Eclectic mix #1 Fiat Panda 100
Quite a diverse mix of cars I drove this week. So first up is this Panda 100. Those who follow Shed of The Week on Pistonheads might recognise this one from a couple of months back as it was the featured 'shed' one Friday back in June. My car-minded work colleague spotted what was essentially an amazing bargain and immediately called the dealer to buy it (taking his fleet up to 10 in the process - good man!). A few weeks and a bit of fettling later and he offered me a drive.
And what great fun it was too! The owner's advice was to think of the gear you'd expect to be in and then lower it by two... cue lots of me going to change gear at around 5k rpm only to be blocked by the owner telling me to get it into the redine!
In fairness, peak power is at the top end of the rev range and it responded well to being driven hard. The ride was a bit bouncy and the seat height adjuster got in the way of the handbrake, but overall a very responsive and engaging car that was a lot of fun. Slower than my Cooper S, but in many respects a more raw driving experience. Not bad at all for £950. And it'll sit nicely with his original Panda 4x4 and '92 Uno...
The keen-eyed amongst you might notice the twin exhaust on this - a mod made since purchase, basically it's an Abarth 595 exhaust and is surpisingly quieter than the original system!
www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-features-sheds/shed-of-th...
Eclectic mix #1 Fiat Panda 100
Quite a diverse mix of cars I drove this week. So first up is this Panda 100. Those who follow Shed of The Week on Pistonheads might recognise this one from a couple of months back as it was the featured 'shed' one Friday back in June. My car-minded work colleague spotted what was essentially an amazing bargain and immediately called the dealer to buy it (taking his fleet up to 10 in the process - good man!). A few weeks and a bit of fettling later and he offered me a drive.
And what great fun it was too! The owner's advice was to think of the gear you'd expect to be in and then lower it by two... cue lots of me going to change gear at around 5k rpm only to be blocked by the owner telling me to get it into the redine!
In fairness, peak power is at the top end of the rev range and it responded well to being driven hard. The ride was a bit bouncy and the seat height adjuster got in the way of the handbrake, but overall a very responsive and engaging car that was a lot of fun. Slower than my Cooper S, but in many respects a more raw driving experience. Not bad at all for £950. And it'll sit nicely with his original Panda 4x4 and '92 Uno...
The keen-eyed amongst you might notice the twin exhaust on this - a mod made since purchase, basically it's an Abarth 595 exhaust and is surpisingly quieter than the original system!
www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-features-sheds/shed-of-th...