FSM Niki 650, too little, too late

The Niki 650

Coming in at no 9 of Austrlia’s worst cars is the FSM Niki 650. based on the Fiat 126 the Niki was built under licence by Fabryka Samochodów Malolitrazowych (FSM) in Poland from 1973 to 2000 and exported to Australia between 1989 and 1992. Fitted with a 2 cyl 650 cc engine and drum breaks all round the 126 was probably an OK idea in 1970’s Europe, but a car that took almost a decade to get to its claimed top speed of near 100klm/hand couldn’t stop if it ever did get there was unheard of in Australia in 1989. One other thing that was unheard of was the price tag launched at $7990 it was the cheapest car in Australia at the time, but the old saying rings true here that you get what you pay for.