FSM Syrena 105 History

The Syrena 105 was the last and most refined variant of the FSO Syrena lineage, a car that had been Poland's primary home-grown passenger vehicle since 1957. When FSM was established in 1971, Syrena production transferred from FSO Warsaw to the new Bielsko-Biała factory. The 105 differed visibly from its predecessors by replacing the notorious rear-hinged 'suicide' front doors with conventional forward-opening ones, a long-overdue safety improvement.

Power came from the same 842 cc two-stroke inline-three that had defined the Syrena since the 1960s, producing around 27 hp — modest even by the standards of the era but adequate for the light car. A 'Lux' (105L) variant introduced in 1974 moved the gear lever and handbrake to a centre console between the front seats, giving the cabin a slightly more modern feel.

FSM produced 344,077 Syrena 105 and 105L units before closing the line in June 1983. Derivatives — the Syrena R-20 pick-up and the Bosto van — extended the platform's commercial usefulness into the early 1980s. The 105 holds a special place in Polish automotive heritage as the last original Polish-designed car built at mass scale before licence-built Fiat products came to dominate the market.