OTREBUSY, Poland (AP) — A significant piece of automotive history was unveiled on Friday near Warsaw: the very first car manufactured in Soviet-era Poland after World War II. This 1951 Warszawa M-20, bearing the serial number 000001, was retrieved after a lengthy search that spanned decades and complex negotiations in Finland.
Originally produced at the FSO Passenger Car Factory in Warsaw on November 6, 1951, this vehicle symbolizes Poland’s post-war era under the dominance of the communist-controlled Soviet Union. It carries a rich history tied to Poland’s past.
Zbigniew Mikiciuk, a co-founder of the private museum in Otrebusy that now houses the car, expressed immense pride in this acquisition. “We are extremely honored to be among the few in the world to have successfully recovered the first vehicles from our nation’s production line,” he stated.
The Warszawa M-20 was gifted to Soviet army marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, who served as Poland’s defense minister in the aftermath of the war, reinforcing Poland’s connection to Moscow. The precise details of the car’s journey after it left Rokossovsky’s hands, until it was found with the family of Finnish rally driver Rauno Aaltonen, remain unclear.
Retrieving the vehicle took over two years of negotiations with its Finnish owners. Mikiciuk highlighted that although the car has a light color that has been repainted in a trendy brown from the 1970s and shows signs of heavy use, it has been preserved as authentically as possible. “It’s still holding together nicely and is quite remarkable despite its age,” he said.
The FSO factory made an extensive effort to locate this original model in the 1970s, hoping to use it for an anniversary celebration. At a time when vehicles were considered a luxury in Poland, the factory even offered to trade for a brand-new car, but their efforts were in vain.
Initially established in the late 1940s to manufacture Italian Fiat 508 and 1100 models, the FSO factory had its plans drastically altered due to Soviet pressure. The Kremlin insisted that production shift to Soviet-designed Pobeda (Victory) cars, complete with the necessary technology and production lines supplied by Moscow.
The museum now features a variety of historic vehicles, including a 1928 Oakland from the United States, which was brought to Poland before the war by a doctor’s family, and a 1953 Buick that belonged to Jozef Cyrankiewicz, Poland’s communist-era Prime Minister. Cyrankiewicz brought the Buick into Poland via the Netherlands, likely to avoid direct ties with the United States amidst Cold War tensions.
Additionally, the museum showcases a Volvo previously used by General Wojciech Jaruzelski, the communist leader known for imposing martial law in Poland in 1981. “For over 50 years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to preserving automobiles with rich histories, stories, and legends—not merely collecting cars seen on the streets,” said Mikiciuk.
The owners of the museum hope that by displaying this historic Warszawa M-20, they will spark interest among the public, encouraging individuals to share more information about its storied past.
