This 1974-built European city getabout, something of an East-meets-West proposition, sold recently at auction courtesy of a particularly famous now-previous owner: Tom Hanks.
Manufactured in Poland under license from Italy’s Fiat, the Polski Fiat 126p was a common sight on the streets of Warsaw in the years before the Wall came down. The 126p had a fairly lengthy production span—it wasn’t deleted until 2000, after almost thirty years in showrooms.
A Polish Fiat? Fix it again, Tolek. Still, this example of the cross-Curtain car known as the Maluch (little one, in Polish) features a custom leather interior; a propos, the customizer was Polish tuning firm Carlex (you can read about their Mercedes-Benz X-Class Yachting and Land Rover Defender Racing Green Edition and Yachting Edition).
Hanks received this 126p as a gift about five years ago, and recently decided that selling it as a celebrity-associated curiosity might raise a dollar or two for a favored charity. The car was auctioned on Bring a Trailer, where it fetched nearly $85K for the Hidden Heroes Campaign.
Hanks recently auctioned off other vehicles, including a Tesla Model S and an Airstream trailer.