Fiat Pandas

Just found Novitec, as a source of parts for tuning and modifying your Fiat Panda - and they've got some great photos of their modified Pandas on the site. I'm not entirely convinced by the chrome bull bar on the front, but the other mods look pretty good - as does their work on the Fiat 100HP Panda.
If you're looking for the parts they have available, the English listing of Novitec modifying parts for the Fiat Panda is here. I'm rather taken by the wheels, and definitely tempted by the adjustable suspension, although at 859EUR, I might have to settle for the 109EUR lowering kit for the moment!

Just seen that Car Magazine in the UK is running a vote for 'The Greatest Car in Film History', with all the usual suspects - Bonda's DB5, the Back to the Future DeLorean etc.

Sadly no cinematic exploits starring the Panda have made it. But having had a look at the Internet Move Car Database, I've seen some interesting info.

For a start, Pandas make 103 appearances on film and TV as a standard new or old model, with a handful extra for the 4X4 and 100HP. You can see Pandas in Film and TV here. It turns out they quite often pop-up as the automotive equivalent of a TV extra - even being used as cover in Ronin, but not making it into the chase scene.

I guess they're just not as comical as a Citroen 2CV! And yet, looking at the statistics page, The Panda gets outshone by the Punto, the 1100, and the Uno.

I mean, the Uno? More of a film star? Really? I hoped the 100HP might redress the balance, but then the new 500 came along.

With a base model like the Panda, there are some really interesting and cool special editions in existance.

One that I can't find on the official site, and that launched before this blog began, was the Fiat Mamy limited-edition which went on sale in the UK earlier this year, based on the 1.2-litre Dynamic.

It's £8200, and has some female and family focused tweaks to the colours and features, with front seat covers, orange air vent surrounds, aubergine or orange paint, and Mamy logos. It's also got special carpet mats with a high grip mat in the back, and the great idea of a second internal rear-view mirror for keeping tabs on the back seats.

But it also comes with £1000+ of valuable freebies. Air-con, Bluetooth hands-free, a 50/50 split and sliding rear seat with Isofix (for baby seats) attachments, a height adjustable driver seat, a radio/CD/MP3 player, ABS anti-lock brakes, two front airbags and remote central locking as standard.

As a Panda-owning father, I'd say the split and sliding rear seat, the Isofix attachments, and the second internal rear-view mirrors are great ideas and additions.

Not so sure about the purple paintjob, though...

Unlike most green vehicles, the Fiat Panda Eco features a petrol engine, yet still gets official CO2 emissions of under 120g/km. That means it drops down a tax band in the UK, from Band C to Band B, saving £85 in annual car tax.

You can pick from the 54bhp 1.1 litre engine in the Active Eco and a 60bhp 1.2 litre engine in the Dynamic Eco. The higher spec model also has remote central locking, colour-coded bumpers (which do improve the looks of any Panda) and a CD/MP3 player.

Both engine versions claim fuel economy and CO2 figures of 56.5mpg and 119g/km, obtained by using low-viscosity engine oil and fitting low-resistance tyres - so theoretically then, something that could be achieved by any Panda owner at oil change and tyre replacement times?

The good news is that you'd soon be in profit, as the modifications are only £100 over the standard prices for Pandas - the Fiat Panda Active Eco is £7105, and the Fiat Panda Dynamic Eco is £7705.

Every so often I consider making some changes to the Panda - despite being a cheap first car to buy and insure, it seems even the 100hp has failed to inspire much in the way of tuning and modifying.

Perhaps it's the image of it as an old person's car, and the launch of the Fiat 500 and especially the Abarth model?

But the 100hp has shown that it's possible to make a much cooler Panda - and with the right modifications, I reckon it could be improved upon. Particularly by lowering it for starters, and some better wheels.

So have you modified your Panda? What have you done? And was it for speed and performance, handling, or looks?