The Fiat Panda trio: enthusiasm first!

“With a Fiat Panda, you laugh at everyone.” Who doesn’t know that slogan? And the question of who had Fiat Pandas in the family in a very special way is answered by Jesse in this story.

The Como Adventure

The Kramer family – father, mother, and two sons – has a strong bond with Italy and has been traveling to Lake Como as a holiday destination for many years. There, Jesse got the impression that literally everyone was driving a Panda. You saw them everywhere on the back roads, and it seemed as if the owners were enjoying them to the fullest. And so the plan was born to turn the cult classic into a holiday vehicle for the next trip to Italy, with three colorful and cheerful Fiat Pandas.

The quest

Jesse: “In the Netherlands, we made a plan to buy a Fiat Panda for each of us: my father, my brother, and me. The requirements were simple: a technically sound Panda, without any welding, because it was known that the little Italian rascal sometimes suffered from rust. Once the purchases were successful, the second phase of the Como plan followed. The new colors had to convey the summery character of the car and adorn the flag of our home country.”

Stylish and full of character

Thanks to the creativity of a body shop in Hengelo, unique solutions came into view. The choice was: painting in the three national colors – with a hefty price tag – or wrapping the cars, which wasn't cheap either. No, a third option presented itself: plastidipping the cars, a kind of liquid wrap, essentially a thin layer of rubber that can be removed later if necessary. Reactions came immediately. The proof had been delivered: with a Panda, you don't just drive, you show off.

The trip to Italy

Jesse: “It was a journey full of adventure, new discoveries, and lots of fun along the way. Unfortunately, my father had to miss out on that rich feeling, because a minor operation threw a spanner in the works. The third Panda was therefore manned by one of our friends.”

Get in the Fiat and laugh at everyone even harder.

As a tribute to this charming car, we would like to quote Fiat itself at the introduction of this successful, small, and well-thought-out car. Fiat wrote: “The Panda offers you the result of energetic and intelligent thinking. With the Panda, you have an astonishingly compact marvel of space that, thanks to advanced technology, guarantees pure driving pleasure.”

Jesse: “In the Netherlands – especially as a trio on the road – we were already quite an eye-catcher, with smiles along the way and regular thumbs up. In Italy? Sometimes complete madness. There weren't enough thumbs to convey the approval and enthusiasm. Fiat is intertwined with Italian society. The Italians are known for their passionate and spirited lifestyle and, moreover, they are true car enthusiasts; that passion is deeply rooted in Italian culture.”

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(More photos below.)