A 1974 Fiat Polski 126P offered by Poland to Tom Hanks was sold at auction on March 8. The popular Polish-Italian was customized especially for the actor. A few minutes from the deadline, the bids soared. The model went for $83,500, or approximately €76,540.
The cars of stars (Jean-Paul Belmondo, Michael Schumacher or Steve McQueen…) often drive the auction counters crazy. The simple fact of having passed through the hands of a personality is sometimes enough to inflate the selling price. This is the case of this 1974 Fiat Polski 126P that belonged to American actor Tom Hanks. The model has just been sold for $83,500, or approximately €76,540, on the Bring A Trailer site. Bids got carried away a few minutes before the end of the sale, since the model remained displayed for a long time at $60,000, or €55,000. For the record, a model in perfect condition generally sells for between €4,000 and €5,000.
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Offered by Poland
The model is the Polish version of the popular Fiat 126. Produced under license between 1973 and 2000 at the Bielsko-Biala plant, the Fiat Polski 126P sold over 3.3 million units. The example offered for sale was offered by Poland to Tom Hanks in 2017 with a unique configuration. The small city car was customized by the Polish workshops of BB Oldtimer Garage. It sports a white dress, chrome bumpers and sits on four 12-inch wheels.
The interior has been redesigned by another Polish company: Carlex Design. Tom Hanks could sit aboard an interior clad in green leather and put his hands on a steering wheel painted your body. To top it all, the dashboard received a plaque with a replica of the film Forrest Gump, while the actor left his signature on the driver’s side door. There is also the phrase ” Bielsko-Biala for Tom Hanks (Bielsko-Biala is a town located 100 km south-west of Krakow) affixed to the only speedometer which displays less than 278 miles (500 km). However the announcement emphasizes not knowing the real mileage of the chassis.
Charity sale
The car is sold without reserve price. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the American foundation Elizabeth Dole in charge of American veterans and chaired by Tom Hanks. The next owner will receive with the 126P a pair of leather gloves in the colors of this popular car, as well as spare spark plugs and the full service history. The last service was carried out in November 2021. It included cleaning and adjusting the carburettor, sanitizing the tank, draining all fluids and replacing the battery. The announcement specifies that the 594 cc twin-cylinder engine3 – installed at the rear – is strictly original. When it was released, the Fiat Polski 126P developed 23 hp sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission.
