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Fiat Panda 4X4s To Contest Dakar 2007
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Two factory-built Fiat Panda 4x4s have been prepared
to contest the gruelling Dakar 2007 rally, which starts in Lisbon this
Saturday (6th January). Dakar 2007, with its thrilling succession of timed
stages and special trials, finishes on 21st January in the Senegalese capital. It
covers 8,696 kilometres, 5,100 of them in the form of special stages, after
traversing Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal. It is always
an extraordinary adventure and this year Fiat will be in the thick of it. Entered in the T2 category, the class which most
closely represents production vehicles, the two Panda 4x4s, driven by Miki
Biasion and former Dakar winner, Bruno Saby, respectively, are powered by Fiat
Auto’s 1.3 litre MultiJet turbodiesel combined with a six-speed manual gearbox. Apart from their small dimensions, the two cars are particularly noteworthy
for their automatic all-wheel drive system with viscous coupling and locking
differential, a system that provides more grip and traction on rough and soft
terrain thanks to the optimal split of drive to the wheels. The two Pandas competing in Dakar 2007 have been
equipped specifically for this rally: so room has been found inside for accessories
like aluminium platforms to help extricate the vehicles from soft sand, shovels,
spare wheels, water reserves for the crew and other specialised equipment useful for
the occasion. The Fiat expedition to Dakar will include a Fiat Sedici as service
back-up and three Iveco trucks to transport spares and technicians. Winner of two World Rally Championships with Lancia in
1988 and 1989 as well as two world Truck titles with Iveco 10 years later, Miki
Biasion will be relying on the manoeuvrability and durability of the Panda 4x4.
During its development, Panda 4x4 was tested extensively in off-road situations
and climate conditions that were often at the limit: in Lapland where the
temperature drops to -40°C; in the west African desert; in the rugged Sierra
Nevada; and in the Himalayas. In all, Panda 4x4 was subjected to more than one
million kilometres of testing before going into production. The original Panda 4x4 Dakar 2007 prototype can be seen at close quarters later
this month, alongside the Panda Evoluzione rally car and the new Panda 100HP
road car, at the Autosport Show, Birmingham NEC, England, from 11th-14th January
2007. |
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