Panda 100HP - Daily and pretend race car
Discussion
After 14 years of driving I unforunately had my first proper crash last August, which resulted in my R53 Cooper S barrel rolling down a country a lane. As it was no longer Mini shaped following this, it was time to buy a replacement.
Being a bit of a fan of FWD (previously owned 172 Clio, EP3 Civic, Accord Type R, DC2 Integra..), no longer having a no claims bonus and also having a rule of never owning the same model twice, I decided it was the ideal time to try a Panda 100HP. I'd always fancied one since the early reviews in EVO magazine many years ago, but as it was a cheap, low powered Fiat it'd never got any further than that.
My budget was around £2000 as that is what I'd got back from the written off R53. I wasn't fussy about spec or colour, but wanted it to have good history, under 100,000 miles and no issues with the climate control/heater (as this is one of big issues with these).
I found one in Angelsey (only a 4 hour train ride away!) that ticked my boxes, and as the seller could actually communicate like a normal human being, this assured me enough to send a deposit based on a few photos and a video sent over Facebook.
It was obvious when I collected that although it had been well looked after, it had also been sitting for sometime during lockdown as the clutch was very stiff and jerky, the brakes sticky when pulling away and something squealed from the engine bay at high revs. Obviously I didn't bother driving it before handing over my cash so decided as it was a Fiat, an Italian tune up was the best resolution. Luckily my trip home took me across North Wales and past Snowdonia. By the time I had reached some fun B-roads the squeal had resolved itself, along with the sticky brakes. The clutch was still a little stiff but was alot better after some enthusiastic gear changes.
First impressions were that despite s
te budget tyres it handled very tidily, and that despite only 100HP it really felt alot quicker than I expected. It also sounded rather nice at high revs, thanks to standard induction noise and a subtle aftermarket exhaust. The interior was pretty underwelming, the bluetooth in the standard radio didn't work and the coolant was getting up to temperature properly but I felt like an 18 year old again in that it was cheap, simple fun.
All of this for £1800 and I got 45mpg on average on the journey home.
As it's purpose is for 2 things, to commute a 100 mile round trip to work and to also be used for Autosolos (and hopefully later this year, Targa Rallies) I soon had a list of minor repairs and upgrades to work my way through, as most of us do on a long trip back in a new car!
Being a bit of a fan of FWD (previously owned 172 Clio, EP3 Civic, Accord Type R, DC2 Integra..), no longer having a no claims bonus and also having a rule of never owning the same model twice, I decided it was the ideal time to try a Panda 100HP. I'd always fancied one since the early reviews in EVO magazine many years ago, but as it was a cheap, low powered Fiat it'd never got any further than that.
My budget was around £2000 as that is what I'd got back from the written off R53. I wasn't fussy about spec or colour, but wanted it to have good history, under 100,000 miles and no issues with the climate control/heater (as this is one of big issues with these).
I found one in Angelsey (only a 4 hour train ride away!) that ticked my boxes, and as the seller could actually communicate like a normal human being, this assured me enough to send a deposit based on a few photos and a video sent over Facebook.
It was obvious when I collected that although it had been well looked after, it had also been sitting for sometime during lockdown as the clutch was very stiff and jerky, the brakes sticky when pulling away and something squealed from the engine bay at high revs. Obviously I didn't bother driving it before handing over my cash so decided as it was a Fiat, an Italian tune up was the best resolution. Luckily my trip home took me across North Wales and past Snowdonia. By the time I had reached some fun B-roads the squeal had resolved itself, along with the sticky brakes. The clutch was still a little stiff but was alot better after some enthusiastic gear changes.
First impressions were that despite s
te budget tyres it handled very tidily, and that despite only 100HP it really felt alot quicker than I expected. It also sounded rather nice at high revs, thanks to standard induction noise and a subtle aftermarket exhaust. The interior was pretty underwelming, the bluetooth in the standard radio didn't work and the coolant was getting up to temperature properly but I felt like an 18 year old again in that it was cheap, simple fun.All of this for £1800 and I got 45mpg on average on the journey home.
