WISE BUYER
1980-1995
Time to buy a genuine people’s car, Italian style, says James Walshe. Read on for the full lowdown…
Why you want one
There has never been anything quite like the original Panda. No other car combined such utilitarian design with practicality and ease of repair in such a compact size. Back in 1980, this budget superstar was more refined than a 2CV or Renault 4, had more brio than a Lada and yet a price on the windscreen few other car makers could match. Sure, the Panda felt basic compared to larger supermini rivals such as the Fiesta or Metro and its road manners were alarmingly bouncy at times, but few cars can claim to be a genuine design masterpiece.
Don’t let the biscuit tin looks deceive. This is one surprisingly tough little car, capable of traversing all manner of landscapes. Add four-wheel drive and it’s almost untouchable in many environments, including the Alps, where many are still in service as daily drivers. Fiat built 4,491,000 Pandas in a 23-year production run. Many have since vanished, especially in the UK, so how do you get your hands on one in 2023? And when you do, what’s it like to buy and maintain one?
Which one should I buy?
Most desirable version these days is the MkI – not surprising given its Ital Design roots. A Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani design masterpiece, the early Panda is a true people’s car with seats inspired by folding lounge chairs (which also folded flat to form a bed) and removable/washable cabin trim. In the words of Giugiaro himself at the time: ‘The Panda is like a pair of jeans: a simple, practical article of clothing without pretense.’ It’s that kind of pedigree that pushes values up, so expect to pay a healthy sum for a good early example.
The MkI got a transversely mounted 45bhp, 903cc lump. You didn’t get much as standard, but that was the point. Options included a sunroof, Dunlop Denovo wheels and tyres, an aerial and ‘special’ Panda stripes. Lucky Italians got a longitudinally mounted air-cooled engine – featuring a development of the 126’s 30bhp, 652cc unit.
With the base model continuing in ‘Comfort’ trim, the Panda Super was launched at Paris in 1982 and offered buyers a five-speed gearbox, cigar lighter, internally adjustable door mirrors and tinted windows. The now very sought-after 4x4 – courtesy of Austrian firm Steyr-Puch – came a year later with a slightly more powerful 965cc engine.
