Mk1 Panda: Can you identify this endangered species?

[J-T]

I went round my Mum’s on Christmas Day and she got a load of old photos out. I was made up to unearth the only photograph I’ve ever found of a big part of my childhood…

My mum and dad split up when I was about 5. As you’d probably expect, I stayed with my mum and for a couple of years we didn’t have a car. My Nan took pity on this situation and decided to get a little car for my mum. Safety and reliability were paramount for ferrying around her beloved grandson, but despite this she bought her a Fiat Panda:

I was so pleased to see that the car looked just as *well kept as I remembered. That pic would be about 1993, on my nan’s drive - that’s my mum showing off her new car.

 I’ve got so many happy memories attached to that car and also remember it being the most unreliable pile of shit I have ever encountered. The slightest bit of damp weather and it was an absolute bastard to start, requiring a full minute long procedure of choke bothering and ever more hopeful cranking. There was the occasion where it totally failed to make it up a steep hill in monsoon rain and had to be abandoned and retrieved later when it had dried out. Or the time when, after pulling into a space at Asda, a guy came walking after us, carrying something which turned out to be the headlight lens which had fallen off. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t last too long, maybe 18 months before an impending weld fest come MOT time finished it off. (We then *upgraded to an equally shonky 1979 Fiesta)

Anyway, the reason for this thread is, after studying the above image, I’ve gleaned that it was, in fact, a special edition. Yes, we appear to be looking at a Panda ‘Masquerade’ - at least that’s what I think it says on the door if you zoom right in and the image near the word looks like a masquerade mask. A Google around this fine limited edition has turned up absolutely no information. Literally nothing. So I thought I would ask the Autoshite hive mind to investigate. Has anyone ever heard of it? Was it a random dealer special with its funky coach line below the window or was this a Fiat endorsed, highly sought after collectors edition?

Here’s what I do know about the car which may narrow things down:

It was an ‘82/83 on a Y (so only about 10 years old in that photo!)

I think it was based on a Panda 45S (for super) which was the slightly posher version. It definitely had the uno style grille, rather than the pressed metal one.

It had the hammock style seat in the back, no rear seatbelts, but did have a radio cassette on the front ‘shelf’

As hopeless as it was, I’d absolutely love one now, complete with comedy ‘Garfield’ cuddly toy stuck to the rear window, which looks yet to make its appearance in that photo! I’ve often wondered why I’m drawn to shite old cars, but I think I’ve found the answer.

[wesacosa]

I love those early Pandas but now sadly almost all extinct due to rust. I can resonate with the stories of failing to make progress when it was damp. My dad had a Fiat 128 in 1987 and so many times we had to.troop back into the house on a damp day when it wouldn't start. In the end we stopped going out and sent dad out to see if it would start first

I have to say I don't recognise the special edition, but in those days dealer's used to do their own special editions, sticking questionable stickers on cars to shift them before the new reg plate came in.. perhaps if there's no mention of it on Google it cloud be one of those

[warren t claim]

I think the 750 version kept the rear hammock until the end of its production.

IIRC, the Seat Marbella kept the early Panda rear suspension too.

[wesacosa]

I think the Marbella was effectively the mk1 Panda with a mild facelift, so not just rear suspension but the dash, hammock seats, drivetrains etc.  

[warren t claim]

20 minutes ago, wesacosa said:

I think the Marbella was effectively the mk1 Panda with a mild facelift, so not just rear suspension but the dash, hammock seats, drivetrains etc.  

What about the Terra van?

[wesacosa]

12 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

What about the Terra van?

Interestingly they also did a Seat Panda which was effectively a rebadged mk1 Panda with no styling changes.  According to Wikipedia when Fiat and Seat split they facelifted the mk1 Panda and it became the Marbella. I had only seen a Terra with the Marbella front end but seems there was one with the mk1 Panda front end too

[wesacosa]

"Super

Fiat launched the Panda 45 Super at the Paris Motor Show later in 1982, with previous specification models continuing as the "Comfort" trim. The Super offered an optional five-speed gearbox. Minor styling changes to the Super included Fiat's revised corporate grille with five diagonal silver bars. The earlier grille design (metal with slots on the left for ventilation) continued on the Comfort models until the next major revision of the line-up. A 30 Super was added in February 1983, offering the Super trim combined with the smaller engine"

I never knew the mk1 Panda came with the horizontal slatted plastic grille, according to Wikipedia that would definitely mark it out as a Super.   

[artdjones]

A friend of mine had a black 45S new(A639XBO). He was a terrible driver and managed to write it off after two or three years. I don't remember it breaking down at all. In about 1990 my brother had a black 45 Comfort (TTG727Y) , which was the base model. Not terribly reliable, but it did get driven to Berlin and Prague in 1991 and Budapest in 1992. The engine expired four  days before the 1991 trip, but we changed it for a 903cc 127 engine in the street without an engine crane. We just tied a ladder to the top of it , rounded up a couple of extra bodies and lifted it out. When reassembling we found out that the 127 engine has an extra pipe stub sticking out of the head. We tried to screw it out so that we could block the hole with a bolt, but it snapped off flush. No problem! I cut the end of a paint brush handle off, banged it into the hole, cut the protruding bit off and slapped a layer of leak putty over the top. It wept slightly, but went around Europe with no problems.

