Garage Italia’s journey continues to rediscover the iconic cars of the past. After the Fiat 500 Icon-E, the creative hub founded by Lapo Elkann presents the Panda 4×4 Icon-E, second act to revive the spirit of another four-wheeled icon through electrical redevelopment. Designed in its first version by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Panda 4×4 is for many something more than a car, it expresses a way of being conceived to maneuver in everyday traffic and venture into the most inaccessible paths without having to stop in front of anything (or almost), it represents in all and for all the small car par excellence.
For this second edition of the Icon-e initiative we wanted to pay tribute to the multi-faceted character of this car by making 5 variants together with as many exceptional partners, creating unique cars, each in its own way”. Carlo Borromeo, Director of Garage Italia Style Center The 5 4×4 Panda Icon-e will be revealed one by one during the Fall/Winter 2020 season and will not only tell the personality of the future owners but also the ability of a simple city car to become the protagonist in every situation: Panderis with Vitale Barberis Canonico, Pandoro with fashion designer Marta Ferri, Pand’Art with Arthur Kar of L’Art de L’Automobile, Pandina Jones with Car&Vintage, the website for vintage car enthusiasts, and finally 00Panda for a secret agent.
Panderis opens the way, born from the synergy with Vitale Barberis Canonico, the Biella-based woolen mill with over 350 years of history that enriches the 4×4 with a unique sartorial touch thanks to the interiors made with its fabrics. Seats, door panels and the iconic kangaroo dashboard are lined with 4-ply twisted canvas, while the car’s imperial is covered by another best-seller by Vitale Barberis Canonico, Perennial, a fabric reminiscent of a starry sky. The entire car is painted in Barberis Brown with the beauty line in Blu Vitale. The gold used for the circles, which recalls the corporate colors of the company, is the Canonico Gold. The donor cars have been overhauled in the mechanical parts, restored and painted ex novo. The colors have been developed together with Basf R-m, while the interior linings of the remaining 4 are in Alcantara. The heat engine was replaced by an electric power unit developed in collaboration with Newtron Group, flanged directly to the original gearbox. The maximum speed that can be reached is 115 km/h for a range of 100 km.
