The automobile has long since been an integral part of our lives. More than just a mode of transport, it embodies the owner’s take on life.
In the late seventies Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the Panda to be structurally simple, plain, angular with smooth surfaces, inexpensive and, seen from today’s perspective, an excellent model for tomorrow’s eco-friendly car.

This small car would first be seen on our roads in 1980 and was soon deemed revolutionary; stripped down to the essentials it was a response to the ever larger, heavier and thus more expensive vehicles.
Weighing in at just under 700 kg it was only available as a two-door model with a generous hatchback, with a double folding roof as an optional extra– that was a luxury. Apart from that it came across as unrefined; spartan, white spray painted metal interior, folding “camping chair” front and back, a bare storage space for the safety belts in the boot. Brilliant and charming – fixed firmly to the glove compartment, the plastic ashtray could be shifted back and forth between driver and passenger as desired.
Originally intended for low-income families, thanks to brilliant advertising the Panda soon took on cult status. Over 23 years more than four million models were sold.

Neue Sammlung represents the Fiat Panda not only as an object of desire but also as a fixed part of society with all its ups and downs – an Italian Volkswagen. Paolo Tumminelli, architect, Professor of Design, journalist and researcher produced photographic documentation of his search for the original white Panda, traveling from the Brenner pass to Sicily ; an Italian journey of a different kind. Depending on your perspective, the product of the search can be seen as a travel report, a document of everyday automobile culture, or a demonstration of true quality in design.