LA 2015: 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Is How You Say Miata in Italian
Finally, a Fiat in North America that isn’t a 500.
The all-new 2017 Fiat 124 Spider is what happens when you give a spectacular chassis to the Italians and let them fit it with a torque-happy turbocharged engine.
The new roadster, which is based on the Mazda MX-5 Miata, was revealed today at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. It will be powered by what we all suspected — a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine with 160 horsepower and 184 lbs-ft of torque. A pair of six-speed transmissions, one manual and the other automatic, will send that turbo power to the rear wheels.
Everything about the car, from its infotainment system (Fiat calls it FIAT Connect but it’s most definitely MazdaConnect) to the way it lowers and raises its top (you only need one hand!), is straight from the MX-5. The only difference is this roadster might be a fair bit quicker than the Miata on which it’s based.
The Prima Edizione Lusso will be available at launch with a unique Azzurro Italia (Blue) exterior paint, as seen at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Only 124 special edition models will be sold.
The Fiat 124 Spider will arrive at dealerships in the summer.
More by Mark Stevenson
Comments
Join the conversation
Hopefully this goes over better than the Maserati LeBaron.
Mazda might not deserve all the credit for that handy manual soft-top. My first car, a 1970 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet, had a smooth-working, well-balanced top that I could raise from the driver's seat with an overhand motion of my right arm. That superior top, plus a 5-speed, led me to buy the car instead of the Triumph Spitfire sitting next to it, with its pitiful pup tent roof. Both were $750 in 1975 dollars. If only I had kept that Cabriolet! It took me some time to realize what a rarity it was.