Spotted: a 2017 Abarth 124 Spider

In 2016, Fiat introduced the 124 Spider.
You can think of the car as a modern tribute to the classic Fiat 124 Sport Spider, which first came on the market in 1966.
The 124 Spider was not just driven on boulevards and scenic back roads.
Fiat also deployed the model in rallying.
Naturally, it was supported in this by Abarth.
The result was the Fiat Abarth 124 Rally in 1972, a homologation model for public roads.

Abarth 124 Spider is reborn

The modern reincarnation, of course, could not be left behind.
Back in 2016, shortly after the introduction of the Fiat 124 Spider, an Abarth 124 Spider Rally appeared for the rally trails.
The ordinary individual could opt for the Abarth 124 Spider.
Like the regular Fiat version, the Abarth was produced by Mazda, but otherwise it is a true Abarth.
Thus, final assembly “simply” took place in Turin, where Abarth itself assembled the model-specific parts.

Specs and performance Abarth 124 Spider

In the Abarth 124 Spider, the 1.4-liter four-cylinder delivers 125 kW (170 hp), compared to 103 kW (140 hp) for the regular Fiat version.
Thanks to its relatively low weight of 1,060 kg, that was enough for the Abarth to accelerate to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds.
If you shifted through the six gears fast enough yourself.
There was also a six-speed automatic, but it took 6.9 seconds.
Top speeds were 232 and 229 km/h, respectively.

Apart from the higher power, the Abarth distinguishes itself from the Fiat with its own bumpers, matte black hood and tailgate, 17-inch aluminum wheels and Alcantara-clad Recaro sports seats.

The spotted specimen

We experienced ourselves at the time that the Abarth is a very nice car, but unfortunately the bpm in the Netherlands caused a rather high starting price.
As a result, the Abarth has always remained a rare appearance in our country.
All the more fun to come across one again.
In one of the parking garages at Schiphol Airport, we saw this 2017 Abarth 124 Spider.
The car has been in the Netherlands since 2020, but its first Dutch owner did not enjoy it for long.
In fact, in 2021 the Abarth went on to its current owner.
So he is still happy with it, as we can only understand.