SAVE THE PANDA; A fond farewell to the last mass-produced, ham-fisted, slab-sided true econobox.(News)(the Fiat Panda is being phased out)

Byline: MATT DAVIS

These are always sad moments for any car lover. On our shores, we're still saying goodbye through tear-filled eyes to the Camaro and Firebird. In European terms, the zero-safety-or-comfort econoboxes that cost exactly what they're worth and are perfect for country picnics or dashes down to the beach are all but gone. The Renault 4 vanished in 1992 after 31 years of mass production for the masses. The Citroen 2CV ended a remarkable 41-year rally in 1990. And there are many other examples of basic transportation icons snuffed out by the pressures of modern times.

Time now for the last of this bunch to turn off its headlamps. Since 1980 the Fiat Panda has provided much of Europe and South America with lots of basic transport with no fuss. No airbags, no catalytic converters, no power anything and no actual crumple zones. Just an easily built little steel box that today starts at the equivalent of $6,500 or so. The needs of even the poorest Europeans are moving upmarket by choice and by regulatory force, so the Panda shakes off its mortal coil in July of this year.

Giorgio Giugiaro designed the Panda in the late 1970s when Fiat was going through long and debilitating labor strikes at all its factories. The desire from Fiat management was for a basic car that was supremely practical and could be built cheaply by unskilled labor with half an hour of training if need be. And as we all know, it's often out of ...