Elle Macpherson, the Australian supermodel, became the first person to get hold of an ignition key to Fiat Auto’s new Panda 100 HP as it made its UK public debut at MPH06 in London’s Earls Court this week, on Thursday 2nd November. Elle, a Fiat fan of some standing who already drives a Panda 4x4, made a guest appearance at MPH06 this week (Friday 3 November), where she was presented with a set of Panda 100HP ignition keys by Peter Newton, Public Relations Director, Fiat Auto UK.

The Panda 100HP is an entirely new sporty addition to the Fiat Panda family, featuring a 1.4 litre 16v FIRE engine tuned to develop 100 bhp at 6000 rpm, and 97 lb.ft of torque at 4250 rpm, driving through a six speed manual gearbox. With all-round disc brakes, ventilated at the front, together with modified springs, dampers, bushes and compliance, allied to a modest kerb weight, Panda 100HP possesses lively performance, with 0-62 mph acceleration in 9.5 s, and a maximum speed of 115 mph, while still offering economical fuel consumption (43.4 mpg in the combined cycle), and modest (154 g/km CO2) emissions.
 

At £9,995 OTR in the UK, the new Panda 100 HP, ‘flagship’ of a revised 2007 Panda range, represents a highly competitive package, with rivals being generally less powerful, less well equipped, and more expensive. The Panda 100 HP is set to go on sale in the UK during December.

MPH06 is a 75 minute live motoring theatre performance presented by Jeremy Clarkson, James May and special guests. Fiat’s presence at the motor show has been designed to emphasise the sporty nature of Panda 100 HP, and it is being featured next to one of the Factory’s Panda Cup rally cars brought over from Italy especially for the occasion. The two cars also appeared at the Birmingham event last week.