Żuk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Żuk was a van produced in Lublin, Poland, between 1958 and 1997 by FSC and based indirectly on a Chevrolet car of the 1940s. Chevrolet sold the rights and equipment to build the car to a Russian factory, who then sold on the rights to the FSO car factory in Warsaw, Poland. The mechanical components formed the basis of the Żuk and the Nysa light vans designed in the late 1950s.
The Żuk was mainly sold to state organizations and also to individuals, while the Nysa formed the mainstay of the military and militia. After 1989, when Poland became a democracy, the government found itself unable to keep buying as many vans and Nysa was soon in financial difficulties, while on the other hand the Żuk was able to maintain sales to the traditional markets and expand the number sold into private hands. The final few years of production was in parallel to its successor, the Lublin van, as a cheaper alternative.
The Żuk (which is Polish for 'beetle') came in a range of body styles and, rare for a van, had independent front suspension. It was very angular, with a number of wide channels running along the side of the body and a completely flat windscreen/windshield. After about ten years in production the front of the cab was restyled, from then on the distinctive side channels no longer continued around onto the front to meet the grille. No further changes were made, except to a minor change to the number of vents located above the headlights.
The Żuk was a favourite of farmers, and a common place to find groups of them was at any local market when they were used to transport crops from the fields to the farmers own stalls. The Polish postal service (Poczta Polska) used large numbers of Żuks painted in a dull orange colour, and local fire services used them as personnel carriers or even as mini fire engines in country districts.
