Having come from a custom car background, I have no problems with kit cars. Sadly, some kit cars chose donors that were once run of the mill everyday production cars but are now established classics. There were some that were based on Minis (Mini Marcos), Hillman Imps (forget the name), Skoda Estelle/ Rapid (Banham Spyder) and loads based on mk3/4/5 Cortinas.
As these 'run of the mill' cars are now established classics, so that doesn't help anyone rebuilding a kit car that is in need of refurbishing or being built from new. They try and find an old donor vehicle, then get bashed by the classic car brigade for destroying a classic. Difficult situation, and as I love both it's a difficult one for me to know which side of the fence to be on. As kits can normally be adapted to take another donor, I generally prefer that classics are kept as such, but many classics are so far gone that it really isn't worth restoring them. They either get crushed and disappear, broken for parts, or used for kit cars.
Yes, Panda fans revere the Panda, but outside of Pandaland the same isn't true. To many it's just an old Fiat, going rusty and long in the tooth. Also, Default_User is quite within his rights to do what he wants with his money, and sad as it may be that he is cannibalising a 4x4 Panda for the Rat, it is worth bearing in mind that the shell could well have been very rotten. It did look good in the pictures, but we've already seen many a nice example of old Fiats that turned out to be a rot box in the flesh.
I must say that the bare shell did look quite good apart from that massive hole in the windscreen surround and the rusty door. Then again, what Panda doesn't have rusty doors
(tongue in cheek, because the same applies to Unos as well!)
Perhaps all the trim bits and some of the body could be put aside for others to use to save road going Pandas? I'm sure Default_User will be happy to pass/ sell on what he doesn't need.
Going back to the start of the discussion, Hot Rodding/ Car Customising is often held in the same disdain as kit car builders. The reason being is that many build cars to a horrible standard and give the hobby a bad name. But go to any top custom car show and the quality of workmanship is often outstanding. Many of the cars look better than new!
From a different perspective, 16 years ago I bought a Mk3 Ford Cortina 2000E to customise. Back then they were seen as bangers, and the few mentions of them in the classic car mags were met with howls of disapproval. So I had no guilty conscience with taking it all apart, rebuilding it and stuffing in a 2.8 V6 Granada engine. I hasten to add that it was effectively restored as standard on the outside as I was more into the 'sleeper' hot rods than the outrageous 'look at me' type. From the outside it looked like a nicely restored, standard Ford Cortina 2000E. Only the lowered suspension, alloy wheels and throbbing exhaust note gave the game away that this was not what it seemed :devil:
Anyway, if I were to buy a mk3 Cortina and do that to it now I'd probably be shot at dawn! Then again, a good mk3 Cortina 2000E costs WAY more that the £275 I paid for mine, so I doubt if I could afford to spend the kind of prices asked today just to pull a car apart and rebuild it...
So though it's sad to see a 4x4 meet its end, at least it lives on in spirit in the Rat, which is effectively a Panda 4x4 in different clothes! Better than just being pulled apart and sold off as spares, leading to one less Panda/ Rat 4x4 on the road.
I say good luck to Default_User, and hope he will build it to a good standard to make it a good example of a kit car. I for one look forward to seeing and reading about the progress of this project. I hope as well, any of the Panda bits he doesn't need will go to good homes for those that need such bits. That will go some way to redeeming the removal of a 4x4 from existance
Oh, and don't go cannibalising any more 4x4 Pandas Default-User, else next time I reckon the Pandaland lynch mob will be after you!
Good luck!
Chas
