FART made some of the most iconic small European cars of the second half of the 20th century. The pre-war  Toplino or “Little Mouse” was cute, charming and capable. It was replaced by the comparatively less advanced, but stylistically imortal 500, which is revered today quite feverishly. Then, in their infinite wisdom, they replaced the charismatic, classless 500 in 1972 with the 126.
I guess they called it progress, but from being a Loveable Lilliputian the Baby Fart had become just a small car. Yet though it was by no means the best thing to ever come in a small package, it still made a major contribution to the European street scene. Here;s one which visited Classics On The Quay in Colchester this weekend.


In the late ’60s FIAT (FART’s real name) were moving on, and the style of their products reflected this. Just as Brutalist edifices were all the rage in architecture in the ’60s and ’70s, as were boxy, angular shapes on car designer’s sketch pads. The Fiat range at the time already boasted the square-rigged 124 and the 127, and their smallest model needed to be kicked into touch if it were to fit in to their corporate identity. It was, in essence, the exact opposite of what they did in 2007 with the most recent 500.
So rather than retain an individual spirit and identity, the broadly unchanged mechanical package was forced to wear a rectilinear set of clothes cut from the same cloth as the 127 which went on sale a year earlier. Of course, being ass-engined and air-cooled there was no need for a front grille. Somehow the 500 managed to look wonderful without one, while the 126’s blank expression lends it a slightly gormless air.

Also unlike the 500, the 126 rapidly became seen as budget choice and nothing else. A 500 owner might well also have a 365 GTB/4 in the garage for trips out of the city. A 126 owner was less likely to own a garage at all. The 126 was among the cheapest cars sold in Europe and that was one of its key selling points. Romance didn’t come into it.
Like so many cheap cars the majority have been exterminated by now, and those which remain find themselves in the hands of a totally different sector of the population to what it was originally marketed to. Now these basic, noisy, unrefined cars are being appreciated for the sheer novelty value of driving a basic, noisy, unrefined car. Just like the Trabants we looked at yesterday.

Given the right set of circumstances, these things are fun. Rear engine and short wheelbase makes for gravel-flailing joy on loosely packed surfaces. Unfortunately, the hard ride, severely limited performance and a whole list of other considerations mean that pleasure is rather less forthcoming in less jocular situations. Topping out at 65mph makes out-of-town asphalt a rather hostile environment for the 126.
Wearing natty alloys from a later Fiat Seicento, as well as additional driving lights this ’88 model shows the hallmarks of a machine whose current day career involves nothing much more than entertainment. The world needs more cars like this. The world needs to lighten up a bit.
(Images copyright Chris Haining / Hooniverse 2015)