Fiat always makes an extra special effort for its 'home' show and this year's
Bologna extravaganza was no exception. Under cover until press day was the cheeky little PanDAKAR. This is not a concept car either, as Fiat will compete in the 2007 Dakar Rally Raid with the Panda Cross.
It may sound like lunacy to tackle such a gruelling event in what amounts to a modified city car, but don't bet against the team, as Fiat is serious about it. Leading the two-car team of T2 "close to production" vehicles will be none other than double world rally champion Miki Biasion.
The competition prepared Pandas will have low weight on their side for traversing the desert, so the standard 1.3-litre Multijet turbodiesel engine will be sufficient to maintain momentum, allied to a six-speed manual gearbox. Peak power is 105bhp at 4500rpm, with peak torque of 123lb.ft at just 2500rpm. It looks as if the competition cars will also retain the automatic part-time four-wheel drive system standard on the Panda 4x4 rather than adopting a full-time setup.
Supporting the two Panda Cross cars will be a Sedici 4x4 back-up vehicle and three Iveco trucks to transport spares and personnel. The race starts on January 6th in Lisbon and finishes on the 21st in Dakar.
Shane O' Donoghue - 13 Dec 2006