Panda PROTOTYPES
 

The model’s incredible flexibility has stimulated the creative imagination of designers and stylists who have produced a host of prototypes and show cars on a Panda base, including the fun Jolly version, the extraordinary Terramare, the top-quality Luxury and the sophisticated Hydrogen. These are the best demonstration of the great personality of a car that lends itself to conversion, always with the greatest respect for the Panda spirit.

The Panda Jolly took to the roads of Capri this summer

A very special Fiat could be seen on the narrow streets of the enchanting Island of Capri this summer. It was the Panda Jolly, a unique car designed by the Fiat Style Centre and produced by Stola, part of the RGZ group, a leading manufacturer of show cars and style prototypes. The Panda Jolly was used for an exclusive courtesy service: VIP tourists arriving on Capri were whisked off to their destinations in the original car. The island of Capri, nestling between sea and sky in the Gulf of Naples has been renowned for centuries as a top-class tourist destination and for the Italian sunshine that makes it the ideal setting for the new Fiat car.

Fresh, light, chic and very Mediterranean in its colours and materials, the Panda Jolly takes its inspiration from the world of sailing and interior design, with deliberate references to the shapes and spirit of the 1960s. It borrows traits from the 600 Multipla Jolly vehicles that were converted by Carrozzeria Ghia in 1956 – and drove along the roads of Capri half a century ago, maintaining the winning features of the standard production model with a few changes to the wings and a false radiator grille. The Panda Jolly has a blue body and gleams in the sunlight due to a shape-emphasising metallic finish. Its clean, spare lines are combined with opulent, top-quality materials that lend character to the interior design. The Panda Jolly conversion was created and produced exclusively for Fiat by Paola Lenti, a leading Italian interior design company that has led the field in the development and design of new fabrics for more than a decade.

The seats and dashboard are a development of the Frame design - modular seats in satinised steel slats – trimmed with Rope, a material inspired by the masts of sailing boats. The combination of these two innovative products offers unique performance: the Rope cloth applied to the seats of the Panda Jolly is sophisticated and pleasing to the touch. Rope is also the outcome of a blend of technological and aesthetic research, making it non-allergic, non-toxic, antibacterial, immune to attack by external agents and highly resistant to UV light. The seat cushions, trimmed with pure cotton sponge, are designed to match the colour of the Rope fabric. The floor, floorpan, side mouldings, parcel rack and all the interior trim finish are in natural ash stained a sand colour with white ash inlay. These details are finely crafted as you would expect from the most exclusive Italian nautical products. The Panda Jolly is enhanced by satinised steel trim and extreme attention to every detail.

The Panda Terramare crossed the Channel

The Panda Terramare is an experimental amphibious vehicle prototype designed and produced by Maurizio Zanisi, a Milanese engineer who bought and converted a Fiat Panda 4x4 independently. On 21 July this year, Zanisi and his Terramare marked the London Motor Show by crossing the Channel, starting from Folkestone in Kent and reaching the opposite shore at Cap Gris Nez in northern France after a trip lasting 6 hours and 15 minutes.

At an initial superficial glance, the Panda Terramare is not dissimilar to its conventional counterpart. But Zanisi has made many changes: the doors are welded, the roof is open and the interior has been pared to the essential. An inflatable belt – that may be blown up in a few minutes with a compressor – girdles the car and a large support at the rear of the car holds up the hydro jet power unit. This is not the first time that Zanisi and his Panda Terramare have taken to the water. Previous outings include Lakes Como and Maggiore, the River Po, the Sardinian sea and the route from Naples to Capri. The 25 mile Channel crossing is the vehicle’s most ambitious enterprise to date.

The opulent Panda Luxury starred in the Luxury Show

The ‘Luxury&Yachts’ show held from 25 February to 4 March this year is an international event devoted to the world of luxury, geared towards the worlds of fashion, jewellery, art, furniture, timepieces and motor cars. The fourth edition of the Veronese show featured a succession of exhibition cases that set the most exclusive products produced by the best Italian and foreign companies off to perfection. Fiat chose to mark the occasion with a Panda Luxury, a one-off car based on the 4x4 version. Outside, the gorgeous show car features dipped silver paintwork, precious metal trim and gleaming jewel-like mouldings with back-lit inset crystals.
 

