Polish prototypes

In 1978, a six-wheel four-wheel drive amphibian was built at Wojskowy Instytut Techniki Pancernej i Samochodowej (Military Institute of Armour and Car Technology) in Sulejowek. This light off-road vehicle was designed to collect wounded soldiers from the battlefield. The LPT (the Polish acronym for "light off-road vehicle") was built from Fiat 126p subassemblies. Instead of serving military purposes, our car played a major role in two movies about "Pan Samochodzik" ("Mister Automobile", a literary character). The Wszedolaz, a Fiat 126p on caterpillar tracks, was designed at Zaklad Transportu Energetyki (Power Engineering and Transport Institute) in Radom, in 1979-1980 to monitor power lines in harsh winter conditions. Unfortunately the caterpillar track was messed-up, but at least it was able to swim. In mid-1983, work on the successor of the Fiat 126p was finally completed at Fabryka Samochodow Osobowych (Passenger Car Factory in Bielsko-Biala, Poland). By 1987, there had been seven beskid cars built at the factory. It was much more comfortable than "the maluch". Credit for its silhouette must go to a group of designers from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. With a glider's wing as an obvious inspiration, the Beskid's silhouette was reincarnated many years later in the renault twingo.