There has been a final confirmation that the 2018 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth model is going to make a comeback. This was a premise about the vehicle which dominant in the 60s and the news about its revival started to emerge in 2014. But it was only at the latest Geneva Auto Show when these rumors were put to rest as the confirmation about the model coming out sometime in 2018 and its potential release date have been confirmed.
Fiat finally came clean and announced that it was going to make a roadster car using the underpinnings borrowed from the Mazda MX-5 model. It was more than clear that the Fiat 124 Spider was the vehicle in question fans were even more excited when they heard that it is the performance-orientated Abarth model. The standard roadster was actually unveiled at the Los Angeles Show but the confirmation about the Abarth model is the news that we were hoping on getting.
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The new model was made using technology from the 500 Abarth model and it features a sporty kit, a revised interior and much more powerful version of the engine than we had on the standard models. There are also some fancy additions which are going to link this model and its Abarth heritage to the 124 Rally limited edition model.
Since Mazda announced that they are not planning to make a high-powered version of their Miata model and for whatever reason they have decided not to do that, the 2018 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth can be quite an important model for the segment. The vehicle is going to come out in Europe first and will grace the showrooms there, while we are still waiting for the US release date and the North American confirmation. Till then read the review and the confirmed data.
2018 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth Exterior
The 2018 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth has an exterior styling which is actually based on the base roadster car and only expands by building it up and adding some expanded exterior additions. The front end has a honeycomb mesh grille which is similar to the one seen in the original model but adds air vents with black plastic surrounds. There are also a revised lower grille added that has integrated foglamps and uses a sportier apron with a red insert. The hood is matte black and has a Abarth’s racing anti-glare kit but in this addition the Fiat logo is replaced by a Scorpion badge.
The side of the car has some black-painted skirts. The model also uses 17-inch, multi-spoke, lightweight wheels which have red calipers and there are also some Scorpion badges placed on the front fenders of the car. The side profile of the car also enables us to notice that the car sits lower than usually which is owed to the revised suspension system. The back also gains a new sportier piece with vents toward the rear wheels. It combines a more aggressive diffuser with a quad-exhaust layout and just like the hood the trunk lid is also painted matte black as well. This is actually a nod to the original 124 Spider vehicle.
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Interior Specs
The changes on the inside of the 2018 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth are actually much more subtle compared to the exterior. The interior layout is based on the 124 Spider model but also adds elements taken from the MX-5 Miata as well. But this Fiat interior keeps the upscale elements which made a difference between these two models as it uses the revised door panels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and an extra layer of leather on the lower dashboard.
Besides keeping all of these features, the Abarth also gained some new bespoke features. The upgrades are basically performance orientated and include sportier seats with enhanced grip, an aluminum pedal board, a small-diameter steering wheel with red 12 o’clock stripe, and a red background for the rev counter. The lower part of the dashboard uses Alcantara leather.
The standard features that the car has include a stereo with four speakers, a climate control system, cruise control, MP3 player and USB port and adjustable and electrically-folding door mirrors. The optional parts of equipment are an infotainment system that has a seven-inch color display, an intuitive knob on the central unit, DAB digital tuner, satellite navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity, and a rear backup camera.
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Engine Specs
A car like the 2018 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth has to have a powerful engine and that is the case when it comes to the latest model. The model uses a 1.4-liter turbo-four engine which delivers 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. This is actually an improvement of 10-horsepower compared to the base US version and 22-horsepower and seven-pound-feet increase against the Euro one.
With this sort of output it takes the car only 6.8 seconds to reach 0-60 mph by making a top speed of 143 mph. The car is also available with either a six-speed manual or the automatic Sequenziale Sportivo gearboxes. It makes 26 mpg city and 35 mpg highway with the manual transmission and 25 mpg city and 36 mpg highway with the automatic gearbox.
Release Date and Price
The latest 2018 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth has been confirmed and announced and the model is going to appear next year. The release date is set for the end of 2017 or at least the final quarter of the year. The price for this long awaited model starts at $28,195, for the manual, and $29,545, for the automatic one.
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