How many of you have truly pushed a car to its limit?
Be honest; I mean really pushing it until you feel the vehicle move in ways you’re not inputting into the steering and pedals.
It can be terrifying, especially if you’re out of practice or unsure about yourself or the car. I’ve had a few ‘moments’ driving at 10/10ths, and from experience, it’s far less nerve-wracking in a car with 200hp than one with 500.
Today, the ‘scene’ is obsessed with bragging rights and horsepower figures. Instead of building cars they can genuinely handle, many owners are hell-bent on creating “The only ‘X’ with over ‘Y’ horsepower in existence” or “The only Stage 75.8 ‘Z’ in the game…”
It’s tedious and honestly a bit boring to see on social media.
With big power becoming increasingly accessible, it’s alarming that drivers who shouldn’t be near a fast car are getting behind the wheels of short-wheelbase, 2.0L turbocharged point-and-shoot monsters.
With 0-60mph times comparable to a Group-B rally car and lightning-fast automatic transmissions, it’s too easy for an inexperienced driver to create chaos on public roads.
Anyway, rant over. That’s my take, but it brings us back to the point. Despite the takeover crowd, there are still people keeping the spirit of old school tuning alive in 2024.
People like Joe Ward and his delightful Fiat Panda – one of my favourite cars to have featured this year.
The Panda debuted in 1980 as a simple, boxy, no-frills car, embodying Giorgetto Giugiaro’s vision of the perfect people’s vehicle. It’s an unlikely choice for a performance build, but that’s part of this little car’s charm.
“I bought this Panda because I had one as my first car. It was a rot box…” Joe reminisces. “I wanted to do [these modifications] to it until my dad made me see some sense.”
Given the condition of most classic Italian cars on our rainy island (usually a pile of rust), Joe made sure to start with a solid base. “This one popped up with 2,500 miles from new; it was the perfect car to start with,” he says.
Gone is the original 1.0L engine, replaced with a mighty 1.2L, 16-valve unit from a 2002 Fiat Punto. This swap has upped the Panda’s output from a paltry 47hp (in 1980) to an outrageous 79hp. And that was before Joe started to fettle with it…
Forget plug-in tunes; Joe has tweaked this engine the old-fashioned way. A ported and polished cylinder head improves airflow to the 0.4mm over-bored cylinders fitted with Mahle pistons, while valve timing is managed by Piper performance camshafts.
The intake features individual throttle bodies with 3D-printed upswept trumpets fed by a ram-air intake on the bonnet. A skimmed head and block increase the compression while the whole setup is controlled by a standalone MicroSquirt ECU.
A Supersprint manifold and custom exhaust produce great noise, while a 5-speed gearbox from a later Panda makes the most out of the powerband. And how much power? Don’t let the badges fool you – this little beast packs 115 horses in its little stable.
Outside, as much as it betrays its roots, Joe’s Panda looks every bit the part. Up front, a functional chassis-mounted splitter and air dam designed by Joe are complemented by side skirts and a wing atop the tailgate. Don’t underestimate homemade aero parts; you’d be surprised at what they can achieve…
Beneath the rolled and pulled wheel arches are 14-inch Oscam split rims wrapped in Nankang NS2-R tyres for the road, with a separate set of ATIWE Borbets for track days. Other unique touches include 3D-printed blanks replacing the original door mirrors, now swapped for a single ‘overtaking’ mirror.
For design symmetry, a left-hand drive taillight has replaced the reverse light, and in an attempt to shed weight, Joe crafted custom polycarbonate windows, complete with a slider for the driver’s door.
Behind the wheels is a ‘big’ brake kit featuring later model 240mm discs paired with Wilwood callipers and a brake bias valve. Thanks to bespoke LEDA coilovers with Mk1 Ford Fiesta top mounts, Joe has achieved a 180mm drop.
Inside, despite being stripped out, the Panda is surprisingly pleasant. After all, it was designed to be minimal, so it was almost made to be exposed.
A full FIA-spec roll cage safeguards the occupants, custom-fabricated by ARC Autosport, who also crafted the mounts for the Recaro Pole Position driver’s seat and Cobra classic passenger bucket. TAKATA Racing harnesses secure both sides.
As with the exterior, the details make the Panda’s interior stand out. A full respray in pastel grey elevates the cabin, courtesy of Jack Smith, aka Forged From Flake. I have no shame in shouting Jack out – his work is phenomenal.
My favourite details include the rare Abarth steering wheel, which rivals the leather bar tape on the door bars for quirkiness, and the 3D-printed gauge binnacle designed to attach to the roll bar – space is at a premium in this little car.
A pedal box conversion and tower short shifter complete the interior, finished off with a custom-turned wooden shift knob.
But why go through such effort building an Italian econobox like this? In Joe’s words: “I built it the way I did because I’ve had track cars in the past and love the driving as much as the building. I didn’t want to build a show car and get overly protective over it.”
“I also thought it would be funny to chase people down in a little white box on a track day. Imagine the Panda in your mirrors; you’d have a right giggle!” And therein lies the innocence of Joe’s Fiat, something missing from so many modified cars nowadays.
The Panda straddles the line between not taking itself too seriously and taking the execution of the build as seriously as possible.
What a fantastic little car – the fastest washing machine this side of a laundromat.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
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