Fiat 124 Spider: Spotted
For £25k you could buy a new Fiat 124 Spider - or this one...
For something based on the universally acclaimed Mazda MX-5, the Fiat 124 does still struggle on occasion to garner a positive reception. Too laggy for some, too ugly for others, it hasn't quite hit the mark with enthusiasts. Arguably, of course, that was never the point; the MX-5 is there for B-road blasting, the 124 suited more to a relaxed gait, a situation in which it's actually rather likeable.
Let's not forget, either, that that was the exact remit of the original 124 Spider. The often overlooked 124 Coupe was more dynamically talented, but that's no surprise given that the convertible, launched in 1966, traded structural rigidity for a Pininfarina-penned open-top design; it was such a successful look, in fact, that many from both sides of the Atlantic lusted after the 124 during its 16 years in production. It was - and to some people still is - one of the prettiest sports cars to come out of Italy.
You could say the 124 Spider represented the best of Fiat, as it was an attractive, sweet-handling rear-drive convertible that was affordable and provided reasonable running costs. Much of the latter was down to the car's use of fairly low capacity four-cylinder engines, which grew through several updates from a carb-fed 1.4 with the original car to a fuel injected 2.0 twin-cam in 1979, which could be equipped with a turbocharger as an option.
For some enthusiasts, much of the 124's appeal came from the spawning of an Abarth competition version, which went on to rally across the globe with great success. The Fiat Abarth 124 Rally, as it was called, used a 128hp version of the 1.8 twin cam motor and it earned its stripes with titles including the European Rally Championship. In reflection of that, today's 124 has also spawned a competition version, which is R-GT eligible.
The original 124's success owed much to strong demand in the US, where, despite the eventual addition of ghastly plastic bumpers as per regulations, the model was light years ahead of the sluggish, big capacity products produced domestically when oil prices were sky high. Across its 16 years on sale, close to 175,000 examples of the 124 were sold globally.
As a 1982 car, today's Spotted is an example right from the end of the model's life, which makes it quite rare, and it comes with the best engine offered with the 124 - the 105hp fuel-injected 2.0-litre. The car has just returned from the US, where a specialist extensively restored it for £26,621. Yet bizarrely, this spotless Fiat Blue car - which is just 47,000 miles old - is on sale for £25,950. Go figure.
Not an insignificant amount by any stretch - reflecting the value rise all classics have enjoyed recently - but the 124 must surely offer all the Italian style, zest and brio that most could want. And yes, that is three for your 'Italian car cliche' bingo card. Plus, let's be honest, there's no danger of a passer-by bringing up the MX-5 with this one, either...
SPECIFICATIONS - FIAT 124 SPIDER
Engine: 1,995cc, four-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power(hp): 102@5,500rpm
Torque(lb ft): 110@N/Arpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1982
Recorded mileage: 47,217
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £25,950
See the original advert here.
White / red leather / no front bumper / rear quater bumpers / headlamp grills / Abarth exhaust - when the engine was re-built it went like the proverbial stabbed rat.
It was fantastic in relation to TR6's and MGB's we drove as our starter classics 5 speed gearbox, independent wishbone suspension all round - disc brakes all round.....BUT it broke down so often it was stupid
It was remarked on that it even looked good on the bed of a recovery truck.
Spent a large fortune to make it perfect - for it to catch fire and melt in front of me
I love it, but that seems dear to me. I'm sure I read somewhere on here about a 124 Coupe and a 130 Coupe in the last couple of days that were both less than £10,000. I'd love any one of those - maybe I need to buy a Euromillions ticket for tomorrow then I could have all 3.
But that Spider doesn't have the best engine IMO. The 1.8 version was a bored out 1.6, but the 2.0 was a 1.8 with a longer stroke so the 1.8 revved better, and was rated at 118 bhp in the last generation Coupe in European spec.
I had a 125 in the late 70s and a 132 1800ES in the early 80s - loved them. Looked at a 124 Coupe, but ended up buying a Rover V8 - seduced by power!
The 1608 loved to rev and the handling was very good - street ahead of its contemporaries.
The 1608 loved to rev and the handling was very good - street ahead of its contemporaries.
Some months into it, a friend of mine took a photo of me in it, with the roof down.....I should correct that, it was a photo of me ON IT.......seriously, I didn't realise how ridiculous I looked in this car - I didn't sit in the car, I sat on it. I looked like a massive bloke who'd borrowed his wife's car - I'm not a big guy - 180cm and 80kg. From that moment on it was never driven with the roof down.
The car was promptly sold to a guy who wanted it to cruise around Mallorca. Perhaps where the car should've been in the first place - not crumby old, rainy, pot holed Oxfordshire where I was at the time.
I never met the buyer but I hope he was less than about 165cm and 65kg, or that it was a gift for his minuscule wife/teenage daughter
Nice, no? Until you climb into it.......
After seeing the photo of me in it, the Merc in the background became the car of choice 
The Merc 300SE W126 in the background I sold that too, same year, for 1500 quid...I don't want to know how much they are now
Meanwhile - I've made jack s
t on my house that I bought the same year. Thanks, Brexit Advice to the youth out there reading this - don't sweat that you can't buy a house, stick your money into old cars. The Focus RS up for sale on this forum would be a good place to start
Euro-version, supercharged, carburetted,135hp (easily tuned..) and more importantly, rack/pinion steering.
Re the 2-litre engine in the article, that was the US version with very low compression - hence 102hp. The same engine in the (non-US) Argenta developed 122hp, with still pretty low compression.
Euro-version, supercharged, carburatted,135hp (easily tuned..) and more importantly, rack/pinion steering.
Re the 2-litre engine in the article, that was the US version with very low compression - hence 102hp. The same engine in the (non-US) Argenta developed 122hp, with still pretty low compression.
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