124 Abarth
Several months ago we hinted that South Africa would be getting a taste of the hotter MX-5 based Fiat 124 Spider powered by Abarth. This model has just been revealed and is set to make an appearance at this year’s Geneva Motor Show alongside a rally variant for private teams who wish to relive the days of the classic Abarth rally cars.
The standard 124 Abarth makes use of a lot of different body panels giving it a wider and much more aggressive appearance along with a black, white and red colour scheme (four other colour schemes paying homage to classic Fiat rally cars are available). The 124 Abarth sports larger air intakes and some extra exhaust tailpipes.
Inside the cabin the driver will be greeted with a very MX-5 interior disguised by Abarth logos, Alcantara inserts, a different gear shifter and slightly redesigned leather seats. With this kit the 124 Abarth will weigh in at 1 060 kg with a 50/50 weight distribution.
Driving the 124 Abarth will be the famous 1,4-litre MultiAir Turbo engine delivering 127 kW and 250 N.m of torque which will see the Spider accelerate from 0-100 in 6,8 seconds when equipped, with the optional automatic Sequenziale Sportivo transmission, with a top speed of 230 km/h. The 124 Abarth also has a few aids to help invite the driver into a more subversive driving experience such as throttle-steer driving through the LSD.
For the sake of handling the 124 Abarth has been fitted with the “Abarth by Bilstein” dampers with stiffened anti-roll bars and a Brembo braking system with aluminium front calipers.
124 Rally
A true homage to the classic Abarth 124 Spider, the Abarth Racing Team has developed a variant for private sporting use. This model features a 1,8-litre bialbero turbocharged direct injection engine which is good for 224 kW mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox with shift paddles and an LSD. The soft top has also been replaced by a fixed composite hard top to make it more rigid and to give it a more rear-biased weight distribution for extra traction.
