Sixty Years of Italian Spiders. Part 1: Fiat's 124 Sport Spider

Throughout history, Italian car manufacturers have often produced beautiful products. And not only that: many models were also absolute long-term sellers. Just look at the annals of Fiat, which produced models that seemed to have eternal lifespans. This was not least because, after the Italian production freeze, they were happily continued elsewhere. A very good example of a car that has been produced for a long time is the current Fiat 500, which has just been updated and whose basic design was already unveiled to the world in 2007. In the past, Italy also built models that formed the basis for a lasting lifespan: the Fiat 124 and the Alfa Romeo Duetto. Today we return to the Fiat 124 Sport Spider.

The Fiat 124 berlina had barely dried out when, at the Turin Motor Show, a sporty version was ready. It was the open 124, introduced as the Sport Spider. It debuted in 1966 with the 1438 cc DOHC engine, and a few years later, the 1608 cc engine took over, followed by the '132' 1592 cc powerplant. The Spider consistently impressed with its body rigidity and solid driving feel, and quickly became a popular sports car for Fiat.

Speaking of making an impression: the Abarth 124 rally, built for homologation purposes, was the truly powerful version, debuting in September 1972. The basic specifications: a 1756 cc engine with two double-barrel Weber carburetors and 128 hp. It also featured the independent rear suspension of the Fiat 130, rather than the rigid rear axle familiar from the Sport Spider. It also had a hard top and a roll bar, various black accents (bonnet, trunk lid), attractive Cromodora alloy wheels, and rubber bumpers instead of bumpers. As a "Corsa," the rally was a formidable competitive weapon in various international races, and was naturally equipped with the necessary power modifications and modifications for these purposes. The "Stradale" versions were the most produced, with 770 of the 1013 examples built.

Back to the "more regular" versions. From 1975 onwards, the model was temporarily discontinued in Europe, although it continued to be produced in Europe. This was for the American market, where the car was initially available with the 1756 cc engine, and shortly thereafter with the 1995 cc engine. The powerplants were all still constructed according to the DOHC recipe, and were technically modified for environmental and safety reasons. The carburetor version(s) disappeared, replaced by fuel-injection models.

In the early 1980s, the Turbo version (CSO T) debuted, and this was still destined for the other side of the pond. However, the 124 Spider returned, under the name Pininfarina Spidereuropa with the internal code DS. This happened in March 1982, after the returned Spider had made its debut in Geneva. Interestingly, Lingotto continued to build the 124 Sport Spider for America, while the Spidereuropas rolled off the production line in Grugliasco. This also applied to the final Spidereuropa Volumex, with a 1995 cc engine, Bosch L-Jetronic, and a supercharger. The Volumex produced 135 hp at 5500 rpm and a top speed of 190 kilometers per hour. Nice: at Hofman in Leek you will find one of the last built examples from a series that produced only five hundred units.

In total, the long-running open-top 124 rolled off the production line nearly two hundred thousand times. The most frequently produced version was the Spider CS1 (8/73-8/78, 69.208 units, 1756 cc carbureted engine). The Pininifarina Volumex Spider, with only five hundred units, was the least popular and least produced. Along with the tame Spider DS, this version was produced until November 1985.

Read more about the Fiat 124 Sport Spider and variants here.