Fiat 500 Rally Thread

gorillamel

gorillamel

Dirty Blonde
I know most people do not think of a Fiat as an overlanding type of vehicle. Truthfully, neither did I until someone mentioned the Mongol Rally to me. And now, well, I cannot stop thinking about it.

Here are my vehicle's specs:
Year: 2013
Make: FIAT
Model: 500
Trim: Sport
Color: Verde Azzurro

Current status
Suspension

Tires/Wheels
-16" x 6.5" Aluminum Alloy Wheels
-195 / 45R16XL Tires
-Red Brake Calipers

Electrical, Powertrain & Driveline
-1.4-liter I4 16-valve MultiAir engine (101hp @6,500 rpm and 98 lb-ft of torque @4,000 rpm)
-105 Amp alternator
-500 Amp battery
-Alpine® Premium Audio System

Exterior
-Rear Spoiler
-Fog Lamps
-Bi-Function Halogen Projector Headlamps

Interior
-Sport Seats
-Sport Steering Wheel

Misc

I took my Fiat out on a short, but fun overland trip through northern Utah in Sept 2013 (posted here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/116442-Overlanding-N-Utah-Economy-style). It proved a useful, albeit, under-powered and less than desirable ground clearance type of vehicle.

After researching the Mongol Rally (http://www.theadventurists.com/the-adventures/mongol-rally), I realise that my 1.4L engine is a tad too big (1.0L requirement). I am willing to pay the penalty fee for this.

I would like to aim for the Aug 2015 Rally, which will give me time to find sponsors, save money, get visas, do mods, etc.
So far, I have thought of the following mods to prep the Fiat for the MR:
  • Aluminum skid plates (I looked at the undercarriage and there's lots of available space under there...granted I'd need to investigate more under there to see what's what)
  • Improve front/rear departure angle so as not to rip off faring
  • Stiffen up front/rear suspension and poss add some height and to support added weight of finished product
  • Raised air intake
  • roof rack to fit: extra gas cans, travel pelican-like cases of survival gear, spare parts/tools, full sized spare tire(s), Hi-lift
  • Extra lights: pref LED bars (Ironman, Rigid, etc.) --> mounted on roof rack, front and rear
  • Create location for Hi-Lift to "connect/lift" Fiat
  • AT tires
  • Spare batteries....?

My goal is not to drastically alter the Fiat, but protect it as much as I can from the terrain it will be exposed to. Or maybe I am over thinking this too much in terms of an overland expedition akin to something I'd do in the X. Ah well, we'll see.

I posted up a similar thread on the Fiat owners forum (here). I'm kind of a pariah over there, ha! I shall use these two threads to post up my progress and ideas on my crazy endeavor.

Things I need to research more:
  • Shipping/export costs for Fiat to England/Spain
  • Costs of various visas required
  • Maps of areas
  • Write up letter and contact potential sponsors
  • Decide on a Charity to support
More to come...

My first three-wheel in the Fiat!
969713_673867921553_745288489_n.jpg
 
evilfij

evilfij

Explorer
The VW guys have aluminium skid plates. I have one for my tdi but have not fitted it yet (stupid I know). I am sure something similar could be done for the fiat.
 
H

haven

Expedition Leader
X2 on the Panda. Since it's built on the same platform as the 500, I expect you can find suspension bits to increase ground clearance, wheels and tires with more sidewall so you have the option to air down for loose surfaces, skid plates, and so on.

Since the Panda is not sold in North America, why not buy a used one in Europe and head for Ulaan Baatar? That's the approach Scott Brady used when he purchased a Suzuki Jimny (the successor to the Samurai) for the Rally a couple of years ago. The cost of shipping your 500 to Europe would cover a good chunk of the Panda.

Here's one American participant in the Rally who purchased a European Panda via email and telephone
http://www.rallyteamamerica.com/vehicle/

And here's a post in the Telegraph that claims the Panda was the single most common vehicle in the 2012 Rally. 27 teams drove Pandas.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/9503846/The-Mongol-Rally-2012-part-two.html
 
gorillamel

gorillamel

Dirty Blonde
Thanks for the info!

I did a simple search on autotrader.com for Fiat Pandas for sale in England (no specific area) and did not realise how cheap they are (assuming a general 1pound = $2 conversion)! Now I'd need to research the suspension and undercarriage to compare it to my 500 to see about getting skids made and know what kind of shocks/coils to look at.

I will definitely consider this option, especially if it substantially cheaper than shipping my 500 over there (and back).

Fir shiggles and gits, I am tempted to talk to my Fiat dealership to find out if they have any info on Pandas (doubtful, but sometimes it is fun to stump them with how much they do not know).

The question I am wondering now, is that I'd have to find a shop local to where I'd purchase the PAnda to install the shocks, tires, and skids. I do not have any contacts in the UK for this type of thing...yet. Gives me a good goal to go for.
 
gorillamel

gorillamel

Dirty Blonde
^Oh man, I know! I've been reading up on the Fiat Panda, and it sounds like the 2013+ models will have a 4x4 option. Pretty cool. But, part of the adventure of the MR is to have a beater car not equipped with 4x4/AWD. :p

As I research more on the MR, I am overwhelmed by the plethora of information!
Some of the more interesting links I found:
Mongol Travel Guide
Participant Blog 1: "Don't Look at Yak in Anger"
Fiat Panda Thread on Fiatforum
VISA Machine- helps participants get visas needed for rally
Participant Blog 2: "Savoir Faire"
Gear for the Mongol Rally
Pyramo Pyramo documentary of MR (AMAZING video!!)