[J-T]

9 minutes ago, wesacosa said:

"Super

Fiat launched the Panda 45 Super at the Paris Motor Show later in 1982, with previous specification models continuing as the "Comfort" trim. The Super offered an optional five-speed gearbox. Minor styling changes to the Super included Fiat's revised corporate grille with five diagonal silver bars. The earlier grille design (metal with slots on the left for ventilation) continued on the Comfort models until the next major revision of the line-up. A 30 Super was added in February 1983, offering the Super trim combined with the smaller engine"

I never knew the mk1 Panda came with the horizontal slatted plastic grille, according to Wikipedia that would definitely mark it out as a Super.   

Peasant (what a hero!!)

Posh (like me mother’s)

[grogee]

I am drawn to 'minimum viable' cars like the Panda, 2cv, Mini, Ka etc. Would love a Panda but they are getting scarce/valuable. I do think the later ones with the Fiat family 'look' and proper seats are GR9 but equally MK1 peasant spec (esp air cooled twin) also achingly cool. 

Love the canvas roof too.

[wesacosa]

I remember my friends mum having one with the hammock seats,  not the most comfortable of journeys

[wesacosa]

3 minutes ago, grogee said:

I am drawn to 'minimum viable' cars like the Panda, 2cv, Mini, Ka etc. Would love a Panda but they are getting scarce/valuable. I do think the later ones with the Fiat family 'look' and proper seats are GR9 but equally MK1 peasant spec (esp air cooled twin) also achingly cool. 

Love the canvas roof too.

I have a mk2 1000 Super with the FIRE engine and proper seats.  Actually quite comfortable even on a long journey, apart from the steering wheel being made of the hardest plastic I have ever seen

[Asimo]

Q

[J-T]

3 minutes ago, Asimo said:

Q

After becoming accustomed to the decadence of the 45, I’m not sure I could stomach such a regression. 
 

I have actually looked longingly at @Kiltox’s advert many many times, but given how the one above reacted to damp conditions at 10 years old, I don’t think taking that on with no inside storage would do it or me any good.

[Zelandeth]

3 hours ago, wesacosa said:

I have a mk2 1000 Super with the FIRE engine and proper seats.  Actually quite comfortable even on a long journey, apart from the steering wheel being made of the hardest plastic I have ever seen

Cracking little cars.  My folks had one of the last ones with the 999cc FIRE engine and the monopoint injection.  Was an absolute hoot to drive, utterly reliable and did everything we ever asked of it.  Was fantastic in the snow too.

I'd absolutely love to have one again.

It was very green!

I reckon this was probably the best incarnation in terms of being a car you could live with day to day.  I believe the bodywork was at least partially galvanized by this point, we certainly had zero issues with rust in spite of being an Aberdeenshire car.  The injection system meant you just turned the key and went, no choke position bingo or issues on damp days, she never missed a beat.

She also revved like an absolute lunatic, and would definitely do the maximum speed shown on the speedometer.

I think we used to average north of 50mpg as well day to day.

[stuboy]

8 hours ago, J-T said:

ur mum dressed just right for the times

[bunglebus]

Nothing to add other that my girlfriend at school's older sister had a beige MK1 Panda with the hammock seats (and underdash area IIRC) and she got it up to the dizzy heights of 60MPH one day with the three of us in it, afterwards being sworn to secrecy that she had driven so irresponsibly.

[crapcarcollector]

Sounds like a Swithland Motors special edition. They had a new Fiat special edition every other week.
Nice rot in the sill forming.

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[Asimo]

Special edition, but £2000?

https://en-gb.facebook.com/marketplace/item/397222651815764

[Missy Charm]

A neighbour of ours used to have a Fiat Panda; I hated sitting in the back because of the hammock style seat.  Owing to that it's never a car I've felt any affection for, which is probably a shame.  

[iainrcz]

I had an F plate Panda 1000 Super. In white and rust. It loved snapping clutch cables for some reason.

After about a year I was rather hoping I'd get a share dividend from Quinton Hazell.

[artdjones]

They kept making these original Pandas until the 169 came out in 2003. The new price for a base model was the equivalent of £4000, but you hadn't been able to buy them in the UK for quite a while. I remember that the 4x4 versions were very common around the northern, steeper part of Lake Garda in 2007, but the newer model 4x4s were starting to become common too.

[Barry Cade]

32 minutes ago, artdjones said:

They kept making these original Pandas until the 169 came out in 2003. The new price for a base model was the equivalent of £4000, but you hadn't been able to buy them in the UK for quite a while. I remember that the 4x4 versions were very common around the northern, steeper part of Lake Garda in 2007, but the newer model 4x4s were starting to become common too.

They still were a couple of years ago. Every farmhouse seemed to have  one usually pretty well used but still handy. The Mrs and I count original Pandas as soon as we cross the border on the way to Lake Iseo.. last time it was over 200... she loves proper Pandas too as I got her a G reg 1000s when she passed her test, blue with the double sunroof.. the kids still talk about it 20 odd years later and how it was so much fun.. I've had a few too, but my 750 just seemed perfect.. what a Panda was meant to be I suppose. Never owned a 4x4 yet..