” in the rear pillars of the new FSO Polonaise glass appeared.
Serial production of the Polonez at the FSO plant began on May 3, 1978. Initially, only two models left the assembly line - Polonez 1500 And Polonez 1300, but only a small part of these machines fell into the hands of private traders. First of all, they were sent to state institutions, including the police. In Poland, by the mid-80s, Polonez was associated, first of all, with a police car; it was not for nothing that disciplined dummies of police cars in the form of a Polonez silhouette were installed on the roads.
Thanks to one funny story, Polonez gained worldwide fame. In 1978, Andrey Yaroshevich, the best Polish rally driver, the son of the Prime Minister of Poland, crashed his racing Lancia Stratos and, in fact, was left without a car. And then someone from the FSO specialists came up with a wonderful idea - to take the opportunity and make a rally car out of Polonez for the famous racer, especially since the engine remained intact from the broken Lancia Ferrari Dino 246 260 hp True, in order to install it in Polonez, the car had to be made mid-engine. But such "little things" did not frighten anyone. Outwardly, the “mid-engine” Polonez tried in every possible way to disguise.
Of course, it was pure propaganda - to demonstrate to the West a "socialist" model, which turned out to be no worse than famous brands. And in the very first race, the Polonez 2500 Racing car won, leaving behind Porsche 911 and Renault 5 Turbo.
The main goal was achieved - they started talking about the model in Europe, which means that it was possible to start export sales.
As for the machine itself Polonez 2500 Racing, today it can be seen in a place of honor in the Museum of Technology in Warsaw (Museum of Technology).
Since then, Polonez has become a regular participant in European rally racing, but these were already other cars, closer to the production ones. On machines named Polonez 2000 Rally, front were two-liter engines Fiat DOHC with four carburetors Weber(each cylinder has its own carburetor). At the same time, the engine power reached 170 hp. In addition, the car had a brake system from Porsche 911RS with ventilated discs.
Debut Polonez 2000 Rally took place in 1979 at the Monte Carlo Rally. There was another surge in the sports biography of Polonez: in 1983, a rally modification appeared Polonez 2.0D Turbo based on a three-door body with an Italian engine VM Motori HR 488 volume 2 l. But this car never received sports homologation and remained in a single copy. Polonez gained worldwide fame in 1978 thanks to participation in European rally races.
"Crisis" Variants of FSO Polonez
Since 1980, the political situation in Poland has become sharply complicated, which partly served as the reason for the appearance of the "crisis" version of Polonez in the most simplified configuration. Almost all additional equipment was removed from the car (fog lights, tachometer, rear wiper, etc.), and ordinary vinyl was used for upholstery.
By 1986, a fairly clear line of FSO hatchbacks had lined up. The simplest version Polonez 1500X grew out of the "crisis" version. The "economy" version could be easily recognized by the rectangular headlights, which replaced the more expensive twin optics.
The middle position was occupied by the modification Polonez 1500LE: it was equipped with a 1.5-liter engine, but already had a five-speed gearbox with a fifth overdrive to save fuel at cruising speeds and a built-in radio. On the outside, the LE featured twin headlights with halogen sections. At the top of the FSO production line was Polonez 1600 SLE Prima with an engine capacity of 1598 cm3.
Its larger engine was created on the basis of a one and a half liter engine by boring the cylinder diameter from 77 to 80 mm. Externally, Prima could be distinguished from the LE series by an additional aerodynamic body kit, including front and rear spoilers.
In 1986, the appearance of the serial Polonez was slightly tweaked - glass appeared in the rear pillars instead of black "plugs", which somewhat improved visibility. The radiator grille was slightly changed: it lost its “shiny” elements and began to look stricter. A little earlier, an upper air intake appeared on the hood - with it the car began to look more sporty.
In 1989, the car underwent another "cosmetic operation". The changes affected mainly the back (loading height): the fifth door was lowered to the level of the bumper, which made it easier to load things into the passenger compartment. At the same time, the rear lights, the location of the front sidelights and direction indicators were changed. The fifth door wiper in the neutral position now lay horizontally.
If foreign buyers, as a rule, had no problems with purchasing a car from the banks of the Vistula, then in Poland itself Polonez remained a dream of motorists for a long time. Only at the end of the 80s, when the Poles had the opportunity to buy cars of other brands, Polonez faded into the background. The biggest problem remained its archaic and uneconomical engines with a gas distribution system of the OHV type. In order to somehow revive interest in Polonez, in 1990 they began to be factory-equipped with imported two-liter Ford engines with a capacity of 103 hp. Simultaneously with the withdrawal from production of the model FIAT 125p in 1991, the plant stopped producing 1.3 and 1.5 liter engines, which automatically meant the disappearance of the Polonez automobile plant with these power units from the production program. However, cars with a 1.3-liter engine practically disappeared from the plant’s lineup in the early 80s due to the frank weakness of these engines for Polonez.
Polonez Atu to sedan body
In the same 1991 FSO concern showed an updated version of his top model - Polonez Caro. "Karo" got a new "smoothed" front end with rectangular block headlights, a more modern radiator lining, front and rear bumpers. As an alternative to the basic Polonez Caro 1,6 GLI appeared Polonez Caro 1.9 GLD with a diesel engine PSA Peugeot/Citroen(69 hp). A few years later at the base Polonez Caro a four-door sedan was created -.
