Fiat Panda 4x4 Mk 1 Fire. A Classic Car
Discussion
Fiat Panda 4x4 Mk 1 Fire a Classic Car
Seems to be overlooked in the mainstream classic car magazines. For instance in September Classic & Sportscar auction page they list results for two Rover Metros , a Volvo 480 and an Escort XR3, three of the most uninspiring cars I can think of.
The little Panda fights well above its weight and my faithful car has hauled two Land Rovers out of trouble. Both were on wet grass over clay where the little Panda at 14cwt skitted over the surface and the two and a half ton Landies cut though to the clay where they carved a rut which they could not steer out of. There was a plug of clay at either end of the rut allowing about a yard of movement and the Panda hitched to the front was just heavy enough to snap pull the Landies over the plug. Two very embarrassed Landie owners.
The light weight also means better climbing ability. A friend again with a new Range Rover with all the bells and whistles came to a halt on a not very steep hill, again on wet grass. He turned the switch round to every position from snow, mud to whatever else there was to no avail. He left two black lines across the grass and was shocked when I drove the Panda right past him with hardly a mark on the grass.
Countless times I have pulled people out of difficulties in the snow
I have used the Panda for rolling the local sportsfield with a heavy roll, towing a 2 ton combine bed on the farm road, towing a sprayer, moving the auger, moving the axial fan, but best of all was when it took over lawn mowing duties from the Little Grey Fergie over two acres of grass.
It was quite cold and uncomfortable sometimes on the tractor but bliss in the Panda with the heater, comfortable seats, headlights for night mowing, radio ,passenger seat for company and a can of beer since it is off road.
People now ask me if they can mow the lawns when they come to stay as it is so enjoyable.
They certainly have high status in the Alpine ski resorts where they win over heavy 4x4s by being lighter more nimble and able to fit down some of the very narrow streets in some resorts. The post office used them for deliveries there.
Very nimble through the woods and trees a on the farm again hardly leaving a mark. On the few occasion it has been stuck I use a very lightweight winch and because the car is so light it only needs a small sapling at the other end or the spare wheel buried.
Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the car with a minimalist approach, all the glass is flat, there is lots of space inside, excellent design touches such as the spare wheel being over the engine in front of the passenger which not only gives the passenger a bit of added protection in a shunt but also means that when you have a puncture the wheel is nice and warm and dry and you do not have to empty the luggage to retrieve it.
Feisty little Fire engine, simple 4x4 system but amazing where it will go in just front wheel drive.
The Sisley model is the most desirable and it is hard to find a good example for under two thousand pounds
Fantastic bargain in the 1990s when you could buy one for £50 with full tax and MOT as nobody wanted one. For the men it was not macho enough and for the women too complicated for just a shopping car.
Future Classic, mark my words!
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/0uikJXyp.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/X2JDyGCf" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/X2JDyGCf.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/yLA4vDHd" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/yLA4vDHd.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/0uikJXyp" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/0uikJXyp.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/jbGfZQUz" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/jbGfZQUz.jpg)
Seems to be overlooked in the mainstream classic car magazines. For instance in September Classic & Sportscar auction page they list results for two Rover Metros , a Volvo 480 and an Escort XR3, three of the most uninspiring cars I can think of.
The little Panda fights well above its weight and my faithful car has hauled two Land Rovers out of trouble. Both were on wet grass over clay where the little Panda at 14cwt skitted over the surface and the two and a half ton Landies cut though to the clay where they carved a rut which they could not steer out of. There was a plug of clay at either end of the rut allowing about a yard of movement and the Panda hitched to the front was just heavy enough to snap pull the Landies over the plug. Two very embarrassed Landie owners.
The light weight also means better climbing ability. A friend again with a new Range Rover with all the bells and whistles came to a halt on a not very steep hill, again on wet grass. He turned the switch round to every position from snow, mud to whatever else there was to no avail. He left two black lines across the grass and was shocked when I drove the Panda right past him with hardly a mark on the grass.
Countless times I have pulled people out of difficulties in the snow
I have used the Panda for rolling the local sportsfield with a heavy roll, towing a 2 ton combine bed on the farm road, towing a sprayer, moving the auger, moving the axial fan, but best of all was when it took over lawn mowing duties from the Little Grey Fergie over two acres of grass.
It was quite cold and uncomfortable sometimes on the tractor but bliss in the Panda with the heater, comfortable seats, headlights for night mowing, radio ,passenger seat for company and a can of beer since it is off road.
People now ask me if they can mow the lawns when they come to stay as it is so enjoyable.
They certainly have high status in the Alpine ski resorts where they win over heavy 4x4s by being lighter more nimble and able to fit down some of the very narrow streets in some resorts. The post office used them for deliveries there.
Very nimble through the woods and trees a on the farm again hardly leaving a mark. On the few occasion it has been stuck I use a very lightweight winch and because the car is so light it only needs a small sapling at the other end or the spare wheel buried.
Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the car with a minimalist approach, all the glass is flat, there is lots of space inside, excellent design touches such as the spare wheel being over the engine in front of the passenger which not only gives the passenger a bit of added protection in a shunt but also means that when you have a puncture the wheel is nice and warm and dry and you do not have to empty the luggage to retrieve it.
Feisty little Fire engine, simple 4x4 system but amazing where it will go in just front wheel drive.
The Sisley model is the most desirable and it is hard to find a good example for under two thousand pounds
Fantastic bargain in the 1990s when you could buy one for £50 with full tax and MOT as nobody wanted one. For the men it was not macho enough and for the women too complicated for just a shopping car.
Future Classic, mark my words!
velocemitch said:
That was me after I added a bit of Nitro methane to the fuel!
