Talk:Polski Fiat 125p

2 do list

 * Forgive me for not using the template - I do not find it too useful

Give an F, give me and S... Welcome to the newly-created Polski Fiat 125p task force talk page :D The article now is almost entirely a copy/paste from the section of the Fiat 125 article. What I believe we should is simply re-create it, as the current version is pretty lousy in all accounts. Let me propose the following tasks to be completed:


 * 1) Make sure all links/redirects pertaining to the 125p redirect here and not to the Italian model, while also adding appropriate links to related pages.
 * 2) (probably to be done later) Refurbish the FSO section of the Fiat 125 article to maintain compatibility
 * 3) Decide on the class (for infobox purposes) - the Fiat 125 article says "executive", but I'd say it's a stretch. Either mid-size or compact, depending on which end we are looking at :D

I just realized the following tasks are mostly "check for info, find good sources, add to the article":
 * 1) Production numbers and dates (start-end)
 * 2) Available versions, modifications and facelifts - substance and date:
 * 3) Engines
 * 4) Body styles
 * 5) Trim levels?
 * 6) What else?
 * 7) Export models/markets (sales volume? pricing?)
 * 8) Establish whether distribution was via Fiat network or some other (independent? factory?) networks
 * 9) Find any evidence of the existence of FOUS :D
 * 10) Prototypes, related models etc.
 * 11) Motorsports - info on specific models, entries etc.

Feel free to add to the list! :D I somehow can't help thinking I am expected to do most of that (*sigh*), as I guess I am the only Polish-speaking person in this team... :( Bravada, talk - 19:33, 19 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Erm, how do you spell this.. I dunno, but ginquea, Bravada! ;-)


 * I've updated the categories, and the internal link from Polski Fiat. I've also done a considerable chunk of copyediting to clean it up. I think it's fair to also delete some of the old text from the Fiat 125 article, which I'm about to do.


 * As for "class"; even if the Fiat car was executive when new, and I accept that it might have been, nevertheless by the time the 125p came along, and given its price, I don't think anybody in export markets would have called it executive. Harder to say about the home market; political realities meant fewer people had cars of any sort, and I suppose that moves the boundaries somewhat.


 * We certainly need sources for... all of it! I'm going to dig out my brochures tonight so I can see what the manufacturer had to say. – Kieran T  ( talk  19:42, 19 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Do you get those "Wikipedia has problems" messages too? Annoying, I'd even prefer the requests for donations (I can't help thinking they pop out after you edit too frequently :D).
 * OK, I have no idea what ginquea is, perhaps it's some kind of a guinea pig, never had any pets so I don't know what to do with one. Perhaps it needs a spouse, but first we would have to determine whether it's male or female.
 * As regards the article, I'd rather dump it all and not have to muddle through that, but thanks for copyediting anyway! Just wait until you will see my creative activity here, you will surely have a lot of copyediting to do :D But I am pleasantly suprised by the link you copied, it is a really great site!
 * As concerns the Polish market, well, you can't speak of a market ina centrally planned economy, so this can't serve as an indication. I guess the question is more about Fiat 125 itself, I believe they should have the same class assigned. The 125 was launched in 1967 with a wheelbase of 2505 mm and overall length of 4223 mm. Models of similar dimensions from similar period were Simca 1300/1500 (incidentally also very similar in outside appearance) and Hillman Hunter. Going by Peugeots, it was bigger than 304 and smaller than 404, which are billed compact and midsize @ WP, repsectively. On the other hand, the 124, which was smaller than 125, is also billed midsize, so I guess the 125 has to be midsize too. Bravada, talk - 20:05, 19 July 2006 (UTC)


 * It's a tricky comparison to make. The earlier 2-litre Alfas and Lancias of this body size were often compared with BMWs and Rovers, which makes them "executive", and the main Fiat 125 article claims its replacement was the 132, definitely executive. But I'd have said its natural replacement was really the 131, which like the Hillman Hunter is just "family" size. And the engine size leads in that "family" direction too.


 * On the subject of the main article, I've just carved it to bits. Couldn't stop myself.


 * I get WP page-loading errors quite often, but I've not noticed a correllation with my editing!