In 1997 they were replaced by cars Polonez Caro Plus And Polonez Atu Plus. They got new bumpers, grille, dashboard, etc. By this time, imported components began to be used. In addition, a 16-valve Rover engine of English origin with a volume of 1396 cm3 was installed on some of the machines.
The Polish automobile plant did not remain independent for long - in February 1999 it was bought by the South Korean company Daewoo. This company did a lot of work to refine the produced Polish cars, and as a result, in May 1999, the updated Daewoo-FSO Polonez Kombi 1.6 GSi MPI entered the market.
Official premiere Daewoo-FSO Polonez Kombi 1.6 GSi MPI took place at the motor show in Poznań.
Production of Polonez cars ended in 2002.
Colombia to China
Thanks to its modern design, rich basic equipment, relative cheapness and reliability, Polonez sold well in a number of countries at the beginning of its career, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Colombia ( in the last two countries Polonez was used as a police car and taxi). In some of these states, Polonez is known as FSO Celina. Until 1991, most Polonez cars were exported to China - more than 40 thousand copies. The second country in terms of purchases is, oddly enough, the UK. Polonez began to arrive here in 1979, and immediately in the right-hand drive version.
In the late 80s, a batch of 150 Polonez cars were even sold to New Zealand. Polonez made a good career in Egypt, where they assembled using CKD (Complete knock down) technology. For this, an assembly plant was even built, which closed only in the early 2000s. It is clear that by the 90s, Polonez was completely outdated in technical terms. Their main competitive advantage remained only low cost compared to more modern classmates. The classic rear-wheel drive made it possible to make good one-ton Polonez Trucks based on Polonez, which were in demand abroad.
In 1994, Polonez was crash tested to support demand. Tests confirmed the model's compliance with European safety standards - this was the reason for the continuation of export sales.
But since 1997, Polonez gradually began to be squeezed out of foreign markets, since they no longer met modern requirements for exhaust toxicity.
In the USSR, the appearance of the Polonez went almost unnoticed, although these machines were shown several times at exhibitions dedicated to Soviet-Polish friendship. The reason is simple - Polonez has never been officially delivered to our country. Therefore, the interest in them from domestic motorists was purely theoretical, unlike Soviet engineers, who were interested in Polonez from a practical point of view: the car was purchased to study the design and compare with domestic counterparts. And yet Polonez could be found on our roads. A small number of these machines worked in Moscow at the Polish embassy and trade mission. And in the early 90s, we began to receive used Polonez from Poland and other European countries. Naturally, most Polonez cars ended up in Belarus and Ukraine bordering Poland. For Russia, Polonez has remained exotic.
Variations on a theme
Passenger cars can rightfully be called centenarians: their production lasted almost a quarter of a century - from 1978 to 2002. During this time, the appearance of Polonez was improved several times, but the body frame and the aggregate part remained unchanged. Like any long-lived car, Polonez has acquired a whole bunch of modifications and performances.
Since 1988, the Warsaw car plant launched the production of Polonez with a station wagon-type cargo-passenger body: a fiberglass superstructure was simply installed on top of a standard five-door hatchback body, which increased the length and internal volume of the body.
Polonez Multi-Task utility vehicles were considered as universal - they could carry up to five people (including the driver) or rather bulky luggage (with the rear row of seats folded) with equal success. Suffice it to say that the cargo area with the rear seats folded down reached a length of 1900 mm.
The increased length of the cabin made it possible to create an ambulance Polonez Ambulance based on Multi-Task. Of course, it was not designed to carry out serious resuscitation procedures. But he did an excellent job of transporting the patient from home to the hospital. The interior of the ambulance was equipped with brackets for installing a dropper, an oxygen supply system, enhanced ventilation and additional lighting. Polonez Ambulance was intended for service in ambulances, health care units and military hospitals as a relatively cheap vehicle.
Since 1987 Fabryka Samochodow Osobowych launched a line of trucks and utility vehicles based on Polonez. Trucks were produced both in a purely on-board version with three folding sides, and with plastic add-ons. Atarex(Truck LB) above the flatbed that turned pickups into vans.
There were options with a short double cab (Truck Standard) and cargo-passenger versions with a two-row cab (Truck DC). The line of power units was standard for FSO products - these are 1.6-liter gasoline engines, later 1.9D Peugeot / Citroen diesel engines were added to them. Interestingly, after the end of production of Polonez at the parent plant in 2002, the demand for inexpensive and reliable one-ton trucks continued, so in 2003 the new company Polska Fabryka Samochodow (PFS) tried to restart, renaming it Poltruck. But for a number of reasons, this idea was not viable, and the new company produced only a small number of test trucks.
