This Is The Fiat 124 Spider: The MX-5's Turbocharged Italian Sister

Here it is: Fiat’s sister car to the ND MX-5. The result of Fiat’s joint-venture with Mazda revives the famous 124 Spider name, so expectations have been rather lofty. After all, the old drop-top 124 is one of the best looking roadsters of all time.

Well, the new car is now here, and it looks - erm - interesting. Those slashes on the bonnet and the silver windscreen surround give an aesthetic reminiscent of the old Chrysler Crossfire.

The overhangs look a lot longer than the ones on the ND MX-5 too, making the car look bulkier. The rear is a little tidier, but overall, reaction in the CT office is rather mixed. We’ll let you voice your opinion at the end of this post, but first, what lies under the skin of Fiat’s MX-5?

The biggest diversion from Mazda’s roadster can be seen under the bonnet, where you won’t find one of the Japanese company’s naturally-aspirated engines. Instead, you get a 1.4-litre turbocharged MultiAir II engine, good for 158bhp and 184lb ft of torque in the US. It’s been reported that UK customers will have to make do with a 138bhp, 177lb ft version of the engine, and it’s currently unknown if we’ll get the pokier motor on our shores at any point.

The inside doesn’t deviate a whole lot from the 124’s Japanese sister car, although the more eagle-eyed among you will spot something unavailable in the new MX-5: an automatic gearbox. Again, whether we’ll get an auto ‘box option in the UK is unclear at this point.

So, with all those details out of the way, we can get back to the issue of looks. What do you think?