 * And finally... I was trying to say "thanks" in Polish. I can say it, I just can't spell it. Hang on. *Googles* Ah! Dziękuję ;-) – Kieran T  ( talk  20:12, 19 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Ależ proszę ja Ciebie bardzo ;) As concerns the good old Argenta, I would never consider it executive. The 130 was Fiat's executive, and it didn't have a direct replacement after Fiat bought Lancia and developed the Gamma. The Argenta was then replaced by the Croma, which I would say was a midsize car (even though four-door versions were positioned as executive). I believe Fiat somehow had its models sitting on the "borders" of classes, like the Tempra being "almost a midsize car". I believe the "Large family car" designation is very befitting here (as concerns 125, Argenta and Croma). Bravada, talk - 20:21, 19 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Interesting how different our perceptions of the Argenta/132 are. My mum had a 132, and it had some amazing features, like no less than eight transparent dark-red sun visors which slid down out of the roof, blue glass (not green) and yellow seats. Believe it or not, all those colours worked, and made it feel very special, especially back then, when a lot of car interiors were very basic. But I certainly agree the 130 was another step up, and the Croma was just a family car. – Kieran T  ( talk  20:25, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

Modus operandi
OK, so I am basically now going through the Polish site and trying to put down whatever information I find out in English. I am afraid I am doing more of a translation/essay writing than real encyclopedic work - I am counting on you (other, native English speaking editors) to edit that, taking out whatever minor tidbits we can live without. I believe dumping 100% of the Polish site's content, even if that's not a direct translation, might not be too fair towards the author of that site.

Sidenote: I know this sounds stupid, but dabbling into this evoked much more memories and emotions than I thought it would, both good and bad (and I guess I am not really serious about the former). I think I would like to take some breaks in between doing that to shake them off, so please excuse me fro slowing the pace. Bravada, talk - 21:31, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

Fun fact :D
Ok, I see nothing much is happening here, so I guess it's all up to me. I will try to add a few more paragraphs in the coming days, but for obvious reasons this is one of the least interesting topics for me. As of now, I thought it would be a good reason to create an article on the 1300/1500, which I am currently battling with. Seems like this was some covert vehicle - there is unbelievably little info on it!

But what I wanted to tell you is that today I had a chance to talk to my parents, proud owners of red 125p's in the past. We haven't talked much about the cars themselves, as there is little they could tell me that I didn't know, but I have learned something interesting about the other Fiat models assembled at FSO - as you might know, models like 127, 128, 131 and 132 were assembled in short series there. I was wondering how were they available in Poland. Well, contrary to the regular Polski Fiats (125p and 126p), which were bought for Polish Zloty in the official Polmozbyt network, provided you had a "car allotment" granted by the authorities and waited your few years for your turn (and I mean it, YEARS!), the other models could be bought outright, but provided you paid in USD (or, I guess, any other "hard currency"). The thing is that any currency operations involving private citizens were strictly prohibited and penalized, so the only way you could do that is go to an FSO representative office in e.g. Vienna (which itself was not that easy given the restrictions on travelling to Western countries), pay in a specified amount in USD (a fortune for Polish conditions, given the lunatic exchange rate), and come back to Poland to take delivery of your newly assembled Fiat in the Polmozbyt point of your choice :D :D :D

Socialism, anybody? Bravada, talk - 23:25, 22 July 2006 (UTC)


 * We're not making you do all the work – I just can't work out where the hell I've filed my FSO brochures! They're not under "F" for FSO, they're not under "P" for Polski Fiat... next (and I'm so, so sorry about this, but please remember I was about eleven or twelve years old when I was collecting these)... but I need to look and see if I filed them under "L". With Lada. Sorry! ;) – Kieran T  ( talk  23:54, 22 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Tada, I have just created a stubby-looking Fiat 1300/1500 article - I hope you will also help me expand it. It's getting more and more intricate now that the Cabrios, Zastava, Neckar and Siata entered the scene, and the previous Fiat models are even more complicated - and I thought it would be fun... :( I am sorry for lashing at you, I found it really not that amusing to read through pages and pages on the least interesting vehicle (I mean, there is no LESS exotic car to me), and the memories of pre-1989 Poland that came back to me weren't too amusing either - and had to vent. But I know I have to do it, as nobody else can. I truly appreciate your input, especially into the FSO article - I will have to revamp and expand it properly, with references and stuff - e.g. there's the Ogar pic, but no mention of it!
 * I hope you will dig out the brochures, could be amusing. On my part, I will have to dig out a book that gives a reference to another fun fact - the export Polski Fiats/FSOs were for some time serviced by factory-owned assistance organization called "FOUS" (it was an acronym for something, I have to find the book to check what it was). As you might know, "fous" actually means "crazy" in French (correct me if I'm wrong), so imagine how amused some French drivers were seeing 125p Kombis travelling through their country with "FOUS Service Fiat" painted on the sides :D Bravada, talk - 01:37, 23 July 2006 (UTC)


 * What a great start – the 1300/1500 article is brilliant! I never knew about the 1500 L version, that's a fous bit of nomenclature. And what a web of redlinks we create, every time we make a new article – now we need one on the 1800! Argh. I wonder if there's anything on the Italian-language Wiki? *goes off to learn Italian* – Kieran T  ( talk  10:59, 23 July 2006 (UTC)


