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Written by Stephen Dobie
Cars like this are exactly why we run stuff long term in the Top Gear garage. The Fiat 124 Spider, on first acquaintance, seems like a softer, stodgier-looking MX-5. After a night or two in one it"s easy to conclude that your money is best spent on the Mazda base car. But after seven months of running RV66 LAA, it"s got under my skin. A rundown of its technical highlights doesn"t take long. It"s a classic roadster with a pure spec, its engine over the front axle and driving the rear wheels through a fabulously taut six-speed manual gearbox. The dials are analogue, the handbrake manual and your only choice of driving modes is whether you want the ESP on or off. The main differentiator between the 124 and its MX-5 relation is the fact the Fiat uses a 1.4-litre turbo (with 138bhp and 177lb ft) in lieu of a naturally aspirated 2.0 (158bhp/148lb ft), bringing a quicker turn of pace but less excitement at high revs.
Date written: 29 Jan 2018
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 10700
Cars like this are exactly why we run stuff long term in the Top Gear garage. The Fiat 124 Spider, on first acquaintance, seems like a softer, stodgier-looking MX-5. After a night or two in one it"s easy to conclude that your money is best spent on the Mazda base car. But after seven months of running RV66 LAA, it"s got under my skin. A rundown of its technical highlights doesn"t take long. It"s a classic roadster with a pure spec, its engine over the front axle and driving the rear wheels through a fabulously taut six-speed manual gearbox. The dials are analogue, the handbrake manual and your only choice of driving modes is whether you want the ESP on or off. The main differentiator between the 124 and its MX-5 relation is the fact the Fiat uses a 1.4-litre turbo (with 138bhp and 177lb ft) in lieu of a naturally aspirated 2.0 (158bhp/148lb ft), bringing a quicker turn of pace but less excitement at high revs.
Date written: 29 Jan 2018
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 10700
