The lawyer Gianni Agnelli was a man with polite manners, which were part of his charm. An entrepreneur with a thousand tastes and facets, he possessed a clear weakness towards his “favourite” toy of all (along with Juventus): Fiat. Although his financial resources allowed him to secure any type of vehicle, including Ferraris (another full-blown passion), a strong bond remained between him and Lingotto. Throughout his life, he owned well eleven examples of the Fiat Panda 4×4, a small but stubborn off-road vehicle. According to the reconstruction of historians, he used it often and willingly while traveling in the mountains, in his private residence in St. Moritz.
Symbol of the working class
He did not see cars as simple means of transportation. On the contrary, he thought they were gods shining examples of practicality and discretion. Despite the fact that his personal garage housed cars of all kinds, Gianni Agnelli had a sort of affection for the car. A symbol of Italy and Italians, of the willingness to roll up one’s sleeves if circumstances required it. Thanks to all-wheel drive from the Austrian company Steyr-Punch (already a partner of Mercedes) and robust suspension, it was able to tackle any type of terrain and weather condition.
Despite easy impressions, the aggressive small car had plenty of energy to spare. In terms of value for money it was a bargain and as a businessman he also recognized this value in her. The Fiat Panda 4×4 made its debut in 1983, three years later than the basic model, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Essential in lines on a par with its younger sister, the 4×4 boasted a greater ground clearance and, consequently, he was able to absorb the roughness better.
At launch, it was available with the 965 cc four-cylinder Fire petrol engine with 48 HP. Subsequently, the range grew with more high-performance engines, including the 55 HP 1.1 MPI and the 70 HP 1.3 Multijet diesel, combined with a 5-speed manual gearbox. The withdrawal came to an end in 2003, when the time came for the second generation standard Panda.
The restoration by Garage Italia Customs
One of Gianni Agnelli’s Fiat Panda 4x4s, dated 1990, has been restored by Garage Italia Customs, the famous workshop founded and directed by John Elkann. Auctioned for 37,000 euros, it hides a 54 HP 1.1-litre Fire petrol engine under the bonnet and retains the all-wheel drive of the time. The bodywork has maintained its original appearance gray shade with blue and black stripesas well as the atelier logo, also printed on the front seats, above the folding handle.
The bulk of the work involved the cockpit, defined together with Vitale Barberis Canonico. In fact, the lawyer loved to personalize his clothes using the fine fabrics of the historic Biella wool mill. In this case, the covering is mainly blue and black, the colors favored by Agnelli, who passed on his predilection for beauty to his nephew Lapo. As regards the sound experience, the ad hoc system created, consisting of four speakers and a subwoofer in the rear compartment offer immersive sound.