In 1980, the FSO factory demonstrated the Polonez with a three-door hatchback body. The body for this model was not developed anew - it was obtained by manufacturing new sidewalls instead of the rear pair of doors. At the same time, the front doors remained as short as in the five-door version, which, on the one hand, made the production of the three-door version cheaper, and on the other hand, made it difficult for passengers to get on the second row of seats, since the width of the standard doorway was clearly not enough for this. It is not surprising that the three-door modification, which was “more sporty” in appearance, did not find its fans and for three years (1980-1983) was sold in a scanty circulation - only about 300 copies.
About a hundred three-door FSO Polonez cars were equipped with a 1481 cm3 engine with an output of 80 hp. with electronic ignition control and a system in which preheated air was supplied to the intake manifold.
Main characters and technical data of FSO Polonez
The crisis "version of Polonez in the most simplified configuration appeared in 1981. This copy was tested in US. This configuration option did not provide for the installation of front fog lamps.
The five-door Polonez hatchback with faceted shapes looked very fashionable in the early 80s. On the instrument panel in the "crisis" version, there was no tachometer, mandatory for other trim levels.
"Wolf in sheep's clothing" - Polonez with an engine from Lancia Stratos. The only copy of this machine is currently on display at the Museum of Technology in Warsaw (Museum of Technology).
Photo below: Sporty Polonez takes part in the rally "Baltic Cup"(February 2012).
| Working volume, cm 3 | 1300 | 1300 | 1500 | 1500 | 1500 |
| Power, hp | 65 | 60 | 76 | 70 | 82 |
| Octane number of gasoline | 94 | 78 | 94 | 78 | 94 |
| Vehicle speed, km/h | 140 | 135 | 150 | 145 | 155 |
In the 70s, not every European car could boast such an option list as the Polonez. True, the “bells and whistles” led to the fact that the car began to weigh a little more than its classmates, but buyers did not particularly pay attention to such “little things” at that distant time.
| Number of places | 5 |
| Maximum speed at full load | 155 km/h |
| Fuel consumption at 40 km/h | 9.5 l/100 km |
| electrical equipment | 12V |
| Tire size | 175RS 13 |
| Weight, kg | |
| curb | 1140 |
| complete | 1540 |
| Track, mm | |
| front | 1314 |
| behind | 1292 |
| Front suspension | independent, spring, with stabilizer bar, telescopic shock absorbers |
| Rear suspension | on longitudinal springs with two reaction rods, telescopic shock absorbers |
| brakes | working - disk, on all wheels, with a separate hydraulic drive, parking - on the rear wheels, with a mechanical drive |
| Clutch | single-disk, dry, mechanically driven |
| Transmission | mechanical, four-speed (since 1990 five-speed), with synchronizers in all forward gears |
| Engine | carburetor, four-stroke, four-cylinder, overhead valve |
| Cylinder diameter, mm | 79,5 |
| Piston stroke, mm | 77 |
| Working volume, cm 3 | 1481 |
| Compression ratio | 9 |
| The order of operation of the cylinders | 1-3-4-2 |
| Max Power | 75 HP at 5250 rpm |
| Max Torque | 11.7 kgf.m at 3300 rpm |
The rear-wheel drive FSO Polonez, which began mass production in Warsaw in 1978, was based on the . But if the design was similar to its predecessor, then the five-door hatchback body was completely new, the Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro was responsible for its appearance. Soon the lineup was replenished with a three-door version and a two-door pickup truck.
FSO Polonez was equipped with modernized "Fiat" engines of 1.3 and 1.5 liters (60-82 hp). Later, customers began to offer versions with a two-liter gasoline engine (112 hp) and a VM Motori turbodiesel of the same volume, developing 84 l. from. Gearboxes - mechanical, four-speed or five-speed.
The first update of the model happened in 1986: the external design of the car slightly changed, the production of three-door versions, modifications with a 1.3-liter engine, a diesel engine and a four-speed gearbox was discontinued. At the same time, the range of power units was replenished with a 1.6-liter “aspirated” (87 hp) and a 1.5-liter turbo engine with fuel injection with a capacity of 95 forces.
In 1991, a full-scale restyling of the car was carried out, which significantly changed its appearance. In addition to the pickup and hatchback, now called the FSO Polonez Caro, the Polonez Atu sedan, the FSO Kombi station wagon and a van with a plastic superstructure were added to the line. The car was equipped with gasoline carburetor and injection engines 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0 with power from 77 to 105 hp. with., as well as a French diesel engine with a volume of 1.9 liters (70 hp)
The model experienced another small update in 1997, while it was renamed Daewoo-FSO Polones, since the Korean company became the owner of the plant. Cars of the last years of production were equipped with injection engines 1.4 (103 hp) and 1.6 (76–84 hp)
Car production ended in 2002, a total of 1 million 62 thousand copies of the model were made. The car was very popular in Poland, it was also exported to some countries of Eastern and Western Europe, South America, China, and in Egypt a "screwdriver" assembly of "Polonaises" was organized.
