Fiat Panda 4×4 Piccolo Lusso: a unique restomod is for sale

The Fiat Panda 4×4 defined a generation of compact adventurers at a time when SUVs had not yet entered the conversation.

As its name suggested, it featured four-wheel drive, along with greater ground clearance, all-terrain tyres and an exceptionally short first gear that acted as a low-range ratio. All of this came in a model weighing under 850 kg.

For those reasons, and many more besides, the Fiat Panda 4×4 has become a much-missed cult model, attracting collectors and enthusiasts alike. This example demonstrates why: it has undergone a restomod conversion by Kaeve Cars, a company based in the Netherlands.

Starting with a 1989 Panda 4×4 Sisley in a condition that offered little cause for celebration, Kaeve Cars partnered with Niels van Roij Design to create the “Piccolo Lusso”.

This one-off has been almost entirely rebuilt from the ground up and is described as “a tribute to elegance and functionality”. Its bodywork was first finished in “Azzurro Blue”, a shade inspired by the colours of the Mediterranean Sea.

The wheels, bumpers, mirror covers and several other details were painted in the same colour, replacing the unpainted plastic finish originally used for these components. The light clusters were also recoloured, with the amber indicator lenses becoming clear.

Finally, the man in a canoe featured in the Sisley version’s logo inspired further exclusive painted details. As on the original model, the canoe logo also appears on the side of this Fiat Panda.

A new and highly exclusive interior

The car used as the basis for the project had an interior in a state that made restoration impossible, so an entirely new cabin was created.

The door cards, dashboard, steering wheel and seats were all retrimmed in brown and white leather. The instruments are original, although their appearance has been enhanced, and the inclinometer fitted to the original model has not been overlooked.

The seat backs, steering wheel and door cards all feature the white-stitched man-in-a-canoe logo. Further back, the boot now has a wooden floor inspired by the nautical world.

Fiat Panda and the FIRE engine

A Fiat from the 1980s is almost always associated with the FIRE engine family, and this small utility car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro is naturally no exception.

Although the company has not released much information about the engine, it uses the familiar 1.0-litre FIRE unit, producing around 50 bhp. And, as this is a Panda, the spare wheel remains positioned directly beneath the bonnet.

The four-wheel-drive system is still supplied by Steyr-Puch, responsible for the ease with which the Panda once handled difficult situations, even on tracks far from the tarmac.

For sale

This genuine “rolling tribute”, once a 1989 Fiat Panda 4×4 Sisley, is now far more than that. Rather than being kept locked away in a garage somewhere, it is available to buy from Kaeve Cars in Uden, the Netherlands.

Its €30,000 price reflects the exclusivity of this creation. It is also likely to be difficult to find a Fiat Panda 4×4 in the used market in a condition comparable to this “Piccolo Lusso”.