FSO 125p

FSO 125p: which version to buy and why

If you are choosing an FSO 125p rather than reading about the nameplate, the data set is small and the choice is arithmetic. There is 1 generation (1967–1992), one body — Pickup — and 5 listed versions. Names in the catalogue are only two: 1.3 MT and 1.6 MT. Both 1.3 MT rows share 64 hp (47 kW); both 1.6 MT rows share 75 hp (55 kW). Same names are therefore not split by power.

FSO 125p: which version to buy and why

If you are choosing an FSO 125p rather than reading about the nameplate, the data set is small and the choice is arithmetic. There is 1 generation (1967–1992), one body — Pickup — and 5 listed versions. Names in the catalogue are only two: 1.3 MT and 1.6 MT. Both 1.3 MT rows share 64 hp (47 kW); both 1.6 MT rows share 75 hp (55 kW). Same names are therefore not split by power. They are split by what was actually measured on that row: valves per cylinder, fuel grade 76, kerb weight 970 kg, and ground clearance 140 mm. Every version is Gasoline, Inline 4, No boost, Carburetor, Manual with 4 gears, RWD, front suspension Independent, spring, front brakes Disc. Rear suspension, rear brakes, torque, 0–100, top speed, mpg, tank, CO2, eco class, gross weight, and wheel size are not measured on every row. There is no second generation to “step up to,” so the buy decision is engine size plus which spec sheet is complete.

FSO 125p versions compared (specs, engine, hp)

Torque (Nm) is not measured on all five. Do not treat a blank as “this engine has no torque.”

What the extra displacement buys: 1.3 MT vs 1.6 MT

The only power step in the FSO 125p Pickup is 11 hp and 8 kW: 75 − 64 = 11 hp, 55 − 47 = 8 kW. That is 11 / 64 ≈ 17% more peak power for 286 cc more capacity (1581 − 1295 = 286 cc, 286 / 1295 ≈ 22% more volume).

Specific output (hp per litre, from the given hp and cc only):

• 1.3 MT (64 hp, 1295 cc): 64 / 1.295 ≈ 49.4 hp/L
• 1.6 MT (75 hp, 1581 cc): 75 / 1.581 ≈ 47.4 hp/L

The 1.3 MT is the denser engine on paper. The 1.6 MT is the stronger engine in absolute hp and kW. If you buy for peak output, the 1.6 MT is the only step up. If you buy for how much power each litre is rated to make, the 1.3 MT is ahead by about 2.0 hp/L (49.4 − 47.4). Neither version lists boost other than No; neither lists a gearbox other than Manual 4; neither lists a drive other than RWD. The extra 286 cc does not buy another gear, another driven axle, or forced induction in this catalogue.

Fuel type is Gasoline on all five. Grade 76 is measured only on the first 1.3 MT (64 hp, 2 valves/cyl) and the first 1.6 MT (75 hp, 2 valves/cyl). The other three rows: fuel not measured. You cannot claim the later 1.6 MT (75 hp, 140 mm) or the 1.3 MT with 970 kg / 140 mm run a different grade — the sheet does not give one.

Valves per cylinder 2 is measured only on those same two rows (first 1.3 MT, first 1.6 MT). On the remaining three, valves per cylinder are not measured. Do not invent a different head.

Weight, kg per hp, and ground clearance (dimensions)

Kerb weight is measured on one row only: 1.3 MT (64 hp) at 970 kg. Gross weight is not measured on any version. Tank volume is not measured. Wheel sizes are not measured. Ground clearance 140 mm is measured on three rows: 1.6 MT (75 hp, 140 mm), 1.3 MT (64 hp, 970 kg, 140 mm), and 1.3 MT (64 hp, 140 mm). On the two rows that also list fuel 76 and 2 valves/cyl, clearance is not measured.