In 1978, the Polish factory Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych S.A., launched a new model called the Polonez. The model was named after the Polish dance of the same name. Initially, three models left the assembly line of the plant: Polonaise 1500, Polonaise 1300, and Polonaise 2000 Rally, the numbers following the name show the engine size of the model. In 1979, the Polonaise 2000 Rally debuted at the Monte Carlo Rally. In 1980, three-door modifications of the models were released. In 1986, the Polonaise 1500 X came out, which had a 1481 cubic centimeter engine, 80 horsepower, a 5-speed gearbox and a built-in radio radio. Due to the relative cheapness and reliability, the car was exported to a number of countries, including: the Netherlands, Bolivia, Great Britain, China, Greece, Italy, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Egypt. A car assembly plant was built in Egypt, which closed in the early 2000s. In addition, the cars were exported to some countries in Latin America, where they were used as police cars and taxis. Starting in 1997, cars gradually began to exit foreign markets without meeting the requirements for exhaust emissions. Gradually, the production volumes decreased and in 2002 the production was discontinued.
Specifications
- Engine - 4-cylinder, in-line, 4-stroke, OHV, toothed belt camshaft drive
- Water cooling.
- Bore 79.5 mm, stroke 72 ("1300") or 77 ("1500") mm.
- Power 48 or 56 kW (65 or 76 HP).
- Electric cooling fan
- Gearboxes are both 4-speed and 5-speed (models since 1980), the latter has a fifth gear - overdrive.
- Transmission - single disc clutch
- Brakes - disc brakes on all wheels, with hydraulic dual-circuit drive.
- Suspension - front independent, spring, with anti-roll bar, rear on longitudinal springs with two jet rods, telescopic shock absorbers.
- Tires - dimensions 175 R13.
Model options
- Hatchback basic version, left the assembly line first.
- The sedan is also known as the Selina in some export markets (produced since 1994)
- Station wagon or Polonaise Caro (produced since 1994)
- Pickup or Polonaise Truck (produced since 1987)
- Specialized models for the needs of the police, ambulance and fire service in Poland.
Gallery
FSO Polonez 1500
FSO Polonez MR"78 1500 in Krakow 2 (3).jpg
FSO Polonez 1500
FSO Polonez model 1989
FSO Polonez Caro 1.5 GLE produced in 1994 - green (front).jpg
FSO Polonez Caro
FSO Polonez Atu Plus
Polonez Truck Plus 4 drzwi.jpg
FSO Polonez Truck Plus
Daewoo-FSO Polonez Kombi 1.6 MPi red rear in Warsaw.jpg
FSO Polonez Kombi
Polonez ambulance.jpg
FSO Polonez Cargo
Daewoo Fso Cargo Plus.jpg
Daewoo-FSO Cargo Plus
Daewoo-FSO Cargo Plus..jpg
Daewoo-FSO Cargo Plus
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An excerpt characterizing FSO Polonez
Balashev could not answer this and silently bowed his head.“Yes, in this room, four days ago, Winzingerode and Stein conferred,” Napoleon continued with the same mocking, confident smile. “What I cannot understand,” he said, “is that Emperor Alexander brought all my personal enemies closer to him. I do not understand this. Did he think that I could do the same? - he asked Balashev with a question, and, obviously, this memory pushed him back into that trail of morning anger, which was still fresh in him.
“And let him know that I will do it,” said Napoleon, standing up and pushing his cup away with his hand. - I will drive out of Germany all his relatives, Wirtemberg, Baden, Weimar ... yes, I will drive them out. Let him prepare a refuge for them in Russia!
Balashev bowed his head, showing with his appearance that he would like to take his leave and is listening only because he cannot but listen to what is being said to him. Napoleon did not notice this expression; he addressed Balashev not as an ambassador of his enemy, but as a man who is now completely devoted to him and should rejoice at the humiliation of his former master.
- And why did Emperor Alexander take command of the troops? What is it for? War is my trade, and his business is to reign, not to command troops. Why did he take on such responsibility?
Napoleon again took the snuffbox, silently walked several times around the room and suddenly unexpectedly approached Balashev and with a slight smile so confidently, quickly, simply, as if he was doing some not only important, but also pleasant for Balashev, he raised his hand to the face of the forty-year-old Russian general and, taking him by the ear, tugged slightly, smiling only with his lips.
- Avoir l "oreille tiree par l" Empereur [To be torn by the ear by the emperor] was considered the greatest honor and mercy at the French court.
- Eh bien, vous ne dites rien, admirateur et courtisan de l "Empereur Alexandre? [Well, why don't you say anything, adorer and courtier of Emperor Alexander?] - he said, as if it was funny to be in his presence someone else courtisan and admirateur [court and admirer], except for him, Napoleon.
Are the horses ready for the general? he added, bowing his head slightly in response to Balashev's bow.
- Give him mine, he has a long way to go ...
The letter brought by Balashev was Napoleon's last letter to Alexander. All the details of the conversation were transferred to the Russian emperor, and the war began.
After his meeting in Moscow with Pierre, Prince Andrei went to Petersburg on business, as he told his relatives, but, in essence, in order to meet there Prince Anatole Kuragin, whom he considered it necessary to meet. Kuragin, whom he inquired about when he arrived in Petersburg, was no longer there. Pierre let his brother-in-law know that Prince Andrei was coming for him. Anatole Kuragin immediately received an appointment from the Minister of War and left for the Moldavian army. At the same time, in St. Petersburg, Prince Andrei met Kutuzov, his former general, always disposed towards him, and Kutuzov invited him to go with him to the Moldavian army, where the old general was appointed commander in chief. Prince Andrei, having received an appointment to be at the headquarters of the main apartment, left for Turkey.
