How many of you have really pushed a car to its limits?
Be honest; I mean Real push it until you feel the vehicle move in a way that you are not inputting through the steering wheel and pedals.
It can be scary, especially if you’re out of practice or unsure about yourself or the car. I’ve had a few ‘moments’ where I was driving at 10/10, and from experience it’s much less nerve-wracking in a 200 hp car than in a 500 hp car.
Nowadays the ‘scene’ is obsessed with bragging rights and horsepower figures. Instead of building cars that they can actually handle, many owners are stuck making cars “The only ‘X’ with more than ‘Y’ horsepower in existence” or “The only Stage 75.8 ‘Z’ in the game…”
It’s annoying and honestly a bit boring to watch on social media.
As big power becomes more and more accessible, it’s alarming that drivers who don’t belong anywhere near a fast car are getting behind the wheel of short-wheelbase, 2.0-liter turbocharged point-and-shoot monsters.
With 0-62mph 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, keep going. That’s my opinion, 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 beautiful Fiat Panda – one of my favorite cars I’ve shown this year.
The Panda debuted in 1980 as a simple, boxy, no-frills car that embodied Giorgetto Giugiaro’s vision of the perfect people car. 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 crapshoot…’ You remember Joe. “I wanted to do it (these changes) until my father made me see something logical.
Considering the condition of most classic Italian cars on our rainy island (usually a lot of rust), Joe made sure he started with a solid foundation. “This one showed up at 2,500 miles from new; it was the perfect car to start with,” he says.
Gone is the original 1.0L engine, replaced by a mighty 1.2L 16-valve engine from a 2002 Fiat Punto. This swap has increased the Panda’s power from a paltry 47 hp (in 1980) to an outrageous 79 hp . And that was before Joe started messing around with it…
Forget plug-in melodies; Joe modified this engine the old fashioned way. A polished ported cylinder head improves airflow to the 0.4mm overbored cylinders fitted with Mahle pistons, while valve timing is managed by Piper camshafts.
The intake features individual throttle bodies with 3D printed, upward-firing trumpets, fed by a ram air intake on the hood. A lean head and block increase compression, while the entire setup is controlled by a standalone MicroSquirt ECU.
A Supersprint manifold and custom exhaust produce a great sound, while a 5-speed gearbox from a later Panda makes the most of the powerband. And how much power? Don’t let the badges fool you: this little beast has 115 horses in its small stable.
Outside, Joe’s Panda, even if it betrays its roots, at least looks good. 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 would be amazed at what they can achieve…
Underneath the rolled and pulled wheel arches are 14-inch Oscam split wheels, wrapped in road-going Nankang NS2-R tires, with a separate set of ATIWE Borbets for track days. Other unique touches include 3D printed parts to replace the original door mirrors, which have now been replaced by a single ‘catch-up’ mirror.
To add symmetry to the design, a left-hand drive taillight has replaced the reversing light, and in an effort to save weight, Joe has created custom polycarbonate windows, complete with a slider for the driver’s door.
Behind the wheels is a ‘large’ brake kit with later model 240mm discs, combined with Wilwood calipers and a brake preload valve. Thanks to custom LEDA coilovers with Mk1 Ford Fiesta top mounts, Joe has achieved a drop of 180mm.
Inside, despite being stripped down, the Panda is surprisingly pleasant. After all, it’s designed to be minimal, so it’s almost made to be visible.
A full FIA specification roll cage protects the occupants, custom made by ARC Autosport, who also manufactured the mountings for the Recaro Pole Position driver’s seat and the classic Cobra passenger bucket. TAKATA Racing harnesses secure both sides.
Just like the exterior, the details make the Panda’s interior stand out. A full respray in pastel gray takes the interior to the next level, courtesy of Jack Smith, aka Forged From Flake. I have no shame in shouting out Jack – his work is phenomenal.
My favorite details include the rare Abarth steering wheel, which rivals the leather bar tape on the door bars for quirkiness, and the 3D-printed meter box designed to attach to the roll bar – space is at a premium in this small car.
A converted pedal box and a towering shifter complete the interior, finished with a custom turned wooden shift knob.
But why go to so much trouble to build an Italian econobox like this? In the words of Joe: “I built it this way because I’ve owned track cars in the past and love driving as much as building them. I didn’t want to build a show car and be overly protective of it.”
“I also thought it would be funny to chase people around in a little white box at a track day. Imagine the Panda in your mirrors; you should be giggling right away!And therein lies the innocence of Joe’s Fiat, something missing from so many custom cars these days.
The Panda balances on the line between not taking itself too seriously and taking the implementation of the construction as seriously as possible.
What a fantastic car: the fastest washing machine this side of a laundromat.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
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