Lamley Single File: Welly Polish Series Part 3 – Polski Fiat 125p

We’re almost through Welly’s set of Polish vehicles now, and in part 3 we’re going to be looking at their take on the long lived Polski Fiat 125p.

Produced from 1967 until 1991 the 125p was a simplified, license built version of the Fiat 125. Pressed for a newer model to phase out the ancient Warszawa and the ageing Syrena, FSO signed a deal with Fiat who were keen to establish relations with Eastern Bloc countries. The pre World War 2 brand Polski Fiat was revived to sell the vehicles.

The 125p got the older Fiat 1300/1500 interior but wasn’t totally bereft of modern features. Unlike the Fiat 125, the 125p featured disc brakes, a repositioned (and therefore safer) fuel tank and also offered buyers the choice of an estate and pick up variant. Like the Syrena, the 125p remained virtually unchanged during the long production run.

The Welly casting has some sharp decals as usual, and the body has been faithfully reproduced.

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The only thing that lets it down a touch (other than a slightly poorly done side mirrors) are the wheels. To cut costs they’re shared across the Welly range. They’re great on other cars but a touch too big on this. The body is probably closer to 1/72 scale rather than 1/60 and as a result the wheels give the car a narrow track and a tall stance.

It’s another unique model in Welly’s range and given the low cost (around €4) may just attract collectors eager for a curio or interesting filler for their collections, or indeed appeal to the nostalgia of collectors in Central Europe where the 125p was once popular. And given the surprisingly large amount of former Eastern Bloc vehicles in Welly’s range these days I’m excited to see what else appears in the future. Stay tuned to Lamley Group for more oddities from me, some amazing stuff from the rest of the team and the last part of the Welly Polish Series story, the FSO Polonez Caro Plus.