Prince Andrei considered it inconvenient to write to Kuragin and summon him. Without giving a new reason for a duel, Prince Andrei considered the challenge on his part compromising Countess Rostov, and therefore he sought a personal meeting with Kuragin, in which he intended to find a new reason for a duel. But in the Turkish army, he also failed to meet Kuragin, who soon after the arrival of Prince Andrei in the Turkish army returned to Russia. In the new country and in the new conditions of life, Prince Andrei began to live easier. After the betrayal of his bride, who struck him the more, the more diligently he concealed from everyone the effect made on him, those living conditions in which he was happy were difficult for him, and even more difficult were the freedom and independence that he so cherished before. He not only did not think about those former thoughts that first came to him, looking at the sky on the field of Austerlitz, which he liked to develop with Pierre and which filled his solitude in Bogucharov, and then in Switzerland and Rome; but he was even afraid to recall these thoughts, which opened up endless and bright horizons. He was now interested only in the most immediate, not connected with the former, practical interests, which he seized on with the greater greed, than the former ones were hidden from him. It was as if that endless receding vault of the sky that had previously stood above him suddenly turned into a low, definite vault that crushed him, in which everything was clear, but nothing was eternal and mysterious.
Polonez, perhaps, can be called one of the most successful developments in the history of the Polish automotive industry. By the mid 70s Fiat 125p, the previous model produced at the Passenger Car Factory ( FSO), is noticeably outdated and has lost its export potential.
The novelty has retained continuity with Polski Fiat in terms of units and assemblies. At the same time, the exterior of the hatchback, developed in the studio ItalDesign the famous "maestro" Giugiaro, was fully consistent with the latest automotive fashion of those years, and the car itself had a very high level of passive safety (even by European and American standards), was quite comfortable for five people to travel and very well equipped for its class. These advantages led to the success of the model not only in Eastern Europe, but also in the markets of the UK, Germany, France, China and other developed countries and third world countries.
Poles with Italian roots. Polonez, Fiat 125p And Fiat 126p.
City "dude" Polonez and rural "hard worker" Tarpan.
Photo of the prototype model - from Wikipedia.
Base model: FSO Polonez
Manufacturer: FSO, Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych, Poland
Release years: 1978–2002
Modification: Polonez 1500 (1978-1986)
Number of seats: 5
Engine power: 76 HP from.
Maximum speed: 150 km/h
Number of vehicles produced: 1,061,807
Model 1/43: Auto legends of the USSR and socialist countries No. 152 FSO Polonez
good idea
For the automotive industry in Poland, the 70s were perhaps the most successful. It was a period when even the wildest dreams and plans of Polish automakers came true. The best proof of this is the Polonez passenger car.
Launched into production in the late 60s at a Polish factory FSO (Fabryka Samochodow Osobowych) Italian licensed car Fiat 125p outwardly quickly outdated. It became clear - a few more years and the export potential of this model will finally dry up. The Polish car industry needed a more modern and solid passenger car than the Fiat 125p. It was necessary to create something fundamentally new.
In the first half of the 70s, the Poles turned to the specialists of the concern FIATSp. A from Turin with a request to develop a car with a new body, which would make the most of the already produced aggregate part from Fiat 125p. At the same time, the Polish side set many additional conditions, including a high level of passive safety and a reduction in the cost of producing a new car.
The appearance of a modern Polish car was worked out by a well-known design company Ital Design under the direction of Giorgetto Giugiaro (Giorgetto Giugiro ) - one of the largest constructors and designers of that time, the author of Ferrari, Maserati, Lotus and BMW bodies. True, they say that Polonez- this is just a revised project, which was originally intended for a new Lancia Delta, but for some reason it was sold to the Polish factory FSO.
The first prototype with a load-bearing five-door hatchback body, manufactured in 1975, turned out to be “in trend” - let's recall contemporary cars: Audi 100 Avant, Simca 1307, Renault 30, Volkswagen Passat. At the same time, the hatchback body not only provided the car with a larger capacity compared to sedans, but also significantly reduced air resistance. The new Polish car was distinguished by very good aerodynamics (drag coefficient Cx is 0.35), which, on the one hand, made it possible to slightly increase the maximum speed of the car, and on the other hand, to maintain relatively low fuel consumption.
When developing the new model, much attention was paid to safety and comfort. Thanks to the large wheelbase (2509 mm) and the rational use of internal space, the driver and four passengers freely accommodated in the car. It was convenient to load luggage through the fifth door, which was held open by two gas cylinders.
At the time of its birth, Polonez was one of the safest European cars in its class and certainly the safest in Eastern European countries. The Italians have well calculated the energy-absorbing deformation zones of the body in front and behind. Moreover, they designed it in such a way that it complied with even very strict American standards.
In addition, the car from the very beginning was equipped with inertial seat belts for the front seats and reinforced places for fastening the belts of the rear sofa, designed for three passengers, shockproof plastic bumpers that could withstand small impacts without damage (up to 5 km / h), as well as side plastic overlays in the most vulnerable places, allowing to protect the paintwork from minor impacts.
