I came across a street-parked Fiat 124 Spider the other day. First I saw it from behind. "Mazda MX-5," I thought, but the taillights? They were Fiats. Fiat's Spider shares shape and form with the Mazda MX-5 and is produced by Mazda. Or rather - "became" - because the Fiat 124 Spider has been discontinued.
Roadsters are out of fashion
A couple of decades ago, there was a market for roadsters like the Audi TT, BMW Z-series, Mercedes-Benz SLK, MG F and Mazda MX-5 to name a few. It's not every day you see a Fiat 124 Spider, but on a bike ride on Sunday morning I saw no less than two Fiat 124 Spiders along the road. Both cars were occupied by couples in their 60s with caps on their heads. Today, roadsters are bought by well-to-do adults who want to experience the nostalgia of open, lightweight sports cars. The type of car doesn't appeal as much to young career people. The Fiat 124 Spider sold quite well in its first year, then sales declined. But the model was not discontinued due to poor sales.
Euro 6d was the nail in the coffin
The decision to discontinue the Fiat 124 Spider was made at the end of 2019. 2020 was to be the last year of production. The official reason was that the engines had to be upgraded to meet new Euro 6d requirements. Fiat has come a long way in downsizing its engines. Instead of upgrading their 1,4 Multiair turbo engine, they are betting on their 1-litre engine. It is currently the only petrol engine supplied to the Fiat Tipo and 500X. It will work perfectly there, but would hardly be an acceptable solution for the enthusiast car 124 Spider.
The same engine used in several models
The 1,4 engine in the Fiat 124 Spider was delivered in two versions – standard and Abarth. In the standard version, it produces 140 HP with a torque of 240 Nm at 2250 rpm. The Abarth version is trimmed up to 170 HP with 250 Nm at 2500 rpm. Fiat's Spider team originally took the engine from the Fiat 500 Abarth. But the engine has also served in other models such as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the newer Fiat-developed Dodge Dart, Jeep Renegade and Opel Astra. We have previously driven the engine in the Opel Astra 1,4 turbo with 140 horses.
How to create a classic
Only 4 years in production with relatively modest sales figures will undoubtedly make the 124 Spider desirable over the years. Not least if it turns out to be Fiat's last roadster. Most of the examples will be treated like royalty, given the place of honor in their respective garages and only driven on nice weather days - like the ones I saw last Sunday. A final factor that will ensure the car's classic status is its beautiful appearance inspired by Pininfarina's original shape.
Fiat's future in Stellantis
After the major merger between FCA and PSA, 14 car brands are now managed under the same ownership. The merger will undoubtedly provide economies of scale in production, but will have consequences on the future model range and dealer structure.
Fiat is big on commercial vehicles. On the passenger car side, the 500 series is a big seller with new future-oriented drive units based on battery technology. A new variant of the Fiat 500 called 3+1 has an additional rear-swinging auxiliary door on the passenger side to facilitate access to the rear seat. The larger and more reliable models, Tipo and 500X, only seem to figure in the car rental companies' lists. They are almost never seen along the road - neither here at home nor in the countries around the Mediterranean. The Fiat 500L has disappeared from the model range in the USA - and will probably disappear soon from Europe as well. Instead, a completely new electric car concept based on the prototype is coming centoventi. If Fiat succeeds in this, they are back in the ring.
It is uncertain whether Fiat will make a new "fun car" like the 124 Spider. The group will probably let Alfa Romeo take care of the fun in the future, but Alfa is currently struggling with poor profitability. Let's hope that the high lords of Stellantis not only listen to the economists, but also find room for car enthusiasm.
If you didn't manage to buy a Fiat 124 Spider, you can order a new Mazda MX-5.
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