As it's purpose is for 2 things, to commute a 100 mile round trip to work and to also be used for Autosolos (and hopefully later this year, Targa Rallies) I soon had a list of minor repairs and upgrades to work my way through, as most of us do on a long trip back in a new car!
I soon discovered one of the best things about owning an old Fiat, parts are so cheap!
The same evening I got home, I entered it into it's first Autosolo, ordered a new thermostat housing (less than £20) and 4 new Toyo TR1s (about £38 a corner!). There are definitely better tyres available, but the Toyo's I've found very good for the money and Autosolos tend to chew up tyres fairly quickly.
I also looked up a new clutch slave cylinder (the common source of sticky/stiff clutch pedals on these) but unforunately they were out of stock everywhere. Good news was it would only be £25 when it was available.
The thermostat was replaced inside of 30 minutes on the driveway, tyres fitted by a mate and I was off to Finmere to splash around in puddles for the day.
On slippery, broken tarmac the Panda was an absolute riot (definitely more fun than the R53 which I had been using previously) and on it's first outing got me a 2nd in class. It did unforunately blow the oxygen sensor out of the manifold, which on later inspection was found to be crossthreaded by whoever had replaced in the past. A few dabs of weld between the sensor and manifold and it's not coming again, so let's hope it doesn't fail in future!
The autosolo also showed how unsupportive the standard drivers seat is when being a bit more enthuiastic, so the next step was a proper bucket seat..
The same evening I got home, I entered it into it's first Autosolo, ordered a new thermostat housing (less than £20) and 4 new Toyo TR1s (about £38 a corner!). There are definitely better tyres available, but the Toyo's I've found very good for the money and Autosolos tend to chew up tyres fairly quickly.
I also looked up a new clutch slave cylinder (the common source of sticky/stiff clutch pedals on these) but unforunately they were out of stock everywhere. Good news was it would only be £25 when it was available.
The thermostat was replaced inside of 30 minutes on the driveway, tyres fitted by a mate and I was off to Finmere to splash around in puddles for the day.
On slippery, broken tarmac the Panda was an absolute riot (definitely more fun than the R53 which I had been using previously) and on it's first outing got me a 2nd in class. It did unforunately blow the oxygen sensor out of the manifold, which on later inspection was found to be crossthreaded by whoever had replaced in the past. A few dabs of weld between the sensor and manifold and it's not coming again, so let's hope it doesn't fail in future!
The autosolo also showed how unsupportive the standard drivers seat is when being a bit more enthuiastic, so the next step was a proper bucket seat..
After a few weeks of deliberation I spotted Demon Tweeks were having a sale on eBay for Black Friday, so I bit the bullet and bought a brand new Sparco Sprint bucket seat which is worth 10% of value of the whole car...
I chose this particular seat as it's narrow enough to fit in the Panda without any issues. It's actually the narrowest seat that Demon Tweeks sell, and only clears the B-pillar by a few mm. I'd also had an older version fitted to a previously owned MX5 and found them suprisingly comfortable even over long distances.
The next step was fitting it to the car. Now you can get specific aftermarket subframes for these but the downside is they are designed to be used with harnesses only as the seatbelt stalk attached to the standard seat runners on the Pandas. As it's a daily and I need rear seat space, harnesses were not an option.
I decided to adapt a spare set of seat runners to take the Sparco seat, which involved using a set of aftermarket side mounts. The result isn't particular eye pleasing, and the seat is no lower than the standard seat so I will look to improve this in the future. Good news is, as these cars are so simple there is no airbag wiring to the seat or seatbelt stalk, so once I'd mounted the new seat in the runners it was a case of 4 bolts out, swapping the seats and 4 bolts back in.
The extra support is a huge improvement but now the steering wheel feels far too big, so that's going to be the next interior change.
