Panda by M-Sport – A Fiat Panda 4×4, with a twist!
M-Sport is by no means a stranger to building high-performance machinery with a proven and successful track record, the Ford Fiesta WRC and Bentley Continental GT3 to name but a few recent examples. The Panda 4×4 project presented an altogether different challenge though; a bespoke vehicle build where the only rulebook to adhere to was the client’s brief. The brief in this case was remarkably simple: to make a Panda fit for rallying that is truly a one-of-a-kind production.
The Panda by M-Sport started life as a standard road-going Fiat Panda. Following months of pain-staking design and craftsmanship, it left Dovenby Hall as a fully-fledged, fire-breathing competition car ready to take on special stages in gravel or tarmac trim.
Using their knowledge and expertise, the engineering team that worked on the Panda took the underpinnings of a Fiesta R5 Mk1 as their starting point, the most successful customer competition car ever produced by M-Sport. Since launching in 2013, M-Sport have produced 294 R5 Mk1s which have delivered a combined total of 953 rally victories to date (and still counting…)
Watch the Panda by M-Sport reveal video here
The original shell of the Fiat Panda was carefully widened by 360mm to allow it to fit the Fiesta chassis; this provides a more stable platform for cornering performance. To not overstretch the original shape of the Panda, aggressively styled wheel arches were sculpted and fitted, with the added effect of giving the car that subtle Group B-esque look.
Powering the Panda by M-Sport is a 1.6-litre Ford EcoBoost engine, producing just under 300 bhp and 450Nm torque through a five-speed sequential Sadev transmission, mated to bespoke front and rear differential units.
The Panda by M-Sport seamlessly combines the old and the new in one purpose-built package. The interior features a dashboard inspired by the same basic one found in early Fiat Panda models, with added six-point harnesses and an FIA homologated roll-cage surrounding the driver and co-driver. Like all modern day rally cars, the rear seat bench was removed to make way for spare wheel storage, while the rear-hatch now features a carefully hand-embossed ‘PANDA 4×4’ badge, in homage to the original model. Style and safety all-in-one.
Matthew Wilson, M-Sport Director, said: “It has been very special watching the Panda by M-Sport come to life and I am blown away by what we have been able to achieve. I was very fortunate to complete the car’s shakedown and put it through its paces; not only is it amazing to look at, it drives very well too. We are very proud of the end result and it has been a very interesting project from an engineering point of view.
“The Panda by M-Sport is one of the first of a new era of bespoke, low-volume projects being carried out at Dovenby Hall. It has provided M-Sport the perfect springboard to launch M-Sport Special Vehicles, highlighting that we are geared up and ready to accept new clients with unique commissions of their own. M-Sport Special Vehicles, or ‘MS-SV’, is our new bespoke car building service which is only possible thanks to the opening and introduction of our new test track and manufacturing facility that are within the Dovenby Hall Estate.
“The testing and project design for the Panda by M-Sport was completed entirely in house using the M-Sport Evaluation Centre, which we are abbreviating to ‘MS-EC’. This entire project has opened our eyes to a new level to which we are now capable of delivering. The vision is now to show the rest of the world what M-Sport is capable of thanks to the amazing resources we have right on our doorstep.”
