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dar I ask: has anyone had a try in the Fiat 124 Spider? I bought one 4 weeks ago to the day and am constantly grinning all the time. I haven't driven anything as fun as that.
Only 140 hp but wow... Does it handle and basically every pony is put to the ground!
Is that based on the MX5 chassis? My younger brother is into Abarth Fiats.
His wife has the 500 Abarth and he is also into Alfa Romeo, of which he has 5.
Never seen that Fiat 124, certainly looks like a MX5/Miata clone. Friends way back had the original 124 coupe which was a great car except one night they somehow left the wipers on sweep and woke next morning to a windscreen that was impregnated (and not in a good way ) with wiper blade residue. One new screen later!!!
Is that based on the MX5 chassis? My younger brother is into Abarth Fiats.
His wife has the 500 Abarth and he is also into Alfa Romeo, of which he has 5.
It is indeed. Basically an MX5 with different body panels and turbo engines insteal of the NA. So insteal of having no torque you get loads of torque
Never seen that Fiat 124, certainly looks like a MX5/Miata clone. Friends way back had the original 124 coupe which was a great car except one night they somehow left the wipers on sweep and woke next morning to a windscreen that was impregnated (and not in a good way ) with wiper blade residue. One new screen later!!!
They are rare. And as already said, it is an MX5 based car. Very rare. They went on sale in 2016 and it looks as if 2019 will be the last year... I just bought mine - new - with a >30% discount because they can't shift them. And mine came with everything...
It is indeed. Basically an MX5 with different body panels and turbo engines insteal of the NA. So insteal of having no torque you get loads of torque
My partner had a new mx5 loan car while her mitsi was in for damage repairs in an insurance claim
It was a sweet car but lacking in "go", a 1.8 Ford Mondeo was quicker on paper.
Glad to hear Fiat have sorted that problem. I bet that flies!
Did they sort the other bugbear of virtually no cabin storage space?
I am way surprised at this. I used to work in Mazda Head Office Vic (Aust). This all occurred the year after I left Mazda, I did a bit of research, In Aust we got the MX-5 with a 1.5 -2.0L motor. I dunno what the piddly little 1.4 thing was that you guys got across the pond as standard, or why. But here in Aust, the MX-5 is 1) highly sought after. 2) well powered, Fast, Responsive, Great to drive (based on my experience in NA-NC models). 3) Too bloody expensive for what it really is. LOL
After doing a search I find I can get a (IMO) nicer body style Fiat 124 Spider with the 1.4 Turbo & low K's for a slightly better price than the Mazda 2.0 Injected MX-5.
Having said that, I'm sure MazdaSpeed (dealer based, Mazda Japan Sanctioned, Auto Group in NSW) will have a bolt on turbo kit for the 2.0 MX-5.
Not having driven the Fiat or the ND Mazda, I can't say anything about the performance. I'm sorry I left Mazda! they were certainly a better employer than Ford were & believed in their product more when I was there.
Thanks for the thread Daim. I now have a new toy to look out for. LOL.
As a Miata owner, I must point out that screaming horsepower has never been the point. It's handling! There is nothing like them on the road; you just think what you want and it does it. And with some revs, power isn't really that bad!
Mazda sold a turbo Miata briefly, under MazdaSpeed, in the last two years of the 2nd-generation Miata. It was a almost a second-and-a-half faster to both 60 and the quarter mile.
The thing about the Fiat 124 is that yeah, it's turbocharged, but it's still only a 1.4. It's also slightly heavier than a Miata, and so it's actually slower than the standard Miata. That puts it square in the "why bother?" category!!!
Just a little education on the 124 spider. The original 124 spider was only 1438cc or 1.4L. I believe they came out in 69"? My Dad had a 70" with the 1438cc, and while not a rocket, it would corner like there was glue on the ground, and top out about 125mph. Not to shabby for a 1.4L. I had a later 1598cc or 1.6L I believe it was a 76" My sister had an 1800 or 1.8L and for 1980 they pushed it up to 2000cc. or 2 .0L, I was never quite sure why they quit producing them as the 1800 was quite a capable sports car, not slow at all when compared to a 79 Corvette. And they would outhandle one any day of the week. It would be nice to see this latest 124 (Miata) with a 2.5 and a Turbo. Might be a real handful. In a good way that is.
As a Miata owner, I must point out that screaming horsepower has never been the point. It's handling! There is nothing like them on the road; you just think what you want and it does it. And with some revs, power isn't really that bad!
Mazda sold a turbo Miata briefly, under MazdaSpeed, in the last two years of the 2nd-generation Miata. It was a almost a second-and-a-half faster to both 60 and the quarter mile.
