The CWS T-1 was the first serially-built
car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
manufactured in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. A series of different cars based on the T-1
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
designed by
Tadeusz Tański
Tadeusz Tański (11 March 1892 – 23 March 1941) was a Polish automobile engineer and the designer of, among others, the first Polish serially-built automobile, the CWS T-1.
He was born in Janów Podlaski to Czesław Tański, one of pioneers of P ...
(hence T-1) of the
Centralne Warsztaty Samochodowe
Centralne Warsztaty Samochodowe (''Central Car Works'', CWS) was a Polish pre-war car and motorcycle manufacturer. Created by the Polish Ministry of War Affairs in 1918, the privately run company was initially entitled to service of all the me ...
(hence CWS), it was the only motor car that could be completely dismantled and put together again with one tool, since all its screws and bolts had the same diameter.
In 1927 serial production for CWS T-1 started.
Although the car was designed in 1922, it was not until 1925 the prototype tests were completed. Between 1925 and 1932 approximately 800 CWS T-1 were manufactured in a variety of versions. Among them were;
*
Torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
(open-top)
* Kareta (
Hardtop
A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
)
* Berlina (
Sedan)
*
Cabriolet (in fact a
semi-convertible
A cabrio coach or semi-convertible is a type of car that has a retractable textile roof, similar to a convertible/cabriolet. The difference is that where a convertible often has the B-pillar, C-pillar and other bodywork removed, the cabrio coach ...
)
* pick-up
* van
In 1930, the CWS works were absorbed by the Polish state-controlled industrial giant
PZInż, yet the production was continued under the previous name. However, in 1932, a license for the
Polski Fiat was purchased from
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and the Italian head of the
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
holding demanded that the sale of CWS cars be stopped. The Polish authorities obeyed and the CWS-1 was withdrawn from production.
References
External links
Photo of CWS display at Poznan show- history and pictures (English)
Science and technology in Poland
Cars of Poland
{{Poland-hist-stub