Cars are typically tuned with performance, utility or aesthetics in mind, but Italian enthusiast Andrea Marazzi felt what he really needed was a city hatchback with the unique aesthetic of a motorized cardboard cutout.
He procured a 1993 Fiat Panda, reasoning that the first generation of the compact was common and affordable enough to cut up. He paid utmost attention to keeping the exterior recognizable, avoiding custom fabrication and using the OEM body panels whenever possible. At the same time, he brutally butchered the chassis and the cabin, leaving little space inside except for the driver’s seat. What started as a 1,460-mm (57.5-inch) wide car ended up being only 500 mm (19.7 inches) wide – a mere third of the original width!
Needless to mention, the Panda’s original engine no longer fit the bay, so it had to vacate the it in favor of a low-end electric powertrain. Sourcing its power from dual 12V batteries, it takes the car to a top speed of 15 km/h (9 mph), which is unfortunately too low to be street-legal. Of course, there’s also the whole matter of balance: we’d expect a car as wafer-thin as this one to flip easily.
You may remember this bizarre creation from last June’s Panda a Pandino event in Italy. Marazzi has since released multiple updates on the project, so be sure to check out his socials via @tutti_pazzi_per_marazzi.