After a couple more autosolos, next on my list was a new set of wheels which slightly taller sidewalls. Over rough tarmac and under hard cornering I had already started to damage the standard wheels, and as they're not known for being very robust anyway, a spare set was the best option.
Unfortunately being a Fiat it has a obscure 4x98 bolt pattern, so wheels aren't easy to come by. I found some Team Dynamics on Facebook which were essentially brand new and only an hour away. However once fitted I decided that I didn't like the look of them on the car as it looked a little bit like a 17 year olds first modified car. They were also in far too good a condition to ruin. I've now sold them on, and ordered some 15x6 steel wheels. The plan is to fit some 195 50 profile tyres (standard is 45 profile) and paint them white for a little bit of a 106 Rallye vibe.
I've had a few trips out in amongst the lockdowns and tiers we have at the moment, and it still makes me smile.
I have already got a wishlist of wants that is growing though - an ATB LSB would be awesome for autosolos, and an aftermarket rear ARB would also be benefical...
I chose this particular seat as it's narrow enough to fit in the Panda without any issues. It's actually the narrowest seat that Demon Tweeks sell, and only clears the B-pillar by a few mm. I'd also had an older version fitted to a previously owned MX5 and found them suprisingly comfortable even over long distances.
The next step was fitting it to the car. Now you can get specific aftermarket subframes for these but the downside is they are designed to be used with harnesses only as the seatbelt stalk attached to the standard seat runners on the Pandas. As it's a daily and I need rear seat space, harnesses were not an option.
I decided to adapt a spare set of seat runners to take the Sparco seat, which involved using a set of aftermarket side mounts. The result isn't particular eye pleasing, and the seat is no lower than the standard seat so I will look to improve this in the future. Good news is, as these cars are so simple there is no airbag wiring to the seat or seatbelt stalk, so once I'd mounted the new seat in the runners it was a case of 4 bolts out, swapping the seats and 4 bolts back in.
The extra support is a huge improvement but now the steering wheel feels far too big, so that's going to be the next interior change.
After a couple more autosolos, next on my list was a new set of wheels which slightly taller sidewalls. Over rough tarmac and under hard cornering I had already started to damage the standard wheels, and as they're not known for being very robust anyway, a spare set was the best option.
Unfortunately being a Fiat it has a obscure 4x98 bolt pattern, so wheels aren't easy to come by. I found some Team Dynamics on Facebook which were essentially brand new and only an hour away. However once fitted I decided that I didn't like the look of them on the car as it looked a little bit like a 17 year olds first modified car. They were also in far too good a condition to ruin. I've now sold them on, and ordered some 15x6 steel wheels. The plan is to fit some 195 50 profile tyres (standard is 45 profile) and paint them white for a little bit of a 106 Rallye vibe.
I've had a few trips out in amongst the lockdowns and tiers we have at the moment, and it still makes me smile.
I have already got a wishlist of wants that is growing though - an ATB LSB would be awesome for autosolos, and an aftermarket rear ARB would also be benefical...
Great writeup, im looking forward to reading more about it!
I had one for 4-years, and was a regular at trackdays at the Nordschleife and Oscherslebenring here in Germany. Unfortunately I had a bit of an off in October at the last Circuitdays trackday at the ring, which wrote it off.
The DNA rear ARB makes a huge difference for these when driven hard, as does a good wheel alignment to increase the front camber (rear axle is possible with shims).
I had one for 4-years, and was a regular at trackdays at the Nordschleife and Oscherslebenring here in Germany. Unfortunately I had a bit of an off in October at the last Circuitdays trackday at the ring, which wrote it off.
The DNA rear ARB makes a huge difference for these when driven hard, as does a good wheel alignment to increase the front camber (rear axle is possible with shims).
Thanks for the interest guys, i’ll keep this updated as things progress.
