The nameplate Fiat 124 Spider has been reintroduced, almost 50 years since it was last on sale. When it arrives in 2016 it will also be the first convertible Fiat sports car since the Barchetta went out of production in 2004.
Tipping the scales at around a tonne and with rear-wheel drive, the 124 Spider should provide driving thrills and offer Fiat’s customers something very different to its current line-up of superminis and family cars.
Built as the result of a shared venture with Mazda, and based on the underpinnings of the latest Mazda MX-5, the Spider has been given a significantly different look. Designers have penned wide upper and lower grilles flanked by headlamps which pay tribute to the classic model. It’s also clearly echoed in the two power bulges which give the bonnet a highly sculptural aesthetic.
Unlike the MX-5, the rear haunches kick up and extend rearwards, while large rectangular taillights and twin chrome exhausts, also give the Fiat a very different appearance.
Under its skin, the biggest difference is the Fiat engine, which is a version of the 1.4-litre MultiAir petrol found in the Abarth 500. In contrast with the naturally aspirated Skyactiv Mazda engines, this is turbocharged, makes 138bhp and 240Nm of torque and feeds its power to the road via a six-speed manual gearbox.
The roof is manual and has been designed to be easily raised or stowed using one arm while sat in the driver’s seat. But, Fiat has added extra sound-proofing, to aid refinement when the roof is up.
With seats trimmed in ‘premium upholstery’ the 124 Spider could offer a dash more luxury than the MX-5, but it shares much the same interior layout and infotainment system with a ‘tablet style’ touch-screen mounted atop the dashboard. This includes Bluetooth, two USB ports, sat-nav and a reversing camera. Six speakers are standard, but the stereo can be upgraded to a Bose system with nine speakers.
Prices haven’t been announced yet, but expect the Fiat 124 Spider to be priced at around £19k when it reaches the UK in the second half of 2016.
