Stylish Fiat 124 Provides Smiles Per Miles

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Graham

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See the blog feature on this -The Fiat 124 Spider is a new comer to the roadster market but one that comes with an established driving experience due to the fact the chassis and many components are that of the Mazda MX-5.

This best selling roadster from Japan is one that I drove recently and loved immensely, however Fiat have taken what is a proven entity and somehow managed to improve on it. Read the Full Article Here



Read the Entire Article Here
 

Coog

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Great write up Graham. I really want to like these as I'm a bit of a closet Fiat fan but I I'm not sure I could consider one over a MX5. Interesting that you say that it's a better car for our roads, though for me the N/A power delivery is what something like a MX5 is all about. Anyway, I wonder if they'll sell many of them? I hope they do!!
 

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I think these look absolutely class. I wonder would 170bhp be enough in it? Give it 10 years and I'll buy a turbo'd one
 

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There's something about the proportions that makes them unbalanced to me. Not a fan I don't think.

Interior is very Mazda like.
 

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There's something about the proportions that makes them unbalanced to me. Not a fan I don't think.

Interior is very Mazda like.
It is mazda :grinning:

the only parts that are not mazda is engine, front end and rear end
 
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Graham

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Just collected a Tipo for the weekend and the blue is stunning...

IMG_20170210_152723.jpg
 

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They certainly look better than the MX5, and seemed good fun on TGT.

Turbo is nice...but only a 1.4 ? They missed a real opportunity there.
 

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They certainly look better than the MX5, and seemed good fun on TGT.

Turbo is nice...but only a 1.4 ? They missed a real opportunity there.
You can overpower a car though and for the general ownership of such car the tried and tested 1400 T will tick the box perfectly
 

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Im a big fan of the 1.4t engine as it weighs fook all and can be wound up to fairly big power. I see fiat have homoligated a rally version too and a few were out on the monte with one going sideways into the same tree that hanninen went in to.
 

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You can ? lol

I'm sure the lower power can make it much safer, but another 100hp would definitely make it more fun
of the owners of a 124 about 1% will be like us RMS members though :p

i agree though 200-250bhp would make it a hilariously mad thing to steer with an LSD
 

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of the owners of a 124 about 1% will be like us RMS members though :p

i agree though 200-250bhp would make it a hilariously mad thing to steer with an LSD

Better fun to ring the balls out of a small car with a great chassis than drive a more powerful car at 75% & that's in keeping with the spirit of an MX5/124
 

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Better fun to ring the balls out of a small car with a great chassis than drive a more powerful car at 75% & that's in keeping with the spirit of an MX5/124
indeed.

the MX-5 needs driven at eleven tenths to be enjoyed, the 124 can be enjoyed at eight tenths due to the sheer torque of the wee tubby lump
 

stevieturbo

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Better fun to ring the balls out of a small car with a great chassis than drive a more powerful car at 75% & that's in keeping with the spirit of an MX5/124

But if the MX5 already does that with low power...seems a little odd to build another low powered car, the only real difference being it looks a bit better.

And how does the little 1.4 manage off boost vs on boost ? Or have they managed that well ?

Who knows, maybe they'll drop a proper engine into one later if this sells well.
 

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Great looking car inside and out. That 1.4 engine paired with a turbo and the weight of the car sounds ideal. I think I would need the Abarth to shake any potential hairdresser stigma but I really disklike its different coloured bonnet, usually like a matte black.
 

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Great looking car inside and out. That 1.4 engine paired with a turbo and the weight of the car sounds ideal. I think I would need the Abarth to shake any potential hairdresser stigma but I really disklike its different coloured bonnet, usually like a matte black.
I am pretty sure you could spec it without the vinyl (which is all it is from memory)
 

Graham

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But if the MX5 already does that with low power...seems a little odd to build another low powered car, the only real difference being it looks a bit better.

And how does the little 1.4 manage off boost vs on boost ? Or have they managed that well ?

Who knows, maybe they'll drop a proper engine into one later if this sells well.
It is only a wee turbo so no real lag yet pulls well for what it is through the revs, great usable torqie means no need to rev hard though and very prohgressive meaning no massive lumps of power hitting the wheels at once

and what engine do fiat have that is 'proper'? the 1400 turbo lump is their signature and can see around 190bhp easily (as per the mad 500 that can be ordered with sequent 'box etc)
 

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I am pretty sure you could spec it without the vinyl (which is all it is from memory)

Just checked, you can! In fact most for sale in England are spec'd without it and they look great.

As for the 1.4 turbo, I can only assume this is the same engine used in the 500 Abarth? It was around 135bhp. I had one of these - good punchy engine, fun on boost but needs to be paired with a light car.
 

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Just checked, you can! In fact most for sale in England are spec'd without it and they look great.

As for the 1.4 turbo, I can only assume this is the same engine used in the 500 Abarth? It was around 135bhp. I had one of these - good punchy engine, fun on boost but needs to be paired with a light car.
yes same unit, for me the abarth is what i would buy as it gets the 180bhp ish figure with an LSD
 

ChrisL

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They certainly look better than the MX5, and seemed good fun on TGT.

Turbo is nice...but only a 1.4 ? They missed a real opportunity there.

Agreed ... this car should have been manufactured for fun and to out gunned the MX5 rival. Even a 2.0T would have made more sense. Is there an Abarth edition?
 
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