With all this, Polonez moved and slowed down well (all four of its brakes were disc brakes), had good visibility due to the large glass area of the body and powerful light - four headlights and standardly installed additional fog lights.
The front seats were well adjustable in length and backrest, which, coupled with an adjustable steering column, provided a comfortable driving position for a driver of any height and build. You can also recall a tachometer, a quartz watch, a windscreen wiper and heated rear window, a lock on the fuel tank. Not every European car, even a more prestigious class, could then boast of such an option list! Therefore, the owners Polonez unwittingly commanded the respect of motorists.
True, many "bells and whistles" led to the fact that the car weighed a little more than its classmates, but in the 70s, few people paid attention to such "little things" as being overweight. In addition, the Italians and Poles were sure that Polonez would soon receive a completely new, more powerful line of engines.
The engine from the Fiat 125p under the hood of the Polonez was to replace the petrol engines of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 liters and a two-liter diesel engine. But, as is often the case, plans remained only plans. When the FSO took over the new car body, it quickly became clear that the factory was unable to pay the extra cost for engine development.
As a result, the new car used upgraded power units from Fiat 125p with a volume of 1295 and 1481 cm3 and, respectively, with a power of 60 to 82 hp. All of them had a gas distribution valve mechanism of the OHV type with a camshaft in the middle of the cylinder block, with the only difference being that the Polonez camshaft was driven not by a chain, but by a toothed belt. In addition, the mechanical drive of the engine cooling fan was replaced with an electric one, which slightly increased the effective engine power.
The car was also equipped with a mechanically operated single-plate diaphragm clutch (instead of the hydraulic one used on the Fiat 125p). The gearbox did not fundamentally differ from the Fiat gearbox, but the gear ratios were somewhat changed: 3.75-2.13-1.39-1.0 (for Fiat 125p they are the same as ours. BA3-2103 Zhiguli).
Lucky case
The competition for the best name of the future car was held on the pages of a popular Polish newspaper. In 1978, it was officially announced that the model would be called Polonez - in honor of the traditional Polish dance.
In 1986, the appearance of the serial Polonez was slightly tweaked - instead of black “plugs” in the rear pillars of the new FSO Polonaise glass appeared.
Serial production of the Polonez at the FSO plant began on May 3, 1978. Initially, only two models left the assembly line - Polonez 1500 And Polonez 1300, but only a small part of these machines fell into the hands of private traders. First of all, they were sent to state institutions, including the police. In Poland, by the mid-80s, Polonez was associated, first of all, with a police car; it was not for nothing that disciplined dummies of police cars in the form of a Polonez silhouette were installed on the roads.
Thanks to one funny story, Polonez gained worldwide fame. In 1978, Andrey Yaroshevich, the best Polish rally driver, the son of the Prime Minister of Poland, crashed his racing Lancia Stratos and, in fact, was left without a car. And then someone from the FSO specialists came up with a wonderful idea - to take the opportunity and make a rally car out of Polonez for the famous racer, especially since the engine remained intact from the broken Lancia Ferrari Dino 246 260 hp True, in order to install it in Polonez, the car had to be made mid-engine. But such "little things" did not frighten anyone. Outwardly, the “mid-engine” Polonez tried in every possible way to disguise.
Of course, it was pure propaganda - to demonstrate to the West a "socialist" model, which turned out to be no worse than famous brands. And in the very first race, the Polonez 2500 Racing car won, leaving behind Porsche 911 and Renault 5 Turbo.
The main goal was achieved - they started talking about the model in Europe, which means that it was possible to start export sales.
As for the machine itself Polonez 2500 Racing, today it can be seen in a place of honor in the Museum of Technology in Warsaw (Museum of Technology).
Since then, Polonez has become a regular participant in European rally racing, but these were already other cars, closer to the production ones. On machines named Polonez 2000 Rally, front were two-liter engines Fiat DOHC with four carburetors Weber(each cylinder has its own carburetor). At the same time, the engine power reached 170 hp. In addition, the car had a brake system from Porsche 911RS with ventilated discs.
Debut Polonez 2000 Rally took place in 1979 at the Monte Carlo Rally. There was another surge in the sports biography of Polonez: in 1983, a rally modification appeared Polonez 2.0D Turbo based on a three-door body with an Italian engine VM Motori HR 488 volume 2 l. But this car never received sports homologation and remained in a single copy. Polonez gained worldwide fame in 1978 thanks to participation in European rally races.
"Crisis" Variants of FSO Polonez
Since 1980, the political situation in Poland has become sharply complicated, which partly served as the reason for the appearance of the "crisis" version of Polonez in the most simplified configuration. Almost all additional equipment was removed from the car (fog lights, tachometer, rear wiper, etc.), and ordinary vinyl was used for upholstery.
By 1986, a fairly clear line of FSO hatchbacks had lined up. The simplest version Polonez 1500X grew out of the "crisis" version. The "economy" version could be easily recognized by the rectangular headlights, which replaced the more expensive twin optics.
