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Meet the Mean Machine, my old Fiat Panda 100HP. It was my first car and, as it turned out, a bit of a brat.

Because it’s a Panda, you might think you can run it on a shoestring, but you’d be dead wrong. It turns out Fiat went a bit mad developing the 100HP, fabricating new parts wherever it could get away with it. I could forgive a bespoke rear axle, given the move from rear drums to discs, but did we really need a special rear wiper?

When I knocked the front bumper, a replacement (in the wrong colour) was £500. Then the car failed its MOT on its front wishbones – yet another 100HP-specific bit – and I was billed another £540.

I grew a little frustrated with its ability to wallop my credit card, but every time I drove the car I was reminded how good it was. On one memorable occasion I took a wrong turn and ended up on the South Downs, giving chase to a Ferrari 296. 

This brief encounter summarised the simple joy of the 100HP. The 296 was plodding along completely normally yet, with just 1.4 litres at my disposal and that lovely dashboard-mounted, short-throw gearlever in hand, I had to really work to keep pace. 

With the throaty four-pot barking through the firewall and the speedo flitting between 30mph and 60mph, a bumble down sunny country lanes turned into a proper dogfight – for me, at least, for I'm sure the Ferrari driver had no idea of my presence.

All I cared about was keeping crimson in sight. In such moments of absolute immersion, all its sins were forgiven.

But when the weather took a turn for the worse and my brother wanted a lift home from the nearby tube station late one evening, I rushed out, turned the key and – achoo! The Panda had caught a cold.

I was told by fellow 100HP owners that the weird noise from under the bonnet was just a foible of the starter motor, as it doesn’t much like chilly weather. That or it was on its way out, putting yet another bill on the horizon. Either way, it sapped my confidence in the car.

Not long after I’d had a grand old moan about the Panda’s starter motor, a remarkably clean example of a Renault Clio RS 182 came up for sale. It’s a car I’ve wanted for yonks and the numbers just about made sense, so it all felt like the stars were aligning to give me a way out.

I’d just started organising all of the paperwork in preparation for a part-exchange when the dealer asked for a 10% deposit – oh, and it would be non-refundable. When they then said they couldn’t send a picture of the Clio’s underside, alarm bells started ringing.

I slept on it, only for someone else to beat me to reserving the car. C’est la vie, and probably for the best.

Here’s the odd bit: the following day, the Panda returned to working completely normally, minus the start-up sneezing noise. I thought perhaps it was down to the weather – an unusually warm winter’s morning – but the problem was fixed. It’s almost as if the car was apologising, begging for another chance.

Reinvigorated, I treated the Panda to a new timing belt, a service and a thorough inspection from Fettle & Finesse, the UK’s leading 100HP specialist.

But all went south rather quickly. I mentioned that I was worried about the condition of the sills – a common issue on 100HPs, hidden away under the chunky bodykit.

Then Laurence, F&F’s chief Panda whisperer, managed to pull away a wedge just by hand.

Still, I didn’t think it would be quite so bad. 

The final report totalled three pages of A4. The sills, the rear axle, the front subframe, the exhaust backbox, the springs, the dampers and the passenger-side wheel arch were all on their way out. And the rear bump stops had fallen off. And there was a coolant leak. And so on…

The bill was just under £2000 to get the imminent MOT failure items sorted, but if I wanted a more complete restoration, it might have tripled. 

I almost went through with it, but I just couldn’t justify pumping so much money into a car that I had already considered moving on.

So I struck a deal with Laurence, recouping just about enough to cover the finance deposit on a nearly new, rust-free motor – about which you will hear more in due course.

In the meantime, the F&F crew completely recommissioned my hot Fiat for someone else to enjoy. It’s now absolutely stunning.

Thefts of car parking sensors have risen by 300% amid an increase in overall vehicle parts crime across the country, a leading insurer has reported.

Admiral Insurance says that last year it recorded 142 claims for stolen parking sensors, compared with 36 claims the previous year, with an additional 104 claims for stolen steering wheels and airbags.

“Parking sensors are easily accessible and have a high resale demand,” said Alex Wyard, director of technical underwriting at Allianz. “Criminals see parts theft as an easy way to make extra cash, and we have seen an increase in all types of theft relating to cars over the past year.

“New airbags can cost as much as £1200, but thieves sell stolen ones for a fraction of the price. Wing mirrors, catalytic converters, wheels and car emblems are also quick to sell on.”

Volkswagen Golf GTI owner Jeremy Merckel is among the latest victims of vehicle parts theft. One morning in March he was woken by a neighbour with the news that thieves had stolen the headlights, front bumper, grille and bonnet from his car.

“I was fuming,” says Merckel, who lives in Sutton Coldfield. “A neighbour’s doorbell camera showed one of the thieves casually walking away carrying the bumper above his head. I’ve been told the theft probably took no more than three minutes. It’s the second time my Golf has been targeted: two years ago, the car’s original front bumper was stolen. Surprisingly, the car hadn’t been broken into, and apart from missing much of its front end, there was no other damage.”

