Express & Star

The Abarth 124 Spider is a ferocious little sports car

The Abarth 124 Spider is a harder, faster version of Fiat’s 124 Spider. Aidan Rennie-Jones puts it to the test in the UK

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What’s new?

The Abarth 124 Spider shares the same chassis as the Fiat 124 Spider, which in turn is taken from the Mazda MX-5. It also has the same silky-smooth six-speed manual gearbox from the Mazda too. But if you think for one moment the Abarth is just an MX-5 with a party frock on, you’re very much mistaken. What Abarth has done is take all the cracking elements of the MX-5, planted them into its own beautifully designed body and added the engine from its little Abarth 595 to give it that extra oomph needed over the standard Fiat 124 Spider. Together with a Monza exhaust system and Brembo brakes, it makes for a fantastic little roadster.

Looks and image

Never before have I driven a car in this price range that has drawn so much attention. The way it looks with the two-tone matt black and metallic bodywork is a good part of it, but the car’s raucous engine note is the main reason why people’s heads turn in its direction. It’s louder than most cars on the road, or appears to be anyway. The styling is elegant, with the rear especially resembling that of a Maserati GranTurismo.

Abarth 124 Spider
(PA)

When on the move the ride is pretty firm but not uncomfortable and adds to the sportiness. The whole car feels surprisingly solid and very well screwed together. This is probably thanks to the fact that almost all of the interior is lifted out of the MX-5, but it adds some extra levels of luxury – Alcantara and leather, for example.

Space and practicality

Space inside isn’t exactly plentiful, but the Spider does offer slightly more legroom and headroom than you get in the Mazda MX-5 RF. However, those over six foot may still find it a tight squeeze.

The boot is also not big, but can easily swallow a small suitcase or a weekly shop with ease, and thanks to the roof being a simple soft-top, there is no space taken up by the mechanicals of a folding hard-top.

This is a two-seat sports car though so practicality is never going to be great. If you look at it in that context, it is still a usable everyday car – even if there isn’t a glove box.

Behind the wheel

Once you get inside the Abarth the seats are very comfortable and the driving position is spot on, and even though the interior will be very familiar to fans of the current-generation Mazda MX-5, the materials are different, with a mix of leather on the seats and Alcantara on the dashboard, gear gator and handbrake to add an extra feel of luxury. There’s even an Abarth logo emblazoned on the centre console lid and an Abarth badge on the cubbyhole between the two seats.

Abarth 124 Spider
(PA)

Depress the clutch, push the start button and the sounds come. The Monza quad exhausts behind you roar and vibrate like no other car. The noise is fantastic and certainly attracts a lot of attention wherever you go, and every now and then when you put your foot down, it pops and bangs, and you can’t help but laugh with delight.

Once on the move the gearbox is one of the best currently available to use and is virtually identical to the Mazda MX-5 gearbox.

The handling is fantastic, with quick, precise steering. Put your foot down and there is some turbo lag however, but this doesn’t last very long and certainly doesn’t detract from the enjoyment you have driving the Abarth.

One thing the Abarth delivers in spades is fun. Every mile in this car was joyous. The feel of the car and the way it looks all add up to a great driving experience.

It doesn’t come without its flaws though. Apart from turbo lag, the engine doesn’t have the same instant delivery of its Japanese sibling and just lacks the get-up-and-go feel the MX-5 has. And it’s the same story when compared to the Toyota GT86 as well.

Abarth 124 Spider
(PA)

Another niggle is the clutch, which has a very odd biting point that seems too high, making the car easy to stall. Get over these, though, and this car is just a fantastic bit of kit. It has history to it too if finished in the heritage look, which consists of a matt black bonnet and boot lid along with your choice of paint scheme. Our test car came in grey, and this harked back to the original Fiat 124 of the 1970s.

Value for money

Unfortunately, this is the Achilles’ heel of the Abarth 124 Spider. Our car, with optional Portogallo grey paint, Bose sound system and Visibility Pack as well as rain and rear parking sensor, automatic LED headlights and Daytime running LEDs came in at more than £32,265, which puts it into Mercedes SLC and BMW Z4 territory – two cars that can run rings around this car in terms of outright performance. It also means it’s nearly £6,000 more than the top-spec Mazda MX-5.

An extra gripe is that all the optional tech found on the MX-5 doesn’t all transfer to the Abarth. Down by the right side of the driver’s column in the Mazda you’ll find a control panel for the blind spot system and several other buttons, but in the Abarth you can’t even have these as optional extras – instead you have a panel with blank buttons, making it look a tad cheap. You also can’t have the excellent automatic dimming rear-view mirror, having to settle for a pretty cheap mirror that looks rather out of place.

Abarth 124 Spider
(PA)

Who would buy one?

The Abarth 124 Spider is aimed at those wanting a little extra performance and much better looks in a roadster than other rivals offer. And although you could buy a Mercedes SLC180 for the same money, it doesn’t have as much power and will be a standard model without the extra tech this car offers.

The Abarth is aimed at the sort of person who wants a drop-top with kerbside appeal that doesn’t break the bank and is always going to be the less obvious choice and therefore slightly unusual.

By Aidan Rennie-Jones

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Model: Abarth 124 Spider
Base price: £29,620
Price as tested: £32,265
Engine tested: 1.4-litre Turbo Multiair
Power: 168bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Max speed: 144mph
0-60mph: 6.6 seconds
MPG: 44 (combined cycle)
Emissions: 148g/km

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