Fiat Group Automobiles South Africa has confirmed that the Abarth 124 Spider is scheduled to hit local dealers in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Fitted with a 1,4-litre MultiAir Turbo four-cylinder engine, the new Abarth Spider makes 127 kW and 250 N.m. This is enough for a claimed 6,8-second sprint to three figures, and a top speed of 230 km/h.
The two-seater roadster – which is the Abarth-tuned version of the Fiat 124 Spider, which itself shares much with the Mazda MX-5 – also features a Record Monza exhaust, which the brand promises “generates a unique growl”.
The Abarth-branded version of the 124 Spider also gains Bilstein dampers, firmer springs, Brembo four-pots at the front, and a mechanical limited-slip differential.
In Europe, the lightweight Abarth 124 Spider is available with either a short-throw six-speed manual gearbox or an automatic transmission, the latter with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Each car certified by an Abarth technician, who applies a metal plaque depicting the sequential number of the vehicle.
While local pricing and specifications have yet to be confirmed, we do know that the Abarth 124 Spider starts at £29 565 in the UK, which works out to around R640 652.
The Abarth 595 is expected to arrive in South Africa around the same time.
