Italian mechanic and Fiat fanatic makes world's narrowest car
The first-generation Fiat Panda was already a small car, even without modifications. Measuring just 3.38 m (11 ft) long and 1.46 m (4 ft 9 in) wide, it was designed to nip down the narrow cobbled streets of Italy's ancient cities.
For Italian mechanic Andrea Marazzi, however, there was still some fat to trim from this nimble little vehicle. When a clean 1993 example was dropped off at his family's scrapyard in Bagnolo Cremasco in 2024, Andrea decided he wanted to give it a second life.
He wanted to make the world's narrowest drivable car.
The Panda fandom
Fiat made about 4.5 million Pandas between 1980 and 2003, and they have a cult following in their home country. For several years, Andrea has been involved with "Panda a Pandino" – a gathering of Panda enthusiasts in the nearby town of Pandino.
Thinking ahead to the following year's edition of the car show, Andrea sketched out an idea he called Panda per Uno ("Panda for One"), which would see the already compact car cut down to a width of just 50.2 cm (1 ft 7.6 in), and set to work building it.
The remarkable runabout he made is featured inside Guinness World Records 2027.
Making the Panda per Uno
Hundreds of Pandas had passed through the yards of Autodemolizione Marazzi over the years, so Andrea knew the design inside and out.
He carefully removed the doors and side panels, then began cutting and re-welding the centre of the car. Andrea fabricated custom bodywork and windows for the bonnet/hood, roof and rear hatchback door, but left the rest of the car unchanged.
Despite its dramatic redesign, 90 percent of Panda per Uno is made from parts of the original donor car. The most difficult aspect of the process was cutting the frame so that the two halves were perfectly symmetrical when joined back together.
It's not just an empty shell though. Inside you'll find a small electric motor and battery pack, as well as shrunk down steering gear. Even the lights and turn signals work.
It has a top speed of only 15 km/h (9.3 mph), but that's probably for the best as its not the most stable around corners.
Enter the pandaverse
Panda per Uno is just one example of Italy's expanded Panda multiverse, made possible by the mechanical simplicity of these old cars and the easy availability of scrapped examples.
Other custom Pandas that have made appearances at Pandino include Panda Corta ("Short Panda"), which has a 1-m (3-ft 3.3-in) wheelbase and the lowest drivable car top, both made by Andrea Marazzi's friends Cocchi Rudi, Matteo Marzetti and Nicola Guadagnin (collectively known as "Carmagheddon" on social media).
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So what's next?
Andrea's big project this year was grafting a Fiat Panda on to to the drivetrain of a 1980s Landini tractor, to create an authentically Italian monster truck (his friends at Carmagheddon, meanwhile, spent their summer converting a Chrysler PT Cruiser into a powerboat).
He's keeping an eye out for record breaking opportunities, however. "Being in the Guinness World Records book is an honour", he told us, "It's an honour for me, and I'm really excited".
Read more about the Panda per Uno and many other records in Guinness World Records 2027 – on sale worldwide now!