I’ve only carried out a bit of maintenance recently. Replaced the clutch slave cylinder so the pedal feels much nicer now. Another 30 minute driveway job (well would have been if I hadn’t struggled getting the corroded pipe out of the old cylinder)
Also carried out an oil change as well, as the car only takes a few litres of oil and a couple litres of coolant, these little jobs are nice and cheap too!
I’ve only carried out a bit of maintenance recently. Replaced the clutch slave cylinder so the pedal feels much nicer now. Another 30 minute driveway job (well would have been if I hadn’t struggled getting the corroded pipe out of the old cylinder)
Also carried out an oil change as well, as the car only takes a few litres of oil and a couple litres of coolant, these little jobs are nice and cheap too!
ali_khl said:
Great writeup, im looking forward to reading more about it!
I had one for 4-years, and was a regular at trackdays at the Nordschleife and Oscherslebenring here in Germany. Unfortunately I had a bit of an off in October at the last Circuitdays trackday at the ring, which wrote it off.
The DNA rear ARB makes a huge difference for these when driven hard, as does a good wheel alignment to increase the front camber (rear axle is possible with shims).
Good to know about the DNA ARB, that’s the one I’ve been eyeing up. Sorry to hear about the demise of yours! How was it at the ring? I imagine it to be hugely underpowered for that kind of track. I’ve only ever done one tourist lap in my old MX5 and felt very vulnerable with high powered BMWs and Porsches flying past!I had one for 4-years, and was a regular at trackdays at the Nordschleife and Oscherslebenring here in Germany. Unfortunately I had a bit of an off in October at the last Circuitdays trackday at the ring, which wrote it off.
The DNA rear ARB makes a huge difference for these when driven hard, as does a good wheel alignment to increase the front camber (rear axle is possible with shims).
Join Fiat Panda UK on FB if you haven't already, very good resource for advice and information!
Tinge of nostalgia reading your post. I had one as my first car at 18, took it road rallying and on autosolos, put team dynamic pro race 1.2's on it and decided they looked naff too!
I'd recommend getting an induction kit of some sort for some addictive intake roar (removing the little elbow from the airbox to the slam panel will give you a taste of what it'll sound like) and a ragazzon exhaust to make it sound really good!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk43p3Avtjc&ab...
Awesome fun these things, enjoy it!
Tinge of nostalgia reading your post. I had one as my first car at 18, took it road rallying and on autosolos, put team dynamic pro race 1.2's on it and decided they looked naff too!
I'd recommend getting an induction kit of some sort for some addictive intake roar (removing the little elbow from the airbox to the slam panel will give you a taste of what it'll sound like) and a ragazzon exhaust to make it sound really good!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk43p3Avtjc&ab...
Awesome fun these things, enjoy it!
Yadizzle1 said:
Join Fiat Panda UK on FB if you haven't already, very good resource for advice and information!
Tinge of nostalgia reading your post. I had one as my first car at 18, took it road rallying and on autosolos, put team dynamic pro race 1.2's on it and decided they looked naff too!
I'd recommend getting an induction kit of some sort for some addictive intake roar (removing the little elbow from the airbox to the slam panel will give you a taste of what it'll sound like) and a ragazzon exhaust to make it sound really good!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk43p3Avtjc&ab...
Awesome fun these things, enjoy it!
I actually forgot to add above, one of the first things I did was to replace the resonator in the airbox system with a silicone elbow, definitely sounds alot nicer.Tinge of nostalgia reading your post. I had one as my first car at 18, took it road rallying and on autosolos, put team dynamic pro race 1.2's on it and decided they looked naff too!
I'd recommend getting an induction kit of some sort for some addictive intake roar (removing the little elbow from the airbox to the slam panel will give you a taste of what it'll sound like) and a ragazzon exhaust to make it sound really good!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk43p3Avtjc&ab...
Awesome fun these things, enjoy it!
