Author : Raymond Strachan
Travel is all about experiencing something different or discovering something significant. And so, after travelling throughout Europe, I am pleased to announce that the Panda, for the time being at least, has been taken off the endangered list and is thriving in Italy. The Panda I refer to of course is the Fiat Panda, not the black and white chinese Panda. Who cares about them.Having said that, there is a relationship between the two. The size of the Chinese Panda in comparison with other animals is inversely proportional to the size of the Fiat Panda in comparison with other cars. The Fiat Panda entered the car market in the midget category and is now climbing into the Mini sector.Not really having seen Pandas before, I was not totally aware of their status in the Italian Community. Without knowing it, I had seen some of the newer models in France at the start of our trip. Somewhat quirky, but not unusual in the French car market, surely the most quirky on Earth. Pandas are legend in Italy.Through the wonder of the internet I have done some research on the history of the Panda and although I knew little about it, I am not surpised by any of the facts apart from the first year of prouction. I guessed the mid seventies, it was actually 1980. The kindest thing that could be said for the styling is that it already looked dated when it was launched, but surprisingly it was produced, with a more or less unchanged exterior, until 2003.But don't worry, I am not going to let the facts get in the way of a good story.The mechanicals were a mish mash of Fiat parts from other cars simply put together. Although they had many faults, they had charisma and you couldn't kill them. It was a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Quite unusual in the automotive industry where makers frustratingly seem to get things wrong in all the wrong places. And that is what so unusual about the Panda. There are so many things wrong with it and yet it still has charm.As evidenced by the number of old Pandas on Italian roads, I can only come to one of two conclusions.1. The Pandas are so bad that no one can sell them, or2. The Pandas keep going because you can raid just about any other Fiat for partsA third possible explaination is that while the cars look old, they are in fact 2003 models which just look like they have been run into the ground.There are a myriad of configurations for the Panda. Back in the eighties, it would have been groundbreaking stuff to have a four wheel drive model, especially in Italy where many of the mini cars only have three wheels. I am not sure what the pricing and equipment levels of the Panda was like, but would the "Jolly" model be more expensive than the "Young"? Would the "Hobby" have less features than the"750"? I reckon it would. In fact, I reckon they sold the "Hobby" in bits and you had to put it together yourself.I reckon the the Spanish car maker, SEAT, did exactly that. They must have bought a whole heap of Hobbys, put them together, scratched off the "Hobby" logo and attached an upmarket metal badge - the "Marbella". I wonder if anyone at Fiat noticed? They certainly were not too busy making improvements to the car. Apart from 1986, where a few mechanical changes were made, the car remained virtually unchanged.But all that changed in 2004 when the "New" Panda came into production. Like the "old" Panda, the new model featured really great names like "Actual" (not a misprint), the Active, the Emotion and the Dynamic. Inspired choices I say. But that is where the similarities ended.The New Panda is actually a good car.It won a number of motoring awards after its introduction including 2004 European Car of the Year. It now has five doors and is a roomy vehicle for its size. It looks something alike a people mover which went through a shrinking ray. The old 2 cylinder motor is now only a distant memory as all moels boast engines with a capacity in excess of 1 litre. Yes in excess of 1 litre!It looks like the immediate future of the Panda is assured, but I for one cannot wait to see a new model Panda Jolly in Australia. I think a Panda Jolly 4 wheel drive would be a huge hit in Australia. This would only add to the Panda legend. Maybe Bunnings could put on a "How to Put a New Panda Hobby Together" class on Saturday mornings.Yes, the more I think about it, the Panda has a very rosy future.Raymond Strachan loves life and tries to give it 110% at least 91% of the time. A quick look at the calculator will comfirm a 100% total. He has an off centre view on just about anything as can be seen in his travel blog, http://www.booknblog.com. You can also create your own travel blog for free and give him something to read in his spare time.Check the original blog with some of his Panda pictures
Keyword : italy, fiat panda, quirky cars,
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