Featured Import: 1985 Fiat Panda 4x4 Paris-Dakar, #280
FEATURED IMPORT · PARIS-DAKAR · 1985
The factory Panda that took on the Sahara.
A Fiat Auto France works entry, restored in its 1985 Benetton colors and still running its original engine. Offered privately through our partner in Italy.
MOST PEOPLE WHO SEE A FIAT PANDA think "grocery getter." In 1983, a Fiat Auto France executive named Hervé de Labriffe looked at the brand-new Panda 4x4 and thought "Sahara."
This is the car he built, with Fiat's own engineers behind it. It is not listed publicly and is not headed to auction. It is being offered quietly to serious collectors.
01 / THE TEAM
A Factory Car, Built to Fight Goliath
The Paris-Dakar of the mid-80s was a playground for Porsche 959s, Range Rovers and factory Peugeots. Fiat answered with a factory-backed effort of its own.
Fiat Auto France handed the first Panda to the team in September 1983, and Fiat's advanced projects group in Heilbronn, Germany prepared the cars. The full squad ran two Panda 4x4s, a Fiat Campagnola and an Iveco support truck.
De Labriffe went hunting for sponsors and landed big names. Autovox came first. Then Luciano Benetton signed on, which is why this car wears that unmistakable Benetton green. The sister car ran Barilla colors.
The crews were just as colorful. In 1985, the second Panda carried Belgian endurance racer Pascal Witmeur alongside Plastic Bertrand, the punk-pop star behind "Ça plane pour moi." Car No. 280, this one, was driven by de Labriffe and Claude Devoyon.
02 / THE RACE
How It Went (Honestly)
Neither Panda made it to Dakar. In 1984, a dusty wadi crossing ended with the lead car pinched between a Mercedes and an Isuzu and a carburetor fire.
In 1985, No. 280 got as far as southern Algeria before it simply ran out of shock absorbers. Witmeur's car had cooked its engine. Rather than break the cars, the team packed up and went home.
That's the Dakar. Finishing was never the whole point for a car like this. Showing up was.
03 / THE BUILD
What's Under the Green
This isn't a stock Panda wearing stickers. The factory build reads like a tour of Fiat's parts bin:
Engine: 1,301cc from the Fiat 127 Sport, tuned to roughly 100 hp
Front end: Abarth forged lower control arms and a Ritmo Abarth front end
Suspension: Bilstein springs and dampers
Rear: Fiat 131 axle running Lancia 037 shock absorbers
Wheels: 14-inch Fiat 131 Maratea
Body: Fiberglass doors and hoods, plexiglass windows
1,301cc Original engine | ~100 hp 127 Sport-derived | No. 280 Factory Dakar entry | 1985 Benetton livery |
Inside, it's all business: full roll cage, red bucket seats with harnesses, a mounted extinguisher, and the period radio and CB gear still bolted under the dash. Up front, the SIEM driving lights and VSD Olympia, Africatours and Air Afrique decals tell you exactly where this car has been.
Left: caged cabin with red competition buckets and harnesses. Right: period radio and CB gear, still in place.
04 / THE RESTORATION
Back on Sand
The livery is back to exactly how it ran in 1985: Benetton green, with VSD Olympia, Africatours and Air Afrique decals and SIEM driving lights up front.
Because its special parts survived, the restoration was light. The hardest find was the correct tires, eventually tracked down in Brazil. It runs its original engine and has been back on sand since.
Period photos and documents are on file and support the car’s history.
It rolls on 14-inch Fiat 131 Maratea wheels and has plexiglass windows all around. Inside, the roll cage, red buckets, harnesses and mounted extinguisher are all still in place.
THE DETAILS
At a Glance
CAR | 1985 Fiat Panda 4x4, factory-backed Fiat Auto France Paris-Dakar entry, No. 280 |
DRIVERS (1985) | Hervé de Labriffe and Claude Devoyon |
LIVERY | 1985 Benetton, restored |
ENGINE | Original 1,301cc unit, roughly 100 hp |
LOCATION | Italy |
PRICE | On request |
DOCUMENTATION | Period photos and documents on file |
US IMPORT | At 40+ years old, it clears the 25-year rule for federal import |
05 / THE COLLECTION
Why It Matters
Group B homologation cars and Dakar-winning prototypes are priced like real estate. A documented, factory-backed 1980s Dakar entrant with a Benetton livery and a rock-star teammate is a rare way into that world.
It's also the most charming thing you'll ever park next to a Ferrari at Cars and Coffee.
FAQ
Fiat Panda 4x4 Paris-Dakar Questions
Was the Fiat Panda really raced at the Paris-Dakar?
Yes. Fiat Auto France ran a factory-backed team with two Panda 4x4s in 1984 and 1985, prepared by Fiat's advanced projects group in Heilbronn, Germany, with a Fiat Campagnola and an Iveco truck in support.
Who drove car No. 280?
Hervé de Labriffe, the Fiat Auto France executive behind the effort, drove No. 280 in 1985 with Claude Devoyon. The sister car carried Pascal Witmeur and Plastic Bertrand.
Is it the original engine?
Yes. The car still runs its original 1,301cc engine, derived from the Fiat 127 Sport and tuned to roughly 100 hp.
Can this car be imported to the United States?
Yes. It is well past the 25-year mark that allows older vehicles to be imported. We can walk you through the process and logistics from Italy.
Interested in This Panda?
Offered through our partner in Italy. Price on request. Call 720-480-7171 or send us a note for the full photo set, history file, and next steps.
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