The Fiat 124 Spider made its word premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show 2015 in California, shortly after which the company has revealed the Europe-spec model online. The compact two-seater convertible sportscar is based on the Mazda MX-5‘s platform.
Fiat has designed every single body panel from the scratch, deriving inspiration from the original 124. The sportscar’s low-slung front fascia is characterized by wide grilles, sophisticated projector headlamps with LED signatures and fog-cornering light clusters. Elevated front fenders, contoured bonnet and contrast windshield frame render a classy appeal.
The profile is maade of smooth surfaces with subtle contours and a retractable fabric roof. Rectangular taillights, twin circular exhaust tips and a central brake light on the diffuser round off the design. The European model ditches the mandatory orange side markers that are seen in the US-spec model but gains smoked effect for the taillights.
The European version gets dual-tone treatment while the US-spec model sports full-black interior color theme.The simple yet modern interior uses leather trims and has a standalone tablet-sized infotainment screen. A multifunction steering wheel, triple instrument console dials and a simple centre console are the other highlights.
Fiat opted to use its own engine rather than borrow the Miata’s mill. The 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine of the US-spec variant is tuned to produce 160 PS and 249 Nm of torque, and is available either with a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission. The version destined for Europe makes do with a lower state of tune, producing 140 PS and 240 Nm of torque. The transmission options are yet to be revealed.
The Fiat 124 Spider will go on sale in Europe sometime in the second half of 2016. An extreme Abarth version has been announced to join the lineup in the future.
