Story by Sean Smith
Photos by Sean Smith unless othewise noted
Fiat made a big splash when they returned to our shores with the new 500. It was small, it was fun it had the proper retro look and it had Italian flare. We then got smacked upside the head with the Abarth version. A modern take on Carlo Abarth’s legacy – make Fiats go faster!
Fiat then reintroduced the 124 in three versions Classica, Lusso, and Abarth. It was time to see if the new creation lived up to the name, but first I wanted to go back a ways and see what an early 124 Abarth was like. I found a true believer, Mark Everett and his 124 Abarth Rally.
Back in the pre-interweb days, you searched for cool cars in the Sunday New York Times Automotive section. So one Sunday in the late 1970s an ad caught Mark’s eye. For sale 1973 Fiat Abarth Rally. Mark had been a rally driver since the age of 16. He knew this was a special car and they had never been imported.
He had been up early for work, so at a decent hour he called up the owner. His enthusiasm must have been flowing through the phone lines, the owner said I will hold it for you. Mark told him “if it’s what you say it is consider it sold, no haggling I want the car.” It was the real deal. It was a CSA group 3 rally car, a car that was taken off the Abarth line and given a little extra magic to homologate the car for rallying. That magic included an independent rear suspension, Abarth aluminum differential with limited slip and different gearing, also lots more welded seams.
The real deal, a Fiat PR photo from 1972.
The 124 became Mark’s daily driver as well as rally car, he did many TSD (time speed distance) rallies in the Abarth. After a few years it was starting to feel a bit tired, then a very minor run in with a Cadillac helped him to decide to put the car away for a while till he could get around to working on it. Years passed and a rally buddy who worked in a shop that worked on Lancias said they had room and would love to work on the Fiat, so off it went. A year later it came back ready to rock.
The newly resurrected 124 was taken to the Fiat Freakout in Detroit and was asked to be parked next to the new Abarth as it was introduced.
Even though 124 is 40 plus year old it is a joy to drive. The seat holds you nicely and you become one with the car, and the driving position is correctly Italian. Steering once you get moving is light and precise. It has a wonderful flow compared to other cars of the time. Shifting gears is precise and mechanical. The 1756cc engine with Weber carburetors put out 126 hp. With aluminum doors and fiberglass hood and boot it tips the scales just over 2000 lbs. so it’s quick and smile inducing, a real blast from the past.
So what is the new 124 like, and does it carry the flame of its ancestor? Or is it just a rebadged Miata (sometimes called a Fiata.)
The new 124 almost wasn’t. Originally the match up was between Mazda and Alfa Romeo. But CEO Sergio Marchionne stated as long as he was in charge Alfas would only be built in Italy. So a car built in Hiroshima didn’t twirl his pasta.
Fiat got the nod and the new 124 took shape. The 124 and MX-5 are twins under the skin. They both have a wheelbase of 90.9 inches, both have unibody construction, both interiors are very similar, but the Fiat has a bit meatier steering wheel and Recaro seats. Then things start to change. The Fiat in Abarth trim has an Italian built 1.4 liter turbocharged engine (Miata owners have been wishing for a turbo from close to the beginning) putting out 164 horsepower plus 184 pounds of torque. There is some turbo lag, but work with it and you get along just fine.
The wheelbase is the same, but the 124 has more overhang than the Miata and the designers have taken the look of the 124 of days gone by and brought it into modern times.
Put yourself on a good driver’s road and the 124 is very composed, your steering may be electrically assisted, but it doesn’t feel dead and with the additional suspension tuning Fiat has lavished on the 124 you are fast to feel comfortable pushing the little roadster through the turns. The Fiat and its sorta doppelgänger the Miata are really what’s left of the modern roadster. Inexpensive small, fun open two seaters. So give credit where credit is due.
When the Miata first came out was giving drivers the memory of the Lotus Elan, in something that would start in the morning and it has been winning hearts and races her since.
The new 124 Abarth still has that touch of Italian flair that the earlier cars possessed and it starts in the morning. There may be a large part of the rising sun in this little sports car, but the tri colore is still front and center in attitude and style.
Una Fiata, nessun signore!
Old and New Fiat 124s: Stare and Compare
The 124 should have some detailing in the engine department.
Otherwise a good write up.
In 1968, I bought a new Alfa Giulia Super (sports sedan) and with the stock 1600, it was noticeably quicker and faster than the Fiat 124s.
If it didn’t have a Fiat badge would you know it was supposed to be a modern 124? No, it’s another ‘cartoon’ car from the back of school exercise book. Like a lot of classic Italian cars, the original 124 looks a simple shape but actually isn’t and the subtle changes of line epitomise the superb Italian styling of that period. Anyone could come up with the current one. Just another dumpy, clumsy , forgettable car. The area ahead of the front wheels is a mess. When I first saw it on UK ‘Top Gear’ I thought ‘That looks like a Japanese car, not Italian’. Then it was revealed that it was……. a Japanese car. Even if it was vastly superior I’d take the original every time.
The reality is as cool as the original is (and it is cool) I think I would be driving the new one and the original would be relegated to special occasions. It just isn’t then. Those old ones won’t ever be made again and new ones have to be made for today’s world. Both cars share a name and a purpose, to expect more wouldn’t be realistic.
Love my Abarth 124 Spider, the drive is very Italian, I have owned Fiats & Alfa’s before, this one makes you smile just as much as the old one and did! Just love it!
I just think it was a missed opportunity to produce something stunning. Look a the great job Fiat did with the little Barchetta and the 500. That was all about those subtle lines of Italian design. If you cover up the front of the new 124 it doesn’t look too bad. For me, the front is far too complicated. I think round headlights similar to modern BMW’s would have captured the 124 spirit more. As for the side view in the final photo, I defy anybody to have been able to identify it as a modern 124 if they didn’t know, whereas the 500 was instantly recognisable. I admit I haven’t seen one in reality so I might be being too harsh.
For those who don’t know history, it’s a fine choice for a sporty car. Now let’s also not forget it’s from a firm with exceptional small car prowess, so somewhat disappointing in my view.
I had an ’82 Spider 2000 for 13 years or so, and now drive an ’08 Miata, so I have a lot of experience with both of these. While the Miata is objectively better in almost every way, I do miss the raw, mechanical nature of the older Fiat at times. By 1982, fuel injection made the Spider much more reliable and much less fiddly, and the quality of the steel, along with undercoating, mostly eliminated the rust problems from earlier years. I had very few problems with that car. (Unlike my ’69 124 Sport Coupe, another story!)
I’ve also driven both the new Miata and the new 124. Neither tempted me enough to replace my ’08. The turbo lag in the 124 is an issue, but if I were buying it would really come down to the one you think looks better. In my case, that would be the Fiat. I think they did a pretty good job bringing the design into the 21st century, considering they had to work off another manufacturer’s platform. But the front end does look a little Mustang-y to me. I’m seeing about 10 new Miatas for every 124 on the road, so I hope they don’t put this one out to pasture too quickly.