The Fiat Panda was introduced in 1980. Designed by Guorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign, it was conceived to be a cheap, no frills, easy to maintain workhorse, in a fashion similar to but more modern than the Citroen 2CV and Renault 4, that would sit between the established Fiat 126 and 127 models. As such, the original car borrowed heavily from the Fiat parts bin, sourcing engines and transmission from the 126 and 127, with leaf-sprung rear suspension emphasising its simple, basic nature.
The utilitarian character of the car was exemplified by the seven-position rear seat, which could be folded flat to create a bed, into a V shape to support heavy load, or swiftly removed altogether. The first cars also featured removable and washable seat covers, door trims and dashboard covers with completely flat glass area, which reduced the manufacturing cost - one window glass could fit either side!
To further enhance the already practical nature of the car, a 4x4 version was introduced in 1983, with drivetrain manufactured by Austrian firm Steyr-Puch, featuring a five speed gearbox with ultra-low first gear - under normal conditions second gear would be used to move off, with the fifth ratio matching that of the standard 4 speed gearbox.
In January 1986, the Panda received its significant first overhaul, with many mechanical parts being redesigned, resulting in general parts incompatibility with the earlier models. Previous 2 cylinder tax-busting models gave way to tiny 4 cylinder units of similar displacement from Fiat’s new FIRE range of engines. The leaf-sprung rear suspension was replaced on all but the 4x4 models (due to re-engineering costs for the Steyr drivetrain), giving way to a more sophisticated rigid rear axle and coil springs. The car was now galvanised, which addressed many of the earlier model’s issues with rusting, with body changes including newly flared rear wheel arches (replacing the previously unsculpted rear flanks), single piece door glass in favour of the earlier quarterlight design and a black plastic grille with new five bar Fiat badge.
1986 also saw the inroduction of the Panda Van - essentially a base model Panda, sans rear seat, with plastic blanking panels rather than rear windows and a small black steel extension that squared up the rear, featuring a pair of side hinged doors.
1990 saw the introduction of the Panda Elettra, an all electric two seat version of the car (the rear now full of batteries!) with uprated brakes and suspension to cope with the increased weight. Unfortunately, the car’s weight increased by over 50% whilst the electric drivetrain mustered less than 25bhp. A vastly inflated price was the final nail in the coffin for this commercial failure.
A second facelift took place in 1991, with a slimmer grille to the front and a range of new injected, catalysed engines. European production was wound down from 1996, when the car was discontinued in the UK, although the model lived on until 2003 in some countries. A total of 4,500,000 examples were sold during the life of the vehicle.
Spanish car maker SEAT also produced a version of the Panda between 1980 and 1986, based on the first Panda model. It was called SEAT Panda. SEAT also made a tiny, tall delivery version of the Panda called the SEAT Trans.
Up to 1983, SEAT made rebadged versions of Fiat cars through a licence agreement between the two firms. When Pope John Paul II visited Spain in 1982, he rode in a specially built SEAT Panda.
After Fiat sold their share in SEAT and the licence agreement ended, the whole Fiat-based line of SEAT cars were quickly given minor facelifts. The bonnet, bumpers and rear tailgate of the Spanish Panda were quickly tweaked. From 1986 (when it received a second facelift) the car was known as the SEAT Marbella until the end of production in 1998. Emelba also produced a roofless version called the Pandita, which was popular as a rental car in resort areas. The SEAT Trans also received a major facelift and was renamed SEAT Terra.
As Fiat and SEAT’s licensing agreement had expired in 1986 the Marbella never received the major mechanical upgrades of the facelifted Fiat Panda, instead continuing with the old pushrod Fiat-based engines, quarter light doors, un-galvanised frame and leaf-sprung suspension as for the original model. It was popular in Spain throughout its production life, but was less popular on export markets (where the Fiat version was firm favourite) and by 1996, exports had mostly finished.
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