The first car made during Soviet-era in Poland goes on display 73 years later

  • The car was first given to the Soviet army marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, who served as Poland’s defence minister after World War II.
Poland historic car Warszawa
This Warszawa M-20 car with serial number 000001, based on a Soviet Union's model, was the first vehicle to leave a car factory in Poland after World War II, on November 6, 1951 and now, 73 years later, it goes on public display at a private museum in Otrebusy, central Poland. (AP)
Poland historic car Warszawa
This Warszawa M-20 car with serial number 000001, based on a Soviet Union's model, was the first vehicle to leave a car factory in Poland after World War II, on November 6, 1951 and now, 73 years later, it goes on public display at a private museum in Otrebusy, central Poland.

The very first car produced in Soviet-era Poland after World War II went on display Friday near Warsaw after it was tracked down in Finland during decades of searching and acquired after years of negotiations.

The chunky 1951 Warszawa M-20 bears the serial number 000001 it had when it left the FSO Passenger Car Factory in Warsaw on Nov. 6 of that year, exactly 73 years ago. It is a relic of the period of Poland’s post-war subordination to communist-ruled Soviet Union.

Also check these Cars

Find more Cars
Mahindra S204 (HT Auto photo)
UPCOMING
₹ 12 Lakhs
Alert Me When Launched
Rolls-royce Wraith (HT Auto photo)
Engine Icon6592.0 cc FuelType IconPetrol
₹ 5 Cr
Compare
View Offers
Mg 4 Ev (HT Auto photo)
UPCOMING
BatteryCapacity Icon64kWh Range Icon350 km
₹ 30 - 32 Lakhs
Alert Me When Launched
Maserati Mc20 (HT Auto photo)
Engine Icon3000.0 cc FuelType IconPetrol
₹ 3.69 Cr
Compare
Kia Sportage (HT Auto photo)
UPCOMING
Engine Icon1999 cc FuelType IconDiesel
₹ 25 Lakhs
Alert Me When Launched
Tata Sierra Ev (HT Auto photo)
UPCOMING
BatteryCapacity Icon69 kWh Range Icon420 Km
₹ 25 - 30 Lakhs
Alert Me When Launched

“We are extremely proud because now we count among the very few people in the world who have retrieved the very first vehicles of the series made in their countries," said Zbigniew Mikiciuk, a co-founder of the private museum in Otrebusy.

The car was first given to the Soviet army marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, who served as Poland’s defense minister after the war to seal the country’s dependency to Moscow. It eventually was discovered in the possession of the family of Finnish rally car driver Rauno Aaltonen, though the car's history in between remains unclear, Mikiciuk said.

It took more than two years of negotiations to obtain the vehicle from the Finnish owners, he said.

The car's original light color has been painted over with a shade of brown that was fashionable in the 1970s and bears marks of once-intensive use that the museum has preserved to keep it authentic, but it is still "holding together"and is “cool" despite its age, Mikiciuk said.

The now-defunct FSO factory intensively sought the original model during the 1970s in hopes of using it to mark an anniversary. The company even offered a new car in exchange for it, at a time when cars were still a luxury in Poland, but to no avail.

The FSO factory was originally built in the late 1940s to make Italian Fiat 508 and 1100 cars, but Soviet leaders in Moscow objected to the ties with a Western company during the Cold War. They ordered production to be based on the Soviet Union's Pobeda (Victory) cars, with Moscow providing the technology and the production lines.

The car now joins the museum’s many historic vehicles, including a 1928 U.S.-made Oakland brought to Poland before the war by a doctor’s family and a 1953 Buick that belonged to Poland’s communist-era Prime Minister Jozef Cyrankiewicz. The former leader brought the car to Poland via the Netherlands apparently to avoid a direct connection to the U.S. during the Cold War.

The museum also displays a Volvo that was used by Poland’s communist leader, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, known for having imposed martial law in 1981.

“We have been doing this for more than 50 years and we are not collecting cars you can see in the street but cars that have their history, their soul and their legend," Mikiciuk said.

The museum owners hope that by displaying the initial Warszawa M-20 they can encourage members of the public to come forward and fill in more details of its history.

Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2024, Best SUVs in India.

First Published Date: 07 Nov 2024, 09:16 AM IST
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS

Check Latest Offers

Please provide your details to get Personalized Offers

Choose city
+91 | Choose city
Choose city
Select a dealer

Want to get the best price for your existing car?

Powered by: Spinny Logo
By clicking "View Offers" you Agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy
Dear Name

Please verify your mobile number.

+91 | Choose city
Couldn't verify the OTP.
It's either expired or it's incorrect.