After posting several pictures of himself longing to own a Fiat 126p on Twitter, Tom Hanks is finally getting his wish – a bespoke Fiat 126p delivered all the way from Poland. The little rear-engined Fiat 126, with a top speed of 65mph, was introduced as a replacement to the Fiat 500 in 1972. Almost 4.6 million hatchbacks were sold before production finally stopped in 2000.
I got a new car! Hanx pic.twitter.com/kzij8QEIyo
— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) 18 November 2016
The project was started by 42-year-old Monika Jaskolska, who lives in Bielsko-Biała in Southern Poland, the city where the car was built. She held a fundraiser for Hanks after learning of his wish from his Twitter and Instagram posts. She eventually raised 8500 Zloty, which is around £1,700, to purchase and revamp a 126p. She then searched everywhere for the vehicle, eventually finding one in the northeastern town of Suwałki. The anonymous seller agreed to offer her a turquoise blue model – for free.
The Social Media miracle doesn’t stop there. After Jaskolska had received the free 126p, Polish racing driver Rafał Sonik offered to put $10,000 into the restoration of the car. The 126p arrived at Carlex Design for the renovation that included a light green leather interior decorated with exposed stitching and contrasting black leather stripes. Since Tom Hanks also collects typewriters, Carlex decided to install buttons and switches resembling the keys found on the vintage machines. As a final touch, the now proud 126p has the message “Bielsko-Biała for Tom Hanks” inscribed on a custom plate inside the passenger compartment.
Meanwhile, Jaskolska will donate the unused funds to a local hospital.
Tom Hanks’ one-of-a kind custom Fiat 126p will be air freighted by Polish national airline LOT, again, for free, to the actor’s home in Los Angeles.
