There’s no shortage of classic Fiat Panda 4x4s in Italy so there’s plenty of material for those who are looking to turn them into special projects.
Garage Italia Customs seems to have a soft spot for Panda 4×4-based projects and their latest one is the most elaborate so far. Commissioned by Car&Vintage to celebrate 500,000 followers on its Facebook page, this Panda 4×4 has been converted into a fully electric vehicle.
It’s the second Fiat to undergo Garage Italia Customs’ Icon-E treatment, following the Fiat 500 Jolly Icon-E. The result is called Fiat ‘Pandina Jones’ Car&Vintage Edition.
Related: Garage Italia Customs Breathes New Life Into Ex-Gianni Agnelli Fiat Panda 4×4
Before dismissing it as silly, you should know that it pays tribute to the Indiana Jones trilogy. The project started from a donor car that has undergone a thorough restoration and a fresh custom paint.
The khaki body color has been developed with BASF R-M, while the orange interior linings are in Alcantara. All mechanical parts have been overhauled, bar the gasoline engine which has been ditched in favor of an electric power unit developed in collaboration with Newtron Group.
Interestingly, the motor has been flanged directly to the original gearbox. The resulting performance is not electrifying at all, as the Pandina Jones is able to reach a top speed of only 115 km/h (71 mph). The 100-km (62-mile) driving range (WLTP) won’t break any records either but is enough for a fairly long daily commute.
There’s no information on the battery pack but Garage Italia Customs claims a full recharge takes between 3 and 8 hours depending on the power source (domestic socket or electric column). The charging port is conveniently installed under the fuel flap.
The tuning firm will release a total of five Icon-E Panda 4×4 models: the Pandina Jones with Car&Vintage, Panderis with Vitale Barberis Canonico, Pandoro with fashion designer Marta Ferri, Pand’Art with Arthur Kar of L’Art de L’Automobile and 00Panda for “a secret agent.”