Powered by a turbocharged MultiAir 1.4-liter engine rated at 160 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque, the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Elaborazione Abarth, a Mazda-based roadster, was introduced at the New York Auto Show today. It will be on sale this summer. Though it debuted in Geneva this year, the sports car added the name Elaborazione for its second debut. FCA calls it a “wicked, fun-to-drive machine,” a description that awaits road test verification for what likely will be a $30,000 car. (See AutoInformed on Fiat and Mazda to Develop a Sports Car for Alfa and Mazda)
Similar to the marketing approach of the Fiat 500 Abarth introduced at the 2011 LA Auto Show,the Fiat 124 Spider platform – well, it’s shared with the Mazda and ultimately an Alfa Romeo will appear – has a sport-tuned suspension (basically the same as Mazda’s), mechanical limited slip differential, sport mode selector and a chrome quad-tip exhaust. Options include the Brembo braking system and Recaro seats. It’s an attempt to get premium pricing – thus far unannounced – from a mass market car.
The Fiat 124 Elaborazione Abarth, is inspired by racing legend Karl Abarth. The new model is the heir of the roadster that drove Fiat to its first European Rally Championship win in the 1970s. Key Abarth specs include rear-wheel drive, a sophisticated suspension and a four-cylinder turbocharged MultiAir 1.4-liter Turbo engine with 160 horsepower – disappointing as it’s the same as the 500 engine – that is available with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters.
