The Syrena was the first Polish-built passenger car mass-produced after World War II. Its history begins in the spring of 1953, when the Passenger Car Factory (FSO) received an order to develop a passenger car with a small-displacement engine. The prototype was presented just a few months later, on December 31st. Further test vehicles were built in 1954-55. All were subjected to intensive testing, including long-distance rallies. Various power units were tested, as well as several body types: wooden and wood-and-metal. Finally, after four years of testing, in the spring of 1957, mass production of the Syrena 100 began, featuring an all-metal body mounted on a longitudinal frame. Power was provided by a two-cylinder, two-stroke S-15 engine with a capacity of 746 cm3 and an output of 27 hp, allowing the car to reach a top speed of 99 km/h. Many components came from the Warszawa M20. In the following years, the Syrena was systematically modernized, with the 101, 102, and 103 models appearing. From 1966 to 1972, the Syrena 104 was produced, featuring the first new power unit – still a two-stroke, but now a three-cylinder S-31 engine with a capacity of 842 cm3 and an output of 40 hp with a fully synchronized gearbox. This was also the last Syrena with doors that opened against the wind. The last, and most numerous, version was the 105, produced for 11 years, from 1972 to 1983. Initially, it was still at FSO, but soon all production was taken over by the Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych (FSM) in Bielsko-Biała. The Syrena 105 had front-hinged doors and many other minor improvements. It also became the basis for two serial passenger and cargo versions: the Syrena Bosto van (BIelski Osobowo-Towarowy) and the two-seater R20 pickup truck designed for agriculture. This version of the popular “sock,” produced at FSM from 1972 to 1983, had a cargo bed area of 2 m² and a payload capacity of up to 430 kg. In total, over 520,000 Syrenas of all versions were produced between 1957 and 1983.
Syrena R20 Technical Specifications:
Number of places: 2
Length: 4 m
Width: 1.57 m
Cabin height: 1.52 m
Wheelbase: 2.3 m
Unladen weight: 920 kg
Payload: 500 kg (two people + 350 kg of cargo or 1 person + 430 kg)
Maximum speed: 120 km/h (100 km/h with mud and snow tires)
Drive: three-cylinder, two-stroke S-31 petrol engine
Displacement: 842 cm3
Power: 40 HP
Fuel consumption: operational 7.5 – 9.5 l (nominal 8.8 l) / 100 km
