Fiat Panda 100HP: Spotted
Another red Italian sports car for the price of a 512 TR service
Rumours of a TwinAir replacement for the original 100HP haven't come to anything just yet, making the funky 4x4 version the most PH-worthy Panda at present. Furthermore, though a TwinAir Panda flagship will surely gain some two-cylinder novelty value, it will inevitably lose some of the revvy effervescence that made the 1.4-litre original so beguiling.
The 100HP is just a giggle, pure and simple. Adopt an Italian mentality to conserving momentum (i.e. flat out, everywhere) and the Panda will have you hooked. Having six gears in a car with a relatively low top speed means keeping the Panda in its powerband is easy, and the shift is fairly quick too. Peak power is at 6,000rpm and it will happily rev to 7; grab another gear, repeat and enjoy.
Sport mode adds a bit of welcome weight to the steering, and the wheel-at-each corner stance makes the Panda an eager, darty car to hustle along. It won't be that fast but it will be massive fun. The 100HP will probably still return 40mpg too.
The original Swift Sport (now available from £4K) is of course the natural rival for the Panda but it will never match the little Italian for style or cool. The 15-inch wheels sit perfectly with the boxy body and in red it really can be seen as a modern Cinquecento Sporting (the Abarth 500s are arguably a little too plush against the old Cinq, the Panda's basic interior more fitting).
The rear dampers seem susceptible to wear on the 100HP and the cambelt must be seen to every three to five years. But on something so tiny the other consumables will be cheap, plus the bulk of the car's depreciation will be done now. Keep a look out for a Shed in a few years' time...
This particular Panda 100HP is recently serviced (with the cambelt and dampers) and clearly faster than all others because its red. At just over £3K it looks like the perfect PH runabout. Now hurry up with the replacement Fiat!
FIAT PANDA 100HP
Engine: 1,368cc 4-cyl
Power (hp): 100@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 97@4,250rpm
MPG: 43.5
CO2: 154g/km
Recorded miles: 44,000
Year registered: 2007
Price new: £9,995
Yours for: £3,200
See the original advert here.
A shame, because otherwise it was quite a fun little car.
IMG_0190 by Arunweb100, on Flickr
We got ours at the end of last year and are loving it so far. It was a little more than the one in the ad here, but was newer and came with the big pano roof, which really makes it feel airy and surprisingly spacious inside. Getting the belts done next week and being used to expensive belt changes on larger cars, was pleasantly surprised with the quote for this.
IMG_0190 by Arunweb100, on Flickr
I test drove one when new, it was utterly crap in detail but enormously desirable as a whole.
Still kinda fancy one
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