Yeah the FB groups are very good actually. I think because they're quite a rare car, and not bought for scene points, the average owner seems to be pretty sensible and helpful!
lb3nson said:
I actually forgot to add above, one of the first things I did was to replace the resonator in the airbox system with a silicone elbow, definitely sounds alot nicer.
Yeah the FB groups are very good actually. I think because they're quite a rare car, and not bought for scene points, the average owner seems to be pretty sensible and helpful!
I'd love to add a Panda 100HP to my little fleet. I've always like the Panda. It's a great car to drive whether it's the 100HP or the 1.1 Active. They're just damn good fun and so, so cheap.Yeah the FB groups are very good actually. I think because they're quite a rare car, and not bought for scene points, the average owner seems to be pretty sensible and helpful!
lb3nson said:
Good to know about the DNA ARB, that’s the one I’ve been eyeing up. Sorry to hear about the demise of yours! How was it at the ring? I imagine it to be hugely underpowered for that kind of track. I’ve only ever done one tourist lap in my old MX5 and felt very vulnerable with high powered BMWs and Porsches flying past!
Yeah at times I felt like a rolling chicane, but after a decat-manifold from the Punto 1.2 and a ECU remap from Reprog in Italy it helped a bit. I was using NS2R tires with a pretty aggressive alignment setup fromManthey racing, so it was quite brisk on braking and corner entry at least
ali_khl said:
Yeah at times I felt like a rolling chicane, but after a decat-manifold from the Punto 1.2 and a ECU remap from Reprog in Italy it helped a bit. I was using NS2R tires with a pretty aggressive alignment setup from
Manthey racing, so it was quite brisk on braking and corner entry at least
Was the remap worth it? I've seen a few people mention Reprog and they seem to claim a 10-15bhp power increase which seems a little OTT for a remap on a 1.4 N/A engine. Also, did you need to remove your ECU and send it off to them to be mapped?Manthey racing, so it was quite brisk on braking and corner entry at least
Not much in the way of exciting updates recently, still awiaiting my steel wheels to turn up from Germany.
I did however spend a couple of hours tinkering with the drivers seat which resulted in it sitting at least an inch lower (so around 2 inchs lower than the standard seat), and allowing more forward and backward adjustment on the sliders. I'd say the seating position is about perfect now, it's much more comfortable and feels more natural being a little a lower in the car.
Lockdown is boring, so I bought another Fiat (I don't even like Fiats, so now i'll own the only 2 Fiats I'd ever want). I thought I'd add it here rather create it's own topic.
I've wanted a Coupe 20VT for a while, and as one of the few cars on my want list that's still affordable I decided this year would be a good time to get one.
After doing quite a bit of research and speaking to a few people, the general message I got was 'buy the best you can buy'. With that in mind I aimed to have a decent chunk of money saved up by summer to get a really, nice example. However, because i'm impatient and buying cars is too much fun, I've bought myself a complete project instead.
I saw it for sale on Instagram of all places, and within 48hrs of seeing it had sent a deposit.
Positives:
Only 66,000 miles
2 owners
One of my ideal colours
It runs (apparently very well)
It has no major rust (apparently)
It was cheap if all the above proves to be correct
Negatives:
It hasn't been on the road for a decade
It has failed 2 attempted MOTs in that time
It's pretty battered and needs a full respray due to horrendous laquer peel
I've only seen in a few photos and a 3 minute walkaround video
Either way, it's being picked up by a random internet transporation service and arriving on my driveway in just over a weeks time.
I've had a good chat with the current owner, and he's given me a list of work that it needs. All of which seems manageable, maybe, hopefully...
Further updates will follow once I see it in person for the first time!
I've wanted a Coupe 20VT for a while, and as one of the few cars on my want list that's still affordable I decided this year would be a good time to get one.
After doing quite a bit of research and speaking to a few people, the general message I got was 'buy the best you can buy'. With that in mind I aimed to have a decent chunk of money saved up by summer to get a really, nice example. However, because i'm impatient and buying cars is too much fun, I've bought myself a complete project instead.