Various routes I have located:
Route 1- "Silk Road in Stereo" by Kara
Route 2- "Southern route" by Sarah
The Adventurists explanation of the "Southern Route"
 
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H

haven

Expedition Leader
There have been three generations of Panda. More than 2 million have been built. The first gen 4x4 version appeared in 1983. The second and third generations have offered 4x4 as an option as well.
 
gorillamel

gorillamel

Dirty Blonde
I did some Panda research today (thank you wiki). Since the MR put a limit on cars being 10yrs or newer, that eliminates the 1st Gen of Pandas. The 2nd Gen (2003-2012) seems to be more in line with my price point (prefer no higher than 3,000UK) vs the 3rd Gen (2011-onward).

There are so many models available of the Panda, but the only 4x4 models I could find in 2nd Gen are the 4x4 Climbing and the 4x4 Cross. The main difference appears to be that the Cross has a locking diff and the Climbing does not.

I've also found out there are a variety of engines available in the Panda as well:
  • 1.2-litre (actually 1,242 cc), 60 hp (45 kW) engine
  • 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine is rated at 75 bhp (56 kW) and 100 lb·ft (140 N·m) of torque (Pandas with diesel engines can be easily distinguished by a "Multijet" badge on the right side of the rear licence plate)
  • 1368 cc FIRE engine (four cylinders in-line with sixteen valves actuated by belt driven double overhead camshafts)-- introducted in 2006
3rd Gen engines are listed here.

Therefore, I guess my goal is a 2005 Fiat Panda Climbing. Good thing I've given myself 2 years to prepare and price watch for the "perfect" rig. Now to just figure out how to get used to RH manual tranny, haha!

I did call my local Fiat dealership just to see if they would have any info on the Panda. I did not expect much help, but thought it worth a try anyway. I was not disappointed. I spoke to a man whose voice was reminiscent of John Wayne, the country cowboy accent was so thick and he called me "little lady" to boot. Well, he had no idea what a Panda was and told me to check out Google. When I told him I already had and that press releases said that 2013 models should be in Canada but that the Fiat World website indicated it was not, he was stumped. Go figure. At least I educated him on Fiats.
 
gorillamel

gorillamel

Dirty Blonde
^Indeed! There is hope! I was having a hard time searching on Auto Trader since I could not recall any PO codes other than the one I had when I lived in Edinburgh years ago, haha!

I read the participant packet for the MR by The Adventurists (here). Looks like for the 2014 Rally, they revoked the "must be 10yrs or newer" vehicle rule and halved the participant enrollment fee. Hopefully it stays the same for 2015.

It also looks like donating the vehicle at the end of the Rally is not much of an option either. You can either: A.) Drive it back home; B.) ship it to a location chosen by The Adventurists in Central Europe; or C.) leave it to The Adventurists to scrap since Mongolian taxes on vehicles has increased greatly over the years that it is not feasible to donate them.

It looks like I need an address in the UK to register the vehicle to once I purchase it. Hopefully I can find someone who will let me use their address for registration. I found this useful thread started by Mr. Brady when he was prepping for the MR in 2010: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/39801-Buying-and-registering-a-vehicle-in-the-EU-or-UK?highlight=visa+iran

It also looks like I'll need to fly to DC or some place that has an Iranian consulate/embassy to try to get a travel visa to travel through Iran (unless I choose a different route that does not include Iran). I started a thread in the Overland Planning section on how to procure Iranian visas for Americans: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/117599-Travel-Visa-in-Iran-for-US-Citizen

Hmmm, I better be watching American-other nation relations closely for a bit.
 
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robert

robert

Expedition Leader
Two of my friends and I looked into doing this about two years ago but life seems to have gotten in the way. We decided it would be cheaper and much easier to fly in and buy a vehicle than to try to ship anything in.; of course we have a few friends over there who we could get to check it out and help prep it first. A new Fiat would not be anywhere on my list due primarily to the costs, but also due to the complexity of the engine and the fact it will be abused and possibly/probably abandoned at the end, etc. I can't remember which car the engineer in our group thought would work best- I need to email them and try to talk them into it again. Maybe he's still got his research (I'm sure he does, you know how engineers are).

ETA- emailed my friends to try to talk them into it. I advised them to have plenty of drinks and then consider it- the drinks should make it sound like a much more reasonable undertaking.
 
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Warn Industries

Warn Industries

Supporting Vendor
As a subcompact car enthusiasts, I' love this idea!

I can't guarantee anything, but you might want to give Primitive Racing a shout (they're in Oregon). They do some rally car stuff (skidplates, light bars, etc.), and I know the owner has a Fiat 500. Might lead somewhere.

http://www.get-primitive.com/

- Andy
 
gorillamel

gorillamel

Dirty Blonde
I will definitely have to hit up Primitive Racing since you are now the second person to recommend them to me, haha. I'm more or less worried about getting the correct dimensions for the Panda since there are none around to refer/measure.

robert said:
Two of my friends and I looked into doing this about two years ago but life seems to have gotten in the way. We decided it would be cheaper and much easier to fly in and buy a vehicle than to try to ship anything in.; of course we have a few friends over there who we could get to check it out and help prep it first. A new Fiat would not be anywhere on my list due primarily to the costs, but also due to the complexity of the engine and the fact it will be abused and possibly/probably abandoned at the end, etc. I can't remember which car the engineer in our group thought would work best- I need to email them and try to talk them into it again. Maybe he's still got his research (I'm sure he does, you know how engineers are).

ETA- emailed my friends to try to talk them into it. I advised them to have plenty of drinks and then consider it- the drinks should make it sound like a much more reasonable undertaking.
Click to expand...

^DO IT! I'm planning for 2015, which sounds far away now, but with all the work involved, I'm sure time will fly. You guys should do it then, too! We can be caravanning buddies, haha!
 
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