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IS THIS the Mazda MX-5 you’ve always wanted?
The 2016 Fiat 124 Spider was revealed at the 2015 LA motor show as the start of Fiat’s renaissance, and comes with a more powerful turbocharged engine and Italian dressing inspired by its classic 1960s namesake.
The highly anticipated soft-top convertible, which is based on the Mazda MX-5 and built in the same Hiroshima, Japan, factory, was launched in the prime convertible market at the LA motor show.
Despite the Mazda MX-5 platform, which means it shares the same hard points and overall proportions, Fiat exterior design chief Felix Kilbertus says that the team didn’t reference the MX-5’s styling as it developed the 124, nor was the look an abandoned Alfa as parent company Fiat-Chrysler decided which marque would get the new roadster.
That means that not a single body panel – not even the doors – are shared with the Mazda, with the windscreen and that clever, lightweight roof mechanism carrying over from the MX-5.
“We put a lot of effort into the things you interact with directly – the door handles, the shifter which was then covered with beautiful leather, the steering wheel which has a unique section,” Kilbertus said.
There’s double-wishbone front and a multi-link rear under that body, which at 4054mm is 139mm longer than the MX-5. It’s also 5mm wider, with broader front and rear tracks, and weighs in at 1105kg for the manual entry-level model, making it 96kg heavier than the Mazda.
Fiat-Chrysler Australia is yet to confirm the 124 Spider for this market, however it salivating over the opportunity the car may present. “It will provide a huge boost to Fiat here,” said a company spokesperson. “It’s a hugely exciting car for Australia, and more exciting still because it’s just one part of the 124 story, and one part of the Fiat story.”
The Fiat 124 Spider goes on sale in North America in the second-quarter of 2016, and may be in local showrooms later next year.