The middle position was occupied by the modification Polonez 1500LE: it was equipped with a 1.5-liter engine, but already had a five-speed gearbox with a fifth overdrive to save fuel at cruising speeds and a built-in radio. On the outside, the LE featured twin headlights with halogen sections. At the top of the FSO production line was Polonez 1600 SLE Prima with an engine capacity of 1598 cm3.
Its larger engine was created on the basis of a one and a half liter engine by boring the cylinder diameter from 77 to 80 mm. Externally, Prima could be distinguished from the LE series by an additional aerodynamic body kit, including front and rear spoilers.
In 1986, the appearance of the serial Polonez was slightly tweaked - glass appeared in the rear pillars instead of black "plugs", which somewhat improved visibility. The radiator grille was slightly changed: it lost its “shiny” elements and began to look stricter. A little earlier, an upper air intake appeared on the hood - with it the car began to look more sporty.
In 1989, the car underwent another "cosmetic operation". The changes affected mainly the back (loading height): the fifth door was lowered to the level of the bumper, which made it easier to load things into the passenger compartment. At the same time, the rear lights, the location of the front sidelights and direction indicators were changed. The fifth door wiper in the neutral position now lay horizontally.
If foreign buyers, as a rule, had no problems with purchasing a car from the banks of the Vistula, then in Poland itself Polonez remained a dream of motorists for a long time. Only at the end of the 80s, when the Poles had the opportunity to buy cars of other brands, Polonez faded into the background. The biggest problem remained its archaic and uneconomical engines with a gas distribution system of the OHV type. In order to somehow revive interest in Polonez, in 1990 they began to be factory-equipped with imported two-liter Ford engines with a capacity of 103 hp. Simultaneously with the withdrawal from production of the model FIAT 125p in 1991, the plant stopped producing 1.3 and 1.5 liter engines, which automatically meant the disappearance of the Polonez automobile plant with these power units from the production program. However, cars with a 1.3-liter engine practically disappeared from the plant’s lineup in the early 80s due to the frank weakness of these engines for Polonez.
Polonez Atu to sedan body
In the same 1991 FSO concern showed an updated version of his top model - Polonez Caro. "Karo" got a new "smoothed" front end with rectangular block headlights, a more modern radiator lining, front and rear bumpers. As an alternative to the basic Polonez Caro 1,6 GLI appeared Polonez Caro 1.9 GLD with a diesel engine PSA Peugeot/Citroen(69 hp). A few years later at the base Polonez Caro a four-door sedan was created -.
In 1997 they were replaced by cars Polonez Caro Plus And Polonez Atu Plus. They got new bumpers, grille, dashboard, etc. By this time, imported components began to be used. In addition, a 16-valve Rover engine of English origin with a volume of 1396 cm3 was installed on some of the machines.
The Polish automobile plant did not remain independent for long - in February 1999 it was bought by the South Korean company Daewoo. This company did a lot of work to refine the produced Polish cars, and as a result, in May 1999, the updated Daewoo-FSO Polonez Kombi 1.6 GSi MPI entered the market.
Official premiere Daewoo-FSO Polonez Kombi 1.6 GSi MPI took place at the motor show in Poznań.
Production of Polonez cars ended in 2002.
Colombia to China
Thanks to its modern design, rich basic equipment, relative cheapness and reliability, Polonez sold well in a number of countries at the beginning of its career, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Colombia ( in the last two countries Polonez was used as a police car and taxi). In some of these states, Polonez is known as FSO Celina. Until 1991, most Polonez cars were exported to China - more than 40 thousand copies. The second country in terms of purchases is, oddly enough, the UK. Polonez began to arrive here in 1979, and immediately in the right-hand drive version.
In the late 80s, a batch of 150 Polonez cars were even sold to New Zealand. Polonez made a good career in Egypt, where they assembled using CKD (Complete knock down) technology. For this, an assembly plant was even built, which closed only in the early 2000s. It is clear that by the 90s, Polonez was completely outdated in technical terms. Their main competitive advantage remained only low cost compared to more modern classmates. The classic rear-wheel drive made it possible to make good one-ton Polonez Trucks based on Polonez, which were in demand abroad.
In 1994, Polonez was crash tested to support demand. Tests confirmed the model's compliance with European safety standards - this was the reason for the continuation of export sales.
But since 1997, Polonez gradually began to be squeezed out of foreign markets, since they no longer met modern requirements for exhaust toxicity.
In the USSR, the appearance of the Polonez went almost unnoticed, although these machines were shown several times at exhibitions dedicated to Soviet-Polish friendship. The reason is simple - Polonez has never been officially delivered to our country. Therefore, the interest in them from domestic motorists was purely theoretical, unlike Soviet engineers, who were interested in Polonez from a practical point of view: the car was purchased to study the design and compare with domestic counterparts. And yet Polonez could be found on our roads. A small number of these machines worked in Moscow at the Polish embassy and trade mission. And in the early 90s, we began to receive used Polonez from Poland and other European countries. Naturally, most Polonez cars ended up in Belarus and Ukraine bordering Poland. For Russia, Polonez has remained exotic.