 * The 1300/1500 article is pathetic, I just tried to close whatever I had in a comprehensive whole at 3 AM using my last bits of consciousness. I clicked a few links and discovered a vast universe of stuff I haven't had any idea about, including the fabulous 1500s which were in fact 1800s, the Seat hodgepodge, the wondrous Neckars (that's a good topic, there's next to no info on that!), the Siata and stuff. As concerns the Italian Wikipedia, you don't need to know Italian, just use Google Translate - the Italian/English variant works quite OK. My observation is that for the most part what you can find there is stuff from CarsFromItaly.com. I would prefer to cite the original, so I guess we just have to take advantage of the Wayback Machine and try to put the rest of the stuff here - I would appreciate your help.
 * What is more interesting is what I've found in the Polish Wikipedia - I need to ask the author where he got the info! OK, let's finish the 1500 and do the 1800 :D
 * PS. I thought about posting the notice on our undertakings concerning Polski Fiat in the Polish Wikipedians' Notice Board - perhaps some other merciful Polish speaker would join in! Bravada, talk - 11:26, 23 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Hush. From nothing to something – it's brilliant :D – Kieran T  ( talk  11:32, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

"Did you know" inclusion

 * This section has been moved from where originally posted

Whoah! I'm slightly horrified by that. Looking at the "Did you know?" page, it mentions that the car was known for it's "accelerated rate of rusting" – hardly a very well-referenced clearly-factual point from the article, and one that probably doesn't shed the best or most encyclopædic light on the article! Oh well, too late now. – Kieran T  ( talk  18:44, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Never too late with wiki. -- Samir   धर्म  19:07, 23 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Sadly it is, in the sense that some people will have seen it! But there is indeed always time to make it better for next time... – Kieran T  ( talk  19:21, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
 * It was only up for 19 minutes, and it should be removed from the article if truly incorrect -- Samir   धर्म  20:06, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
 * That was kinda my point. But the article is brand new and still being prepared. Whilst the cars may very well have rusted, it's a shame it was the fact which was chosen to be highlighted! But we'll get there soon enough with the article! :) – Kieran T  ( talk  20:11, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. If it's referenced it can be re-included -- Samir    धर्म  20:17, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Just a final thing: I don't want to seem unfriendly! Thanks, Samir, for noticing the article. :) – Kieran T  ( talk  20:20, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

What a kerfuffle!
OK now I have a moment to try to catch up with yesterday's happenings. First and foremost, thanks Piotr for suggesting this article to DYK and mentioning me as author. Actually, I don't think I should have been credited with creating this article, as what I did was merely carve out the section of the Fiat 125 article and put it an article in its own right - though, AFAIK, I actually DID write the sentence that eventually landed in the front page, as the section had no lead section.

Cordial thanks Kieran for keeping an eye on the goings-on and helping remedy the situation on the spot!

What has happened is, I think, pretty unfortunate. The article is certainly still Work-in-Progress and not anything we'd like casual viewers to see as an example of Wikipedia. A totally unsourced and rather unfounded statement (actually, most Italian Fiats, Lancias and Alfas, and also many other cars of that era rusted badly) was placed on the front page - fortunately for a short time only - distorting the view of the subject and perhaps also undermining the image of Wikipedia as a reliable information source.

By hastily replacing the questionable statement, a rather strange and stiff "DYK" was created, which did not showcase any unique quality of the subject which would really draw the attention of readers, which could create the impression that there is really nothing more interesting about it and not much more interesting in Wikipedia itself, perhaps. I guess this could make for a much more interesting DYK:


 * ...that Polski Fiat 125p, despite similar appearance, was technically very different from Fiat 125

Moreover, probably a rather large number of viewers were attracted to this incomplete article, viewing it in rather miserable form, which can also either distort their view of the subject or compromise WP's reputation. A number of editors contributed to the article in the current form, and their work might be lost during impending refurbishments, which will be a pity. Moreover, a chance for the article to be showcased on the front page, which would certainly be great for when it is be completed, was lost.

On the other hand, a recently finished and polished article on another automobile, the Talbot Tagora, went unnoticed, while I guess it would be a much better example of Wikipedia work to showcase. I think this all is an example for some systematic failures in the DYK process, and I hope this will serve to further enhance it. Regards, Bravada, talk - 12:38, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

related?
Is Polski Fiat 126p worthy of mentioning in this article? Circeus 21:21, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
 * At the very least as see also, but I think we should fit it into main body, too :) --Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus talk 03:09, 24 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Personally I think the "See also" is enough – there are already articles on FSO itself and Polski Fiat, which are the best places to link out to both the 125p and 126p. – Kieran T  ( talk  23:11, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

Nicknames
I added some more polish nicnames for 125, which are more funnier way of calling it by young people. feel free to edit but IMO the "Duzy Fiat" is not THE only one worth mentioning because 125 has much social history in Poland and has many nicknames related to it.