With a limited special edition as icing on the cake
The tireless Fiat Panda 4×4 has been around for 40 years and Fiat – and we – are reflecting on that today. Where Fiat does that with a limited-edition of its current Panda 4×4, we do it with a brief look back at its predecessors.
It was 1983, three years after the primal Fiat Panda appeared, when the Italians gave substance to a bright idea: what if we equip the car that fits everywhere with a powertrain that actually allows it to go everywhere? A simple yet effective four-wheel drive system was placed under the first generation Fiat Panda and ta-da! The Panda 4×4 was born.
Since then, Fiat has sold more than 800,000 four-wheel drive Pandas over three generations, with the first – which was also the longest in production – accounting for by far the greatest commercial success. As a classic, it is now starting to gain the necessary popularity; a copy in good condition nowadays yields thousands of euros. That while they are by no means rare in their homeland. Even in 2023 there are still many Italian farmyards on which a Panda 4×4 hobbles around as nothing more than a tool.
On the other hand, there are now also parties that are involved in the restoration of the model, or turn it into an electric restomod. The effective design of the original Panda is still appreciated, and in the case of the 4×4, this is accompanied by a thick adventure trim. Such a small car with a go anywherecharacter radiates something courageous, which many people usually become very charmed by. Even owners of the almost ‘mistreated’ copies that you still find in Italy secretly love their Fiat dearly, we dare to guess.
The second Panda 4×4 came in different guises
It is therefore not surprising that Fiat came up with a 4×4 model much later, after the launch of the second Panda. The Fiat Panda that came on the market in 2003 had a softer, more urban look than its mainly utilitarian predecessor, but was actually even more convenient as a five-door. His more polished character may have begged for a little more affection from the rider, but can you see an Italian in his sixties – curly-chested, tanned, dungarees and a cigarette – mulling over that on his way to the butcher in town?
So no. The second generation also found great demand in various forms (see photos) such as 4×4, especially in the home country, after which the third tried again after a similar recipe. Intuitively, the current Fiat Panda 4×4 does not match previous models, but that could also be the result of the limited availability in the Netherlands: as a four-wheel drive, the third Panda was only available here for a short time.
Text continues below the photos.
The second generation Fiat Panda 4×4 came in many different guises.
Limited anniversary special of the Fiat Panda 4×4
That is probably also the reason why the anniversary version of the Fiat Panda 4×4 unveiled today has passed us by. The brand introduces the Fiat Panda 4×40°, a tribute to 40 years of Fiat Panda. The Italians will build 1,983 copies, a number that corresponds to the introduction year of the original Panda 4×4. You can recognize it by its unique five-spoke wheels, although you will probably only find them in Switzerland, France, Italy and Germany: only in those countries does Fiat market the tribute.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl