Not sure, I kind of like the ND better
tuna55 wrote: Not sure, I kind of like the ND better
Well then you be wrong. 
I love that.
If they make the WRC hood with fog lights available for the street version, I'm sold. That is a badass looking car.
Also, I guess this means there is now some kind of factory ND hardtop...
Like it, but I was hoping for an updated version of this:
I wonder if it will be forever labeld as a Miata with a Fiat engine? At leat on this example, the basic interior design looks virtually the same...
I like the look of the Abarth. I selfishly hope it sells as well as the 500 Abarth so I can buy a heavily discounted one from my local dealership.
I'm not sure why they need to glue an iPad on the dash though. That is terrible.
In reply to pointofdeparture:
The lights aren't on the hood, they're attached to the front facia. It looks like they're held on with a Dzus type fastener so you would only need the pods to put them on the regular Fiat 124.
In reply to WilD:
I shared your opinion of the dash display ,too, but then I drove a new ND and didn't even notice it.Probably because our MINI and xB both have rather prominent center displays. Next year all MX-5 will have it to serve as the backup camera display required by law for 2017 models anyway.
It does look good, but I would have a hard time picking that over an ND at MSRP.
Price and availability?
In reply to DeadSkunk:
D'oh, I didn't even notice that (posting from cellphone). Even better! Between this and the new Alpine, I'm extremely happy to see that my lust for ridiculous fog lights is being satisfied by new cars again.
I guarantee that those fog light pods will be available on the aftermarket as soon as Spiders hit the streets.
What do you think the Abarth price will be? If a top of the line Miata is $32, I'm betting $35 for an Abarth? I assume all Fiat versions will be higher price than the Mazda version anyway. Add the, in truth minor Abarth upgrades and I bet $35ish. Hopefully it will be like the 500 Abarth and by the end of the year there will be some really good deals going on them.
It's an outrage as a street car. I like it. I'll guess >$35.
According to TopGear, the rally version'll be about 150,000 euros. For 300 hp, I could live with that.
DeadSkunk wrote: In reply to WilD: I shared your opinion of the dash display ,too, but then I drove a new ND and didn't even notice it.Probably because our MINI and xB both have rather prominent center displays. Next year all MX-5 will have it to serve as the backup camera display required by law for 2017 models anyway.
been through this before, but they could put that into the rear view mirror. Better spot for many reasons.
And since this and the Miata are theoretically to be enjoyed from more aspects than just driving, the fact that it's not noticeable when driving still doesn't sway me that it could not be done better.
Still- for this car...
Holy retro, Fiat.
Is this car actually going rallying, or is this to remind us of Fiat's heyday?
Not sure if I like it or not... Do I want a car that looks like one from the 70's or more modern? I'd have to see it up close to decide.
Just like I need to see the new Alfa, being that it's (still, since 1995) 4 years out from our shore.
In reply to alfadriver:
Fiat is reportedly fielding this car as a WRC Group A contender beginning in 2017. They will apparently be competing as a works team as well as selling prepared cars to privateers.
In reply to pointofdeparture:
Interesting. Anyone else fielding a RWD WRC car?
Hope it does well.
Toyota has a WRC BRZ.
I'm not a fan of the Abarth nose, I think the Mazda is far more successful. The rear is much more conventional than the ND, which is either good or bad depending on how you swing. The ND looks like a baby exotic, the Fiat is retro with some mismatched proportions.
The Fiat interior doesn't just look a bit like the Miata, it's identical with the addition of some suede and slightly different door panels.
Good point on the hardtop. I looks very much like the NA unit.
It's not going for 'The WRC' it will be competing in the FIA R-GT cup against 911's Astons etc. 'The WRC' as in the main competition to be 'THE world Championship' is for transverse engine 4WD cars with certain spec parts. No was a front engine rear drive longtitudinal engine car could be legal for the main WRC, not that it would stand a change anyway.
I like this better, but that's because it will be terribly easy to extract a good chunk of extra power for reasonable sums....
I like it, but Top Gear is reporting it to be £29,500 which is ~$41,000. I don't like it that much.
http://www.topgear.com/car-news/geneva-motor-show/abarths-124-spider-here-and-theres-300bhp-rally-version
If the Fiat is built to the same levels of engineering as the ND, it may also prove easy to extract engine and transmission parts explosively. Fun fact, the ND transmission carries 1.1L of fluid while the diff has 600 mL.
These cars will race in the R3 class, which means they can run at WRC events. That's pretty cool. It's like saying that all those Corvettes and Ferraris aren't really racing at Le Mans because they're not LMP1s.
Quite frankly, the RWD classes at WRC events are becoming the most interesting part. I only wish I could find good coverage (with video) of them.
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