Merckel was warned by his insurer, Ageas UK, that his Golf, registered in 2019, might have to be written off. He says: “Their first reaction was: ‘Oh no, not another one!’ But in the end they agreed to pay for the repairs. Within two weeks it was back on the road with a new bumper, grille and lights, but because no new one could be found, a used bonnet. My insurance premium doubled last time, so I’m expecting a similar increase.”

The Midlands appears to be suffering the worst with what is known as ‘car cannibalism’. Mark Silvester, of West Midlands Police, says although it’s not yet a big issue, the rising cost of new replacement parts and the existence of an efficient online market to dispose of stolen ones mean it’s one the force is monitoring.

“Unlike car theft, parts theft is an opportunistic crime rather than organised,” said Silvester. “It is often carried out when someone has posted online that they’re searching for a particular part. Motorists can help stamp it out by avoiding parts whose source is not legitimate or which are not sold under a scheme such as eBay’s Certified Recycled scheme.”

Skoda has given a first glimpse of the electric estate car concept that it will reveal at the Munich motor show in September.

Named Vision O, the show car will give clues to the next-generation electric Octavia, which is due to arrive by the end of the decade as the first Skoda atop the Volkswagen Group's new SSP EV platform.

The first official preview image shows a silhouette that stays true to the general shape of the current car, but with distinctive new light signatures and sharper edging in line with Skoda's new 'Modern Solid' design language. 

Skoda also says the "steeply raked" windscreen and "gently sloping roofline" are "design cues that have characterised Skoda's most successful estate models".

The Superb and Octavia estates are among Skoda's best-selling global models, with the Octavia 'Combi', particularly, ranking as its top seller in certain markets.

As a result, Skoda "is committed to continuing the estate bodywork legacy into the future," said the company.

Exterior designer Jounggeen Kim shaped the Vision O's silhouette and said his task was "to apply the Modern Solid language to an estate car". 

He designed the concept to be an "all-in-one" proposition and added: "This car is built to do it all.

“I see Skoda as a family-oriented brand – practical, reliable and trustworthy. I aimed to reflect those qualities through the new Modern Solid design language.”

Kim added that while the Vision O will be a future-looking concept that adheres to Skoda's current design principles, he took inspiration from past models such as the Yeti and Roomster.

Announcing the concept car earlier this year, CEO Klaus Zellmer said: “In September in Munich, we're going to have a concept car that gives an indication of what the new design language will be for the Octavia and what the technology in that car will be able to deliver.”

Skoda had originally planned to launch an electric estate version of the Octavia based on the Volkswagen Group’s current MEB electric architecture. However, Zellmer said it will instead be underpinned by the SSP architecture that’s in the works because it will offer “more performance and be more cost-efficient”.

He said: “Wait and see until September, and then we will show you the full potential and technical package that we envision. It will be a concept car, so this is also a test bed for us to see what the resonance from the media, from our dealers and from our potential customers is.”

The production version of the electric Octavia estate is due by the end of the decade at a similar time to the related Volkswagen ID Golf, which will also be based on the SSP platform. It is expected to lead the next generation of electric Skodas and mark the point where its combustion-engined and all-electric ranges start to converge.

To date, Skoda’s electric vehicles have existed in a parallel line-up as the brand prioritises consumer choice and will continue to do so. This suggests the hybridised combustion-engined Octavia estate will continue to be sold as Skoda gradually introduces battery-electric vehicles into its more familiar nameplates.

Before the electric Octavia, two more Skoda EVs are due. The Epiq, a sibling to the Volkswagen ID 2 and Cupra Raval, will be launched next year as the Skoda's entry-level electric car. The brand will also put its previous Vision 7S concept car into production in 2026 as an electric equivalent of the Kodiaq. This is likely to be Skoda’s most expensive car yet, but Zellmer said it will retain its core principles of “design functionality and value for money”. 

However, there are no plans to launch a Skoda version of the recently unveiled Volkswagen ID Every1 concept car, which will arrive as an entry-level VW electric city car in 2027 and be priced from around £17,000.

“We have decided not to be part of that segment,” said Zellmer. “Within the Volkswagen Group, VW [will be left to] conquer that part of the market.”

Skoda is not abandoning entry-level cars altogether, though, and Zellmer confirmed a sub-£17,000 starting price would remain in its range as the Fabia, Kamiq and Scala have all been signed off for updates to keep them in the market for the years ahead. This will include mild-hybrid versions, something that’s required for the upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations, which re-engineered versions of these cars will have to meet. 

Zellmer is keen to add more hybrids to Skoda’s range, including more long-range plug-in hybrids off the back of the success of Superb and Kodiaq hybrids.

He said: “We want to have more hybrids in our portfolio because this is clearly something that we see reflected in the competitive landscape and consumer sentiment.

"The feedback we get from our dealers and from our customers in those cars [Superb and Kodiaq plug-ins] is very reassuring that we're heading the right way to have the best of both worlds: the range and the ease of a combustion engine, and the peace and quiet driving around and more than 100km [62 miles of electric range] with the E drive mode.”