Variations on a theme
Passenger cars can rightfully be called centenarians: their production lasted almost a quarter of a century - from 1978 to 2002. During this time, the appearance of Polonez was improved several times, but the body frame and the aggregate part remained unchanged. Like any long-lived car, Polonez has acquired a whole bunch of modifications and performances.
Since 1988, the Warsaw car plant launched the production of Polonez with a station wagon-type cargo-passenger body: a fiberglass superstructure was simply installed on top of a standard five-door hatchback body, which increased the length and internal volume of the body.
Polonez Multi-Task utility vehicles were considered as universal - they could carry up to five people (including the driver) or rather bulky luggage (with the rear row of seats folded) with equal success. Suffice it to say that the cargo area with the rear seats folded down reached a length of 1900 mm.
The increased length of the cabin made it possible to create an ambulance Polonez Ambulance based on Multi-Task. Of course, it was not designed to carry out serious resuscitation procedures. But he did an excellent job of transporting the patient from home to the hospital. The interior of the ambulance was equipped with brackets for installing a dropper, an oxygen supply system, enhanced ventilation and additional lighting. Polonez Ambulance was intended for service in ambulances, health care units and military hospitals as a relatively cheap vehicle.
Since 1987 Fabryka Samochodow Osobowych launched a line of trucks and utility vehicles based on Polonez. Trucks were produced both in a purely on-board version with three folding sides, and with plastic add-ons. Atarex(Truck LB) above the flatbed that turned pickups into vans.
There were options with a short double cab (Truck Standard) and cargo-passenger versions with a two-row cab (Truck DC). The line of power units was standard for FSO products - these are 1.6-liter gasoline engines, later 1.9D Peugeot / Citroen diesel engines were added to them. Interestingly, after the end of production of Polonez at the parent plant in 2002, the demand for inexpensive and reliable one-ton trucks continued, so in 2003 the new company Polska Fabryka Samochodow (PFS) tried to restart, renaming it Poltruck. But for a number of reasons, this idea was not viable, and the new company produced only a small number of test trucks.
In 1980, the FSO factory demonstrated the Polonez with a three-door hatchback body. The body for this model was not developed anew - it was obtained by manufacturing new sidewalls instead of the rear pair of doors. At the same time, the front doors remained as short as in the five-door version, which, on the one hand, made the production of the three-door version cheaper, and on the other hand, made it difficult for passengers to get on the second row of seats, since the width of the standard doorway was clearly not enough for this. It is not surprising that the three-door modification, which was “more sporty” in appearance, did not find its fans and for three years (1980-1983) was sold in a scanty circulation - only about 300 copies.
About a hundred three-door FSO Polonez cars were equipped with a 1481 cm3 engine with an output of 80 hp. with electronic ignition control and a system in which preheated air was supplied to the intake manifold.
Main characters and technical data of FSO Polonez
The crisis "version of Polonez in the most simplified configuration appeared in 1981. This copy was tested in US. This configuration option did not provide for the installation of front fog lamps.
The five-door Polonez hatchback with faceted shapes looked very fashionable in the early 80s. On the instrument panel in the "crisis" version, there was no tachometer, mandatory for other trim levels.
"Wolf in sheep's clothing" - Polonez with an engine from Lancia Stratos. The only copy of this machine is currently on display at the Museum of Technology in Warsaw (Museum of Technology).
Photo below: Sporty Polonez takes part in the rally "Baltic Cup"(February 2012).
| Working volume, cm 3 | 1300 | 1300 | 1500 | 1500 | 1500 |
| Power, hp | 65 | 60 | 76 | 70 | 82 |
| Octane number of gasoline | 94 | 78 | 94 | 78 | 94 |
| Vehicle speed, km/h | 140 | 135 | 150 | 145 | 155 |
In the 70s, not every European car could boast such an option list as the Polonez. True, the “bells and whistles” led to the fact that the car began to weigh a little more than its classmates, but buyers did not particularly pay attention to such “little things” at that distant time.
| Number of places | 5 |
| Maximum speed at full load | 155 km/h |
| Fuel consumption at 40 km/h | 9.5 l/100 km |
| electrical equipment | 12V |
| Tire size | 175RS 13 |
| Weight, kg | |
| curb | 1140 |
| complete | 1540 |
| Track, mm | |
| front | 1314 |
| behind | 1292 |
| Front suspension | independent, spring, with stabilizer bar, telescopic shock absorbers |
| Rear suspension | on longitudinal springs with two reaction rods, telescopic shock absorbers |
| brakes | working - disk, on all wheels, with a separate hydraulic drive, parking - on the rear wheels, with a mechanical drive |
| Clutch | single-disk, dry, mechanically driven |
| Transmission | mechanical, four-speed (since 1990 five-speed), with synchronizers in all forward gears |
| Engine | carburetor, four-stroke, four-cylinder, overhead valve |
| Cylinder diameter, mm | 79,5 |
| Piston stroke, mm | 77 |
| Working volume, cm 3 | 1481 |
| Compression ratio | 9 |
| The order of operation of the cylinders | 1-3-4-2 |
| Max Power | 75 HP at 5250 rpm |
| Max Torque | 11.7 kgf.m at 3300 rpm |