The thing about the Fiat 124 is that yeah, it's turbocharged, but it's still only a 1.4. It's also slightly heavier than a Miata, and so it's actually slower than the standard Miata. That puts it square in the "why bother?" category!!!
ACTUALLY it isn't. If you were more informed regarding the 1.4l Multiair, the power range and the general figures, you would have noticed, that the 140 hp version has only got 8 hp more than the 1.5l MX5 - yes, we get a 1.5l as well, which weighs in just under a tonne - but has LOADS more torque, compared to even the 184 hp top of the range model...
Spider 140: 240 nm at 2250 rpm, 0-100 kph 7.5s (M&A)
Abarth 170: 250 nm at 2400 rpm, 0-100 kph 6.8s (A 6.9s)
MX5 132: 152 nm at 5200 rpm, 0-100 kph 8.6s (only M)
MX5 160: 200 nm at 4600 rpm 0-100 kph 7.5s (A 8s)
MX5 184: 205 nm at 4000 rpm, 0-100 kph 6.8s (A 7.9s)
Compare the figures... The only time the MX5 is quicker, is if zu compare the 184 hp version to a 140 hp Spider. The lower hp figured Spiders have all got the same acceleration figures (in manual form) as the manual MX5s. As an auto, the Spider will outrun a 184 hp MX5 with 140 hp...
Even the Vmax figures are all in favour of the Spider. Heck, in autofkrm the Spider is superior with less power! And I am not kidding. As the 1.5l is only a manual,mI'll neglect it, but it tips out at 203 kph. The 160 hp at 215 mph (194 as A), where the 140 hp Spider tops out at 220 (217 as A). The 184 tops at 220 kph (as A at 199 kph).
So in all performance positions, the Spider will easily keep up or beat the MX5. And I have tested it myself on the Autobahns. Before buying the Spider, I drove all variants of the platform... RF, Roadster, Spider, Abarth...
These are official numbers provided by Fiat.de and Mazda.de
Effectively, the 1.4l Turbo wasnt made, to beat the MX5. It was to reduce the engine size for tax reasons. And as the largest Fiat petrol engine is still based on an engine built in 1880 (Fiat FIRE), they couldn't fit a larger engine. The turbo also aids in daily driving. You can drive happily around in highest gear and effortlessly but swiftly accelerate to any given speed.
The contemporary Miata here is a 2.0-liter. My numbers came form Car and Driver.
Maybe it made sense where different engine rules applied, but not here in the U.S.
Having just added a 2018 Classica, I can tell you that the 160HP the bone stock 1.4L puts out makes it a quick and nimble puppy...and with the more stout gearbox from the NC instead of the seemingly-made-of-glass version in the ND. The 160HP (164 if you elect for an Abarth) seems to be consistent with the claimed figures for the current 2.0L Sky-Activ in the Miata.
I have to admit that I have been surprised at how the 124 is holding value. I did not buy in 2017 when they came out because I didn't want an orphan that had no support. However, even as it becomes an orphan, there seems to be support that will remain. The Classica I just bought was listed at $21K,,,it stickered new at $25K, I did not pay what the dealership listed it as but my credit union indicated that still showed a retail book in the current market that made the $21K seem reasonable.
Best part about this one is that it was BONE STOCK. Not a single option on it, which is the way I ideally want a Miata and the Spider. I don't need the giant tablet for navigation or satellite. I don 't need proximity sensors on a roller skate.
Just a little education on the 124 spider. The original 124 spider was only 1438cc or 1.4L. I believe they came out in 69"? My Dad had a 70" with the 1438cc, and while not a rocket, it would corner like there was glue on the ground, and top out about 125mph. Not to shabby for a 1.4L. I had a later 1598cc or 1.6L I believe it was a 76" My sister had an 1800 or 1.8L and for 1980 they pushed it up to 2000cc. or 2 .0L, I was never quite sure why they quit producing them as the 1800 was quite a capable sports car, not slow at all when compared to a 79 Corvette. And they would outhandle one any day of the week. It would be nice to see this latest 124 (Miata) with a 2.5 and a Turbo. Might be a real handful. In a good way that is.
Yeah, '68 or '69 I think. 124s were SO dang cool!!! Pininfarina nailed it large time! And the way the (manual) top would operate by the driver, seated and one-handed was a marvel. Oh, and Jaguar's first name before SS was similar to FIAT. It was FIAC ~ Fix It Again Clive haha.
Last edited by David Lagonda; 07-11-2023 at 09:10 AM.
11-01-2018, 01:20 PM
Can you say 'Fiata'?
) with wiper blade residue. One new screen later!!!
