Read the full article here. The fact that both the Mazda MX-5 and the Abarth 124 Spider sports cars exist, side-by-side, is a good thing. In fact, they need each other to survive. You've heard it before: the issue with making a sports car is scale. There is a great deal of development cost involved in getting a vision to production and then, because no one really needs sports cars, the return is generally not all that great...
The fact that both the Mazda MX-5 and the Abarth 124 Spider sports cars exist, side-by-side, is a good thing. In fact, they need each other to survive. You've heard it before: the issue with making a sports car is scale. There is a great deal of development cost involved in getting a vision to production and then, because no one really needs sports cars, the return is generally not all that great...
Abarth has unveiled a special-edition hardtop version of the 124 Spider, ahead of a full reveal in Geneva next week. Unlike the Mazda MX-5/Miata-aping soft-top on regular 124 Spiders, the GT packs a removable carbon-fibre hardtop and a number of lightweight touches around its exterior. Abarth says the roof, which weighs just 16kg, helps improve the "compactness" and torsional rigidity of the car...
There are many market trends in action this year, but one of the more novel is the resurgence - or re-emergence - of old nameplates. Running through some cars experiencing good growth is a bit like looking at a new car guide from early 2000s. In the light car segment there's the relaunched Suzuki Baleno, with 1043 incremental sales - enough for a respectable 4...
The all-new Abarth 124 Spider has gone on sale with a $43,500 drive-away price, but it took the timely application of some last-minute common sense for the Japanese-built Italian car to be positioned at such a sharp point. Originally, all Abarth 124 Spiders were destined to leave the Mazda factory in Hiroshima, Japan (the 124 is based on the Mazda MX-5) and head to Turin, Italy for final tuning and modifications, before then being sent all the way back to Australia...
The 2017 Abarth 124 Spider will hit Australia in October with a $41,990 starting price, the company has confirmed today, and a guaranteed drive-away price of $43,500 for the six-speed manual model. The first 100 examples will also be sold as 'launch editions', adding contrasting bumper inserts, tow-hook covers and mirror caps, along with a "[x] of 100" build plate in the cockpit...
I bought the Abarth 124 because I always wanted a roadster that looked stylish, had reasonable performance and was fun to drive. Basically, a well-packaged sportster. I checked out others, but none fit the way the Abarth 124 Spider did. They were either too expensive or didn't have what it took – the wow factor! It was by accident that I happened to read about the Abarth 124 Spider...