Power-to-weight from the only kerb figure:

• 1.3 MT (64 hp, 970 kg): 970 / 64 ≈ 15.2 kg/hp
• 1.6 MT: kg/hp not measured (no kerb weight)

If you need a number for how heavy the Pickup is per horsepower, only the 1.3 MT with 970 kg supplies it. Comparing that 15.2 kg/hp to a 1.6 MT would require a kerb mass that is not measured. Ground clearance, where listed, does not change between those three rows: 140 mm on both a 1.3 MT and a 1.6 MT. The extra 11 hp does not come with a different listed clearance.

Front layout is the same wherever it is filled in: Independent, spring, front brakes Disc. Rear axle hardware is not measured. A buyer choosing “the better chassis” among these five is choosing the same listed front spec.

Performance, mpg, and what is not measured

0–100, top speed, city / highway / combined consumption, CO2, and eco class are not measured for every 1.3 MT and every 1.6 MT. You cannot rank versions by acceleration, top speed, or mpg from this data. The 11 hp gap is real; a 0–100 gap is not in the sheet. Fuel economy (mpg) is not measured — do not treat the 1.3 MT as “the economy one” or the 1.6 MT as “the thirsty one” without a consumption figure.

Reliability and problems: what the numbers do and do not say

The catalogue does not list failure rates, rust scores, or spare-parts indexes. What it does list is a single mechanical pattern: Gasoline Carburetor, No boost, Manual 4, RWD, Inline 4. Every version shares that pattern. A “more complex” 1.6 MT is not in the data: same feed, same boost (No), same gearbox type and count, same drive. Problems you can infer from missing fields: torque, 0–100, mpg, tank, wheels, rear brakes, rear suspension, and (on three of five rows) fuel grade and valves — those are not measured, not “zero.”

Production window is the same for all five: 1967-01-01 to 1992-12-31. There is no later generation with a different body. Restyling is not a separate generation here. You are not choosing year-by-year facelifts from this table; you are choosing among five Pickup rows that share the same start and stop dates.

Which FSO 125p version to choose

Choose the first-listed 1.6 MT (75 hp, 2 valves/cyl, fuel 76) if the job is maximum listed output and you want the same completeness of engine labels as the best-documented 1.3 MT: 75 hp, 55 kW, 1581 cc, Gasoline, 4 Inline, 2 valves/cyl, No boost, Carburetor, 76, Manual 4, RWD. You pay 286 cc and get +11 hp / +8 kW. Specific output is slightly lower (≈47.4 vs ≈49.4 hp/L). Clearance, kerb, 0–100, mpg: not measured on this row.

Choose the other 1.6 MT (75 hp, 140 mm) if you need the only 1.6 MT with a listed ground clearance. Power is the same 75 hp / 55 kW / 1581 cc. Valves per cylinder and fuel grade are not measured. You do not get more hp than the other 1.6 MT; you get 140 mm written down.

Choose the 1.3 MT (64 hp, 970 kg, 140 mm) if weight and clearance matter more than the extra 11 hp. This is the only version with kerb 970 kg, and it also has 140 mm. 970 / 64 ≈ 15.2 kg/hp. Fuel grade and valves: not measured. Displacement 1295 cc, Gasoline, Manual 4, RWD, No boost — same as the other 1.3 MT rows.

Choose the 1.3 MT (64 hp, 2 valves/cyl, fuel 76) if you want the small engine with the same documented head and grade as the first 1.6 MT, and you accept that kerb and clearance are not measured on this row. Power 64 hp / 47 kW. Best listed specific output among the two displacements.

Choose the 1.3 MT (64 hp, 140 mm) if you want 1295 cc and a listed 140 mm but do not need the 970 kg figure. Same 64 hp as the other 1.3 MT names. Fuel and valves not measured. Kerb not measured.

There is no automatic, no AWD, no turbo in this set. “What the extra money buys” in numbers is only +11 hp, +8 kW, +286 cc, and a small drop in hp per litre. It does not buy a second generation, a second body, a fifth gear, or measured mpg. If two 1.3 MT or two 1.6 MT listings appear in a search, match them by the extra measured fields — 2 valves and 76, or 970 kg, or 140 mm — not by renaming them.