Fiat has taken the wraps off its Mazda MX-5 rival, the 124 Spider. Essentially a sister car to the MX-5, the 124 Spider shares few similarities with its Japanese-designed counterpart.
In terms of styling, Fiat claims to have completely reworked the body shell of the Mazda MX-5, with styling cues borrowed from the original 1966 Fiat 124 Spider designed by Pininfarina. The 124 Spider gets more rounded headlamps with daytime running lamps, a rectangular grille and air dam, and in-set fog lamps. Moving to the rear, the car gets rectangular LED tail-lamps, an integrated spoiler and a dual exhaust.
Inside, the 124 Spider is identical to the Mazda. The cabin has a driver-focussed layout with all the switch gear and infotainment system display carried over from the MX-5. The 124 Spider also borrows features like the easily deployable roof.
Mechanically, the 124 Spider is powered by a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine developing 160bhp and 25.44kgm of torque mated to a choice of a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox. The car also shares a suspension set-up similar to that on the MX-5 with a double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension. The 124 Spider is expected to go on sale internationally in 2016 and will rival the likes of the
Mazda MX-5.
Fiat is also expected to be working on a hotter Abarth version of the 124 Spider powered by the 1.75-litre engine from the Alfa Romeo 4C. The Abarth model is expected to make its debut sometime next year.