The Fiat Panda 4×4 M-Sport was converted into the “Pandino” R5 rally car

The desire of the collector interested in racing was to transform the first generation Fiat Panda into a modern rally vehicle, developed by the British M-Sport, the inventor of the cars that exploded at the Ford WRC World Championships. The first M-Sport all-wheel drive Rally obtained from the mechanical platform of the Ford Fiesta R5 was “coated” with the angular and obscure body of the Fiat Panda “Pandino”, edited in detail to achieve the final result.

Fiat Panda 4X4 M-Sport: The Genesis

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Made from the body of the first generation Italian 4×4 made since 1983, the project, renamed “Phantomonium” to underline the boldness and content of the Fiat Panda Rally, is the epitome of curiosity, technical expertise and the body size of full-healthy nostalgia. The soul of this car is the Ford Fiesta R5 (M-Sport has created a few hundred examples for national and international competition) chassis, which has been modified and embellished with the bodywork of the “Pandino”. A complicated endeavor, but certainly not impossible for the experts of the British manufacturer.

Fiat Panda 4X4 M-Sport: Modifications

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The Fiat Panda Rally produced by M-Sport (founded by Malcolm Wilson, a former driver in 1979) shows obvious changes to the exterior of one model, with the wheel arches expanding by 36 centimeters, which is the intervention needed to modify. Chassis of the Fiesta R5 with the body of an Italian accessory compact made from the 1980s. The front bumper and rear extractor are also new (stand-alone in the center of the circular exhaust terminal), inside the passenger compartment, all superfluous components have been removed and all safety measures required for a modern rally car have been adopted. Go to Security. In addition, the Fiat Panda M-Sport features a three-stage adjustable shock absorber system suitable for use on asphalt and dirt roads.

Fiat Panda 4X4 M-Sport: The Mechanics

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Under the hood, the M-Sport’s Fiat Panda is equipped with a 1.6-liter engine that produces approximately 295 hp with a maximum torque of 450 Nm along with a five-speed sequential transmission and four-wheel drive. Shake? M-Sport talks through some videos about the first kilometers of the new Panda R5, which describes its “baptism” on the asphalt of the track: the car runs from 0 to 60 mph (96 km / h) in 2.9 seconds. Launch control mode is essential for beginners to improve traction and the digital dashboard is a touch of modernity within the dashboard, which is just like the original.