She's No Charlize, But Elle Likes Fiat Panda

LONDON - November 4, 2006: Elle Macpherson, the Australian supermodel, became the first person to get hold of an ignition key to Fiat Auto’s new Panda 100HP as it made its UK public debut at MPH ’06 in London’s Earls Court this past Thursday.

Elle, a Fiat fan of some standing who already drives a Panda 4x4, made a guest appearance at MPH on Friday where she was presented with a set of Panda 100HP ignition keys by Peter Newton, Public Relations Director, Fiat Auto UK.

PANDA 100HP

Panda 100HP is an entirely new sporty addition to the Fiat Panda family, featuring a 1.4 litre 16v FIRE engine tuned to develop 100 bhp at 6000 rpm, and 97 lb.ft of torque at 4250 rpm, driving through a six speed manual gearbox.

With all-round disc brakes, ventilated at the front, together with modified springs, dampers, bushes and compliance, allied to a modest kerb weight, Panda 100HP possesses lively performance, with 0-62 mph acceleration in 9.5 s, and a maximum speed of 115 mph, while still offering economical fuel consumption (43.4 mpg in the combined cycle), and modest (154 g/km CO2) emissions.

At £9,995 OTR ($19,000 USD equivilent), the new Panda 100HP, ‘flagship’ of a revised 2007 Panda range, represents a highly competitive package, with rivals being generally less powerful, less well equipped, and more expensive. Panda 100HP goes on sale here in December.

MPH 06

MPH 06 is a 75 minute live motoring theatre performance presented by Jeremy Clarkson, James May and special guests. Fiat’s presence at the Show has been designed to emphasise the sporty nature of Panda 100HP, and it is being featured next to one of the Factory’s Panda Cup rally cars brought over from Italy especially for the occasion.