Sports car fans blame the crazy days of the 1980s for the death of the two-seater. With similar power and fun on offer but with the luxuries of backs seats and big boots, it’s easy to see why the sports car was deemed old fashioned and superfluous against the new wave of hot hatchbacks.
Fast-forward 30 years and with hot hatches becoming ever more powerful and out of reach for some, it would seem back-to-basics sports cars are back on the agenda. The new Fiat 124 Spider may well be the sister car to the Mazda MX-5 but it doubles the number of entry-level sports car on sale. But what is undeniably the hottest property in this reinvigorated part of the market is the brand new Abarth 124 Spider – a car that promises to meld simple old-school sports car charm with some serious performance.
The Mazda MX-5 has been the daddy of roadsters for over 25 years and rightly so, but you’d never call it powerful. Mazda likes to keep things pure and uncomplicated – but that’s not Abarth’s way. The brand – revived proper in 2008 with the Abarth 500 – has a new mission and that’s to build authentic performance cars and not just tarted up Fiats.
Under the bonnet is the same 1.4-litre turbo petrol you get in the Fiat but power has been upped to 168bhp and torque by 10Nm to 250Nm. Some will point out that Abarth can get more brawn from the engine in the bonkers 695 Biposto which had 187bhp, but Abarth says it wanted to have a balanced chassis with the 124 and 168bhp is adequate. Performance figures would suggest so too: 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds – that’s one second quicker than a 2.0 MX-5 and eight tenths faster than the Fiat. The Abarth tops out at 143mph.
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Unlike the Fiat, there’s a limited-slip differential, while double wishbone suspension at the front and a five-link setup at the back remains. But while the Japanese roadster just gets Bilstein dampers the racy Italian gets ‘Abarth by Bilstein’ versions (essentially retuned dampers to cope with the Abarth’s different engine and slightly longer dimensions). A six-speed manual is standard with a six-speed paddle-shift auto – tested here – costing an extra £2,040 and there’s a noisy four-pipe Record Monza exhaust system fitted, too.
If you don’t hear the Abarth first you’ll certainly see it as it gets a full body makeover. Fiat stresses its 124 is retro but it’s nothing compared to the Abarth. There are five colours – with characterful names like Turini 1975 White and our test car’s Costa Brava 1972 Red – and the Abarth 124 Spider can be chosen with a Heritage Look pack which adds a matt black bonnet that harks back to Fiat 124 Spider rally cars of the 1970s. The boot lid is also painted matt black.
The Heritage Look pack is a no-cost option, but even without it fitted the 124 looks the business. There are meaner-looking new front and rear bumpers, 17-inch alloys and an assortment of Abarth badges for the body. In our eyes it looks better than the slightly awkward looking Fiat version.
Press the starter button and the first thing that hits you is the noise. On the MX-5 and and the Fiat 124 Spider there’s an almost wheezy-sounding start-up but the Abarth fires into life with an almighty ‘bwaaarrrpp’. Touch the throttle and there’s a deep-bowled engine noise; lift off and it’ll pop. Our car had the optional auto gearbox which, when you’re in sport mode and accelerate hard adds a little jolt to upshifts as well has bangs from the exhaust.
The steering gets revised mapping compared to the MX-5s but it’s still deliciously pin-point in its accuracy and there’s bags of feedback. Body-roll is kept in check and if you keep the turbo spooled up the Abarth feels far quicker than its performance figures suggest. When pushing hard there’s a good amount of grip although there is fun to be had if you’re brave enough – the rear wheels can lose traction when provoked even when the traction control is on. The ride seems well judged too, but the real test on ride quality will come when we get the car on our battered UK roads.
However, the Abarth is a feisty car, feeling quite urgent all of the time. The noise from the sports exhaust – while lovely when you’re driving hard – never goes away meaning it can get tiring if you’re just pootling around the town or cruising on the motorway. But the biggest criticism is the six-speed auto.
Pull the wheel-mounted paddles to change up and the gearbox really takes its time to switch ratios; it’s the same when you’re changing down. The gearbox especially doesn’t like to be rushed with multiple down changes during braking for a tight corner, either.
Happily the six-speed manual is a real delight and is in keeping with the 124 Spider’s back-to-basics fun character. It’s snappy and with its short throw and popping exhaust, quite often we found ourselves changing gear just for fun. Our time behind the wheel of the manual was limited but it immediately felt like the pick of the two.
On the inside, the partnership with Mazda can’t be ignored as both Fiat and Abarth 124 Spiders get the same basic dash layout and controls – even down to the same infotainment system but with respective branding. The seats are new though – complete with Abarth stitched logos and retro-looking slatted inner cushions – and there’s more soft-touch plastic used so it feels a little more upmarket. Standard equipment includes cruise control, climate control, Bluetooth, a DAB radio and satnav, plus Alcantara black and red or pure black seat trim.
Those who believe the Abarth name has been tainted by being slapped on the nose of some tarted up Fiats can finally rejoice. The 124 Spider is a proper halo car for one of the motoring world’s most characterful car tuning brands. Welcome back Abarth.
- Model : Abarth 124 Spider
- Price: £29,565
- Engine: 1.4-litre, 4cyl, turbocharged petrol
- Power/torque: 168bhp/250Nm
- Transmission: Six-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
- 0-62mph: 6.7 seconds
- Top speed : 143mph
- On sale: Now