Today sees the Fiat 124 Spider celebrate its half century.
The new Fiat 124 Spider may only have been unveiled last year, but it can trace its ancestry back to the original 124 Spider which was unveiled at the 48th Turin Motor Show on the 3rd November 1966.
The original 124 Spider entered a motoring world on the up, with production up by 8% over the previous year and Fiat having invested more than 650billion Lira in its factories during the decade, and that optimism was reflected in the elegant and striking lines of the Pininfarina-styled convertible. With a 90bhp, four-cylinder, 1.4-litre power plant mated to a 5-speed gearbox as standard, the 124 Spider’s top speed exceeded 105mph, and its performance was further aided by disc brakes all round, radial tyres, and sporty two-spoke steering wheel.
Over the next three year some 25,000 Fiat 124 Spiders were produced, and a second series was launched in 1969, followed by a third in 1972 with an Abarth version successfully created for rallying. Production continued for another decade, mainly for the United States market.
The Fiat 124 Spider made a dramatic return last year, and with the United States expected to again be a key market the new model was unveiled at the Lost Angeles Motor Show. The design pays homage to the classic good looks of the original, and like its ancestor the new Fiat 124 Spider is powered by a four-cylinder, 1.4-litre petrol engine, this time in the form of the 140bhp MultiAir turbo. This power plant gives the new model a 0-62mph time of 7.5 seconds. A six-speed manual transmission is standard.
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