[quote=Pepperami]
Oh E201FBB. Where are you now?
ETA sorry for the nostalgia based thread hijack.
No need to be sorry Pepperami. Any car which stirs positive human emotions must become a classic. The Panda follows closely in the footsteps of Citroen 2CV and Renault 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkJ1_XteTtI
Do not think this ever made it onto to British TV screens!
Oh E201FBB. Where are you now?
ETA sorry for the nostalgia based thread hijack.
No need to be sorry Pepperami. Any car which stirs positive human emotions must become a classic. The Panda follows closely in the footsteps of Citroen 2CV and Renault 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkJ1_XteTtI
Do not think this ever made it onto to British TV screens!
velocemitch said:
You will probably have more fun doing that in a Panda at 20-40 mph than doing the same thing on Tarmac in some mega expensive hyper car at 120-140 mph with a far more expensive result if over cooked!I thought I was fairly Panda mad but there are others! They walk amongst us!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZcySPJqqss#t=26
Pandamian Parody
Is this the real life?
Is this just Pandasy?
Caught in a buying spree,
No escape from plurality.
Open your sunnies,
Look up to the skies and see,
I'm just a FIAT boy, I need no sympathy,
Because I’m easy buy, hard to sell,
4x4, 750L,
Anyway the rust goes doesn’t really matter to me, to me.
Mama, just bought a car,
Yet another, and it’s red,
Loaded eBay from my bed.
Mama, driving’s just for fun,
But now I know I’ll watch it rot away.
Mama, ooh,
Didn’t mean to hit on buy,
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow,
RAC, RAC, as my car will be in tatters.
Too late, the truck has come,
Sent a Sisley down my drive,
And I think that makes it five.
Goodbye, everybody, I’ve got to go,
Gotta leave you all behind and spend my dough.
Mama, ooh (anyway the rust goes),
I don’t wanna sell,
I sometimes wish I’d never have bought at all.
I see a little silhouetto of a car,
4x4, 4x4, will you do the Pandango?
Unassisted braking,
Very, very shaking me.
(Giugiaro) Giugiaro.
(Giugiaro) Giugiaro,
Giorgietto Giugiaro,
Magnifico.
I’m just a FIAT boy, everybody knows me.
He’s just a FIAT boy from a FIAT family,
Spare his gearbox from this velocity.
Easy buy, hard to sell, will you let me sell?
Bianca! No, we will not let you sell. (Let him sell!)
Bianca! We will not let you sell. (Let him sell!)
Bianca! We will not let you sell. (Let him sell!)
Will not let you sell. (Let me sell!)
Never, never let you sell
Never let me sell, oh.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Oh, Panda mia, Panda mia (Panda mia, let me sell.)
Purple Haze has a Trekking put aside for me, for me, for me.
So you think you can wash me and leave me to dry?
So you think you can drive me and rev me that high?
Oh, maybe, can’t buy just the one, baby,
Just gotta buy more, just gotta buy one with fifth gear.
(Oh, yeah, oh yeah)
Yes they’re all in tatters,
Anyone can see,
Yes they’re all in tatters,
Everything just clatters you see.
Anyway the rust goes.
stu0710, Didge3, Dragon Man thanked for this post
stu0710, Didge3, panda panda, lkc, aquamarine and 4 others liked this post
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZcySPJqqss#t=26
Pandamian Parody
Is this the real life?
Is this just Pandasy?
Caught in a buying spree,
No escape from plurality.
Open your sunnies,
Look up to the skies and see,
I'm just a FIAT boy, I need no sympathy,
Because I’m easy buy, hard to sell,
4x4, 750L,
Anyway the rust goes doesn’t really matter to me, to me.
Mama, just bought a car,
Yet another, and it’s red,
Loaded eBay from my bed.
Mama, driving’s just for fun,
But now I know I’ll watch it rot away.
Mama, ooh,
Didn’t mean to hit on buy,
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow,
RAC, RAC, as my car will be in tatters.
Too late, the truck has come,
Sent a Sisley down my drive,
And I think that makes it five.
Goodbye, everybody, I’ve got to go,
Gotta leave you all behind and spend my dough.
Mama, ooh (anyway the rust goes),
I don’t wanna sell,
I sometimes wish I’d never have bought at all.
I see a little silhouetto of a car,
4x4, 4x4, will you do the Pandango?
Unassisted braking,
Very, very shaking me.
(Giugiaro) Giugiaro.
(Giugiaro) Giugiaro,
Giorgietto Giugiaro,
Magnifico.
I’m just a FIAT boy, everybody knows me.
He’s just a FIAT boy from a FIAT family,
Spare his gearbox from this velocity.
Easy buy, hard to sell, will you let me sell?
Bianca! No, we will not let you sell. (Let him sell!)
Bianca! We will not let you sell. (Let him sell!)
Bianca! We will not let you sell. (Let him sell!)
Will not let you sell. (Let me sell!)
Never, never let you sell
Never let me sell, oh.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Oh, Panda mia, Panda mia (Panda mia, let me sell.)
Purple Haze has a Trekking put aside for me, for me, for me.
So you think you can wash me and leave me to dry?
So you think you can drive me and rev me that high?
Oh, maybe, can’t buy just the one, baby,
Just gotta buy more, just gotta buy one with fifth gear.
(Oh, yeah, oh yeah)
Yes they’re all in tatters,
Anyone can see,
Yes they’re all in tatters,
Everything just clatters you see.
Anyway the rust goes.
stu0710, Didge3, Dragon Man thanked for this post
stu0710, Didge3, panda panda, lkc, aquamarine and 4 others liked this post
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