Photography by Tom Suddard
At one point, the Fiat 124 Spider seemed poised to knock the Miata off its pedestal. Back in the summer of 2016, the Fiat offered a brand-new, sharply styled, turbocharged platform-mate to the ND Mazda Miata that, at the time, still ran its lower-revving, lower-fun engine.
We got even more excited after we compared the two cars on track at the …
You can read it for free in 66 days or subscribe to GRM+ to read right now.
Already a member?
Despite my typical Italian car ownership experience, the Fiata has a certain charm of its own that I miss sometimes. Especially paired with the Goodwin System One exhaust, which mine also had, it's quite possibly the best-sounding four cylinder engine of all time. And the non-Abarth body (like Goodwin's car in the article) I think is better looking than the blacked-out angry-face Abarth. Maybe one day they'll become collectible.
Yeah but what's it's lap time at the Firm?
jk
In reply to maschinenbau :
I'll be surprised if they don't become collectible, even if it's the Bring A Trailer/Cars & Bids kind of collectible.
I'm by no means a market expert, but I'd say it's the kind of car worth buying sooner instead of later if you have an interest.
I prefer the way these look compared to the current Miata. I'd swap the motor though. 
In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :
Taking a stock 124 Spider to the FIRM isn't a bad idea.
Anyone have one we can run? (I'm only half-joking.)
Cool. I have always liked the Fiata.
Although $14,000 in parts feels like... a lot.
I'd probably lose all the carbon fiber aero bits and it'll be a lot cheaper and a little more sleeper looking.
On track, the Fiata feels like an ND with 100 lbs strapped to the nose and softer throttle response - because that's what it is. I don't know if we still have lap times for our in-house development car, but it sure would be interesting to see the traces from the FIRM.
Yes, quite the extensive (pricey parts list). While the result is something unique and fun, you're well into 987 Boxster S price territory at this point...
I remember test driving one when they first came out, while the Abarth 500 was in for scheduled maintenance. I'm not a convertible fan, even if I still want another Miata, but I also agree I thought they looked better than the ND. I was disappointed to learn the Abarth version didn't have the same angry exhaust.
Displaying 1-9 of 9 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