I saw it for sale on Instagram of all places, and within 48hrs of seeing it had sent a deposit.
Positives:
Only 66,000 miles
2 owners
One of my ideal colours
It runs (apparently very well)
It has no major rust (apparently)
It was cheap if all the above proves to be correct
Negatives:
It hasn't been on the road for a decade
It has failed 2 attempted MOTs in that time
It's pretty battered and needs a full respray due to horrendous laquer peel
I've only seen in a few photos and a 3 minute walkaround video
Either way, it's being picked up by a random internet transporation service and arriving on my driveway in just over a weeks time.
I've had a good chat with the current owner, and he's given me a list of work that it needs. All of which seems manageable, maybe, hopefully...
Further updates will follow once I see it in person for the first time!
lb3nson said:
Lockdown is boring, so I bought another Fiat (I don't even like Fiats, so now i'll own the only 2 Fiats I'd ever want). I thought I'd add it here rather create it's own topic.
I've wanted a Coupe 20VT for a while, and as one of the few cars on my want list that's still affordable I decided this year would be a good time to get one.
After doing quite a bit of research and speaking to a few people, the general message I got was 'buy the best you can buy'. With that in mind I aimed to have a decent chunk of money saved up by summer to get a really, nice example. However, because i'm impatient and buying cars is too much fun, I've bought myself a complete project instead.
I saw it for sale on Instagram of all places, and within 48hrs of seeing it had sent a deposit.
Positives:
Only 66,000 miles
2 owners
One of my ideal colours
It runs (apparently very well)
It has no major rust (apparently)
It was cheap if all the above proves to be correct
Negatives:
It hasn't been on the road for a decade
It has failed 2 attempted MOTs in that time
It's pretty battered and needs a full respray due to horrendous laquer peel
I've only seen in a few photos and a 3 minute walkaround video
Either way, it's being picked up by a random internet transporation service and arriving on my driveway in just over a weeks time.
I've had a good chat with the current owner, and he's given me a list of work that it needs. All of which seems manageable, maybe, hopefully...
Further updates will follow once I see it in person for the first time!
As much as I love the Fiat Coupe 2.0 VT. I hope you've got some very very seriously deep pockets because you're going to need them. I've wanted a Coupe 20VT for a while, and as one of the few cars on my want list that's still affordable I decided this year would be a good time to get one.
After doing quite a bit of research and speaking to a few people, the general message I got was 'buy the best you can buy'. With that in mind I aimed to have a decent chunk of money saved up by summer to get a really, nice example. However, because i'm impatient and buying cars is too much fun, I've bought myself a complete project instead.
I saw it for sale on Instagram of all places, and within 48hrs of seeing it had sent a deposit.
Positives:
Only 66,000 miles
2 owners
One of my ideal colours
It runs (apparently very well)
It has no major rust (apparently)
It was cheap if all the above proves to be correct
Negatives:
It hasn't been on the road for a decade
It has failed 2 attempted MOTs in that time
It's pretty battered and needs a full respray due to horrendous laquer peel
I've only seen in a few photos and a 3 minute walkaround video
Either way, it's being picked up by a random internet transporation service and arriving on my driveway in just over a weeks time.
I've had a good chat with the current owner, and he's given me a list of work that it needs. All of which seems manageable, maybe, hopefully...
Further updates will follow once I see it in person for the first time!
Good luck. If you can get it sorted you will be rewarded.
Would be interested to know why you say that?
I’ve done quite a bit of research on the things I need to do to this and none seem particularly scary in terms of parts cost - in fact parts are far cheaper than the ‘jap tax’ i’ve been used to previously.
They also don’t seem overly complicated or unreliable?
I’ve done quite a bit of research on the things I need to do to this and none seem particularly scary in terms of parts cost - in fact parts are far cheaper than the ‘jap tax’ i’ve been used to previously.
They also don’t seem overly complicated or unreliable?
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