MOTORING
A spider that takes some
catching
Don Booker MBE gets in a spin over the 2018 reinvention of Fiat’s 124 Spider
Having dinner in a Turin restaurant across the road from the Juventus soccer stadium in the 1980s, I had the pleasure of sharing the evening with ‘King of Italy’ Gianni Agnelli, head of the Fiat empire and described as Europe’s most glamorous businessman.
There are three new models, the Classica, Lusso and Lusso Plus, with prices ranging from £21,050 to £27,600 but there are offers to be negotiated.
The 124 has a punchy 1.4 four-cylinder MultiAir turbo engine and a smooth six-speed manual or automatic gearbox for nimble agility on the road. It delivers 140bhp through the rear wheels with a top speed of 134mph and a 0-62mph acceleration of 7.5 seconds. Combined consumption is 44mpg.
With the wonderful sound of the exhaust, one could be driving a car costing three times the price.
I had difficulty understanding his Italian and
equally, I feel he had problems with my broad Barnsley accent. But what was clear was his love of the Spider versions of his cars which I said I had found difficult to obtain for test.
He offered a car and next morning I was mirroring Michael Caine in the Italian Job, driving along the roof tops of Fiat’s Lingotto building where the factory test track was situated.
The Spider was both exciting and pretty and I’d always loved true Italian style even going back to our own Austin Farina A40.
Now, over 50 years since the 124 Spider’s original 1966 release, the ‘Wild One’ has been reinvented for the modern age with a brilliant value-for-money sports package emulating an iconic 1960s looker that stands out a mile on the road.
If you think it looks a bit like a Mazda MX5, you would be right because the chassis is from Mazda and all the rest of the perfectly proportioned classic is from Fiat.
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aroundtownmagazine.co.uk
Whichever angle you take of the 124 Spider, it is a beautiful convertible with a rare 140-litre boot capacity. It mirrors the original ‘66 styling and roomy interiors which saw the Spider establish Italy’s reputation for building open-top cars.
The Classica has 16 inch alloys, Bluetooth connectivity, keyless start and cruise control as standard.
I took a closer look at the mid-range Lusso in white with leather wrap-around rally-type seats which invited driver and passenger for a real sports car feel. The package included a seven-inch touch-screen display with SatNav, DAB radio and Bose speakers in the headrests amidst the stylish upholstered dash.
It also has keyless entry and start, heated seats, LED rear lights and a rear parking camera, speed limiter and tyre pressure monitor.
The shape of the Spider has changed slightly, with a longer bonnet comprised of a jutting jaw line, hexagonal grill and concave headlamps.
The 124 Spider nestles under the glory of the 500 and, although half a century since its original release, it is back in style still showing lines of the Italian influence.
This also comes at the same time as Fiat has launched its new 500 Mirror range to celebrate 60 years of the iconic 500.
In an era of similarity among cars it is good to have a gem in the market place.
Fiat 124 Spider is available from Stoneacre Rotherham
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