2018 Abarth 124 Spider

Abarth represents an obsessive passion for beautiful machines with the singular goal of making cars go faster. The Abarth 124 Spider is powered by a 1.4-litre turbo four-cylinder Fiat engine producing 125kW and 250Nm. This is well up on the car it shares a decent amount of DNA with - the 2L Mazda MX-5 puts out just 118kW/200Nm by comparison. As such, 0-100km/h is taken care of in as little as 6.8 seconds.

The Abarth 124 Spider sets a number of new benchmarks. A tare vehicle mass of only 1100kg, with a weight-power ratio of just 8.8kg/kW. The weight is concentrated within the wheelbase for optimum weight distribution (50:50) ensuring performance and agility. Offering unparalleled handling thanks to suspension derived from Abarth’s racing experience.

What’s most significant about the engine, more so than the power or the delivery, is the noise it makes. If you’re used to the big, burbling noise emitted from the little 500-based Abarths, then the 124 will sound familiar. The brazen, unapologetically loud noise emitted from its quad exhausts lets you know the Abarth is more aggressive than an MX-5, but also that it shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

What’s it like to drive? Well, as with the standard Fiat 124 Spider and the Mazda MX-5, everything is blissfully simple. But what the Abarth gets over the Fiat and some variations of the Mazda is a limited-slip differential. An LSD in a small, lightweight, rear-wheel-drive sports car is a recipe for fun!

As well as the diff, the Abarth – unlike the other two – has a Sport switch. Putting the 124 into Sport makes the throttle feel more immediate, adds some weight to the steering and slackens off the ESP and traction control. All of this combines to create a fantastic 'pure' driving experience wrapped up in classic Italian styling – a perfect, potent little package!

We are delighted to present this rare opportunity with such low km and an itch to hit the tarmac that you can feel the moment you lay your eyes on it!