Return of the Roadster

After 30 years, the FIAT<sup>®</sup> 124 Spider is back

By The Editors
November 19, 2015 9:00 am

There is no greater pastime in this life than driving fast cars on open roads.

But it is not a pastime without subtlety — starting with the right choice of vehicle.

And the all-new 2017 FIAT® 124 Spider — unveiled November 18th at the Los Angeles Auto Show — is that car.

It is, in a word, a classic: faithful in design to the original 124 Spider (discontinued in 1985), but modern enough to compete with every contemporary in its class.

The car sports all the signatures of a classic asphalt-hugging roadster: Aggressive, low-to-the-ground stance. Drop top (preferred setting: down). Available leather seats and 17-inch aluminum wheels. And a 160-horsepower, 184 lb-ft of torque 1.4L turbocharged engine that packs a punch given the car’s flyweight physique.

But it’s also got some newfangled tech updates you won’t find with older roadsters, like automatic temperature control and a seven-inch radio and navigation display.

Not that you’ll need it.

This was a car built for driving. Hands on the wheel, foot on the floor, and nothing but black-top and double-yellow as far as the eye can see.

FIAT is a registered trademark of FCA Group Marketing S.p.A., used under license by FCA US LLC.

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