If possible, the interior is even more exclusive with dipped silver appointments, precious metal details, Jewel Alcantara upholstery and leather with mother of pearl finish. The Fiat logo is also worked on the seats with stylish studs and crystals. The Panda Luxury is a unique example of the finest Italian design from the Fiat Style Centre. It was produced in conjunction with three companies that specialise in the development and production of special conversions. In detail, Salt & Turinmodel customised some interior details, the upholstery with special leathers and Alcantara; Adm Painting created the special paints; Proint made available a wide range of special paints and special effects.

Panda Hydrogen: the future of hydrogen vehicles

The Panda Hydrogen, a car prototype driven by a hydrogen Fuel Cell, was designed with the aim of safeguarding the environment, one of Fiat’s basic priorities during the development of new models. The Panda Hydrogen, introduced last February, is a true prototype hydrogen car with a sturdy, reliable drive system. Most importantly, its vehicle performance and roominess are on a par with those offered by its conventional counterpart. It is the result of a joint venture between Fiat Auto, the Fiat Research Centre and Fiat Powertrain Research & Technology with the support of the Research and Environment Ministries. It was also developed in co-operation with top-quality component suppliers, almost all of them Italian.

Unlike other Fuel Cell prototype cars introduced in the past, the Panda Hydrogen incorporates a full power system, i.e. it lacks a drive battery for the accumulation of electrical energy. The new Fuel Cell System (electrical power generator) is able to deliver all the power required by the electric engine to ensure great vehicle handling. This new generation Fuel Cell System offers very high generating efficiencies. The system consists mainly of three fuel cells manufactured by Nuvera (an Italo-American company and a leader in the fuel cell field), an innovative turbo-blower to supply the cells with air, a humidification and cooling system for correct management of reagent gases and a set of auxiliary components, all developed within the Fiat Group.

On the Panda Hydrogen, the Fuel Cell System is housed beneath the floorpan. The fuel cells are made up of several cells connected in series. Inside, the hydrogen and oxygen molecules are forced to react with the aid of a catalyst to produce water and heat. Electrical energy is generated with very high efficiency and zero emissions from the vehicle itself. The electrical power generation system is supplied with hydrogen at a pressure of 1.5 bars and oxygen contained in the air. It produces electrical energy so efficiently that 60% is available at just 20% of maximum power. The Fuel Cell System installed on the Panda Hydrogen also features excellent performance at low temperatures and a relatively simple construction that makes it particularly suitable for the production of light, sturdy and reliable generators for use on vehicles.

The alternating current three-phase asynchronous electric engine and the transmission are located in the engine compartment together with the various accessories required to operate the system as a whole. The hydrogen that feeds the Fuel Cell is contained at a pressure of 350 bars in a tank made out of composite material installed beneath the car’s rear floorpan. All the distinguishing features of the New Panda passenger compartment are therefore maintained, including outstanding roominess for four people. At full power, the Fuel Cell engine on the Fiat Panda Hydrogen delivers 60 kW that allows the car to reach a top speed of more than 130 km/h, with an acceleration time from 0 to 50 km/h of 5 seconds. The car can also easily climb a gradient of 23% at take-off. The hydrogen tank capacity guarantees the Panda Hydrogen a range of more than 200 km over an urban cycle. Refuelling time is very quick at less than 5 minutes, i.e. comparable to the time taken to refuel a methane car.

The Panda Hydrogen is the latest outcome of a technological development line that has seen Fiat Group companies playing a leading role in the field of alternative minimum environmental impact power units. Though Fuel Cell propulsion systems will not be widely available before the end of the next decade, Fiat has already been active in their development and application for a number of years – as we saw in 2001 with the debut of the Seicento ‘Elettra H2 Fuel Cell, and then the Seicento Hydrogen. The Panda Hydrogen has now taken up the baton to take research from the laboratory prototype stage to that of a field research vehicle.

2006 will see the beginning of the demonstration stage of small Panda Hydrogen fleets, as a forerunner to wide-ranging demonstration programmes promoted and supported by the European Union and by the Italian Ministries and Regions. The ultimate aim is for such vehicles to be marketed within 15 – 20 years.