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panda_MOT.jpg
panda_MOT.jpg

Panda (Classic) Classic Panda 100HP Sleeper

Overview Gallery Discussion

Introduction

Modified 1994 FIAT Panda with the brief of making a fast road car that looks standard and drives nice enough to use as an everyday car. Also needs to be cheap to insure and efficient with fuel.

Modification Summary
2003 FIAT Punto 1368cc 16v FIRE engine
Gearbox from the same with a Quaife ATB LSD fitted
Engine and body ECU retained and custom loom made to fit
All aspects of engine management including Fly-by-wire throttle and Punto instrument panel utilised
ECU remapped to 126BHP at Red Dot Racing
Supersprint tubular manifold allied to standard Panda Selecta twin-silencer exhaust
Lightened flywheel
Standard Selecta brakes with EBC "Greenstuff" pads
SPAX lowering springs (-35mm)
Bilstein gas dampers
Lancia Y10 anti-roll bar
Lower suspension brace
165/65r13 Yokohama A.drive tyres on Punto Mk1 SX steels (5" wide)
Uno Turbo wheels with 175/50r13 Yokohama A048s for trackdays
Lancia Y10 centre console and gear change mechanism
Lancia Y10 seats throughout
Cinquecento Sporting steering wheel

Large build thread is here

Performance (before remap and LSD)
15.8 1/4 mile
7.2 seconds 0-60

panda_MOT.jpg

engine_bay5.jpg
dash11.jpg
dash21.jpg
IMG_02381.jpg
rear_spax.JPG
rear_suspension.JPG
quaife_lsd.jpg
panda_dyno.jpg


Couple of videos (without LSD)

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Reactions: 4barth, rolari, Blobbyman2003 and 3 others
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No it isn't. The value probably has crept up with the last few mods, so might be worth considering. Is on a classic policy for around £100 FC with all the mods listed. Even the LSD is listed, which I only bought 6 months after getting the policy! I just knew I would get one! Weird how they just didn't seem to care what I had done to it, no matter how much I complained they weren't listening!
 
Perfect car to have as a sleeper. All asphetically origional including wheels and trims?- For to have sporty wheels would be giving it away in this case.

I love that video with the bloke spinning off :LOL:
I'm glad your not ragging it like a little boy! :D Although i'm sure you'd love to! :D

Out of interest, what car did you get this engine from? And, what engine is it?

**EDIT: saw your specs at top :)**
 
Blurredman said:
I love that video with the bloke spinning off :LOL:
I'm glad your not ragging it like a little boy! :D Although i'm sure you'd love to! :D
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I wasn't ragging it I suppose, but I was driving it as fast as it will go. As it is an under-steering old hector, it looks fairly civilised when driving as fast as possible! The driver of the racing Imp wasn't very good in my opinion. Bad on the brakes and very eager on the power. He took a whole session to catch me with a supercharged rear-engined sprint car and then did what you saw. :p
 
Everyone thinks your car is great, and so they should, but looking at the vids I think you should also be congratulated on your driving too, you were all over them on the twisty bits! Does the Panda grip as well as it looked?
 
Thanks very much for the kind comments. It grips well on track overall I would say. Llandow is a grippy, abrasive track and I was using Yoko A048 soft tyres, so mechanical grip was good. The anti-roll bar and stiffer springs do help a lot. The weight of the car is a huge factor in nimbleness of course. The balance of the car through the corners and on the brakes is neutral, which is a handy fluke I suppose. I would say that it is almost impossible to spin in it in the dry. It is difficult through tight corners due to understeer, then the inability to turn the wheel quick enough and then inability to power out of the corner due to the open diff. This is now fixed and will make 2 seconds or more difference at Llandow I reckon.

Overall, the car drives better than I thought it would, but could do with harder springs for track driving, but I think anyone who has done track driving will know that that is always true of a road car. At trackdays the car gets a lot of attention and loads of people come to have a laugh about not being able to keep up or to have been surprised how well it corners. I have a Westfield that accelerates more than twice as quick to 60MPH, but is no more fun to drive round a track and people won't come and have a chat. This is because invariably it will be one of the fastest things on any given day and people to a certain extent expect it to be- not so much to talk about!

Biggest problem on track is other drivers not giving you the time of day because they don't realise how fast you are and also not letting you through when you are quicker because they are embarrassed. Needless to say that if you pass these kind of people, they won't even look at you in the paddock again! Basically, not much different from the road really!
 
Such an awesome project!

You think the conversion is possible for a '88 1000s?

What vehicle is the engine from? You used the Punto clocks so I'm guessing a sporty punto of recent years.

Also on a different note - I have aqquired a lancia Y10 ARB!!!!!!! Nip to the sandblasters and it'll be on :)
 
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The engine is from a Punto Mk2b 2003 Dynamic Plus. This is the posh alternative to the sporting, so has a 5 speed box with a long final drive. Handy when you put it in a car with smaller wheels. Unfortunately, aerodynamic abuse stops the car reaching above 120MPH.

The conversion is possible for any Panda. If you did the same as me, you would have no real disadvantage using an 88. An external fuel pump/swirl pot and regulator would be required and you will have to get a little inventive with the wing transmission mount. I found a Y10 one fit without mods to a Selecta bracket which appears in a different location on the wing. You might consider a brake upgrade with a servo also if you are using it regularly on the road.
 
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What an awesome car :worship:

It is a proper sleeper in every sense of the word, cracking work mate :D

I love it when the underdog is victorious, it's a real sense of achivement.
 
Cheers for the comments guys. To me it's such an obvious conversion to do, I am surprised there aren't more out there. Lots of people say they like it and want to do it themselves and some say they are doing it, but I don't see them!
 
Jai said:
and so it came to pass............
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I'll post up info of the new motor in the Uno section when it is on my drive. Might be a few weeks yet though because of housing complications.

I'll be taking the Panda around the 'ring in a couple of months as part of a European trip I'm planning.
 
lewey said:
I'll post up info of the new motor in the Uno section when it is on my drive. Might be a few weeks yet though because of housing complications.

I'll be taking the Panda around the 'ring in a couple of months as part of a European trip I'm planning.
Click to expand...

Birmingham's lovely in the spring. :p
 
I love it too, I`m pretty sure most petrol heads adore your baby!

I wonder if anyone will build a 4x4 one.... :devil:

I recon more will be built as 1.4 engines start getting more easily available. I`m still looking for an 8v 1.4 lump for my Uno, then that 1108 can go in my 750 Panda! :D
 
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