Fiat 124 Sport Spider
| Fiat 124 Sport Spider | |
|---|---|
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1970 Fiat 124 Sport Spider 1.4l
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer |
FIAT 1966–1982 Pininfarina 1983–1985 |
| Also called | Pininfarina Spider (1983–1985) |
| Production | 1966–1985 |
| Assembly |
Turin, Italy San Giorgio Canavese, Italy (Pininfarina) |
| Designer | Pininfarina: Tom Tjaarda (designer), Franco Martinengo (design director), Battista Pininfarina |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door cabriolet |
| Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Related | Fiat 124 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission | |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 89.75 in (2,280 mm) |
| Length | 156.25 in (3,969 mm) |
| Width | 63.5 in (1,613 mm) |
| Height | 49.25 in (1,251 mm) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Fiat 1500 Cabriolet |
| Successor | Fiat Barchetta |
| Fiat Abarth 124 Rally | |
|---|---|
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| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door spider with fixed hardtop |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Fiat Abarth 131 Rally |
The Fiat 124 Sport Spider is a monocoque, front-engine, rear drive 2+2 convertible sports car manufactured by Fiat Automobiles for model years 1966-1980. Designed and manufactured by Italian carrozzeria Pininfarina, the 124 Spider debuted at the November 1966 Turin Auto Show. Fiat later marketed the car as the 2000 Spider (1979-1982), and Pininfarina marketed the car at the end of its production as the Pininfarina Spider Azzura (1983-1985).
The 124 Spider was sold in Europe and the U.S. from its introduction until the 1975 model year when it was modified to comply with new U.S. regulations and no European version was produced. Sales in Europe resumed when Pininfarina took over production in 1983 under the name Pininfarina Europa Spider.
In 2015 a successor of the Fiat 124 Spider was presented at the LA Auto Show.
The body of the car was designed and marketed by Pininfarina with styling by Tom Tjaarda, In 1972, a sports version of the spider debuted. This was required for a type-approval of its rally version, which earned some remarkable success. The models sold in showrooms were marked as 124 CSA (C-Spider-Abarth). The vehicle has a capacity of 128 hp. In three years, Fiat manufactured less than 1,000 CSA models, which were intended for sale to individual clients.
The 124 Sports Spider, Fiat 124 Coupé and 124 sedan share much of their running gear – and, in the case of the coupé, platforms. The Sports Spider uses a shorter platform along with a shorter wheelbase, and in contrast to the Pinifarina styled and manufactured spider, Fiat designed and manufactured the coupé in-house.
The four-cylinder engine used in the spider and coupé is a double overhead cam, aluminum crossflow head version of the sedan's pushrod unit. It started in 1966 with a capacity of 1438 cc progressively increasing to 1608 cc in 1970 (although this was reduced to 1,592 cc in 1973), 1,756 cc in 1974 and finally 1,995 cc in 1979. The Fiat twin cam engine was designed by ex-Ferrari engineer Aurelio Lampredi. Bosch fuel injection replaced the previously used Weber carburetors midway through 1980. In 1981 and 1982, Fiat USA, Inc. partnered with Legend Industries to create approximately 700 turbo models for US markets. There was also a supercharged model called "Volumex" offered toward the end of production, which was sold only in Europe, where it cost 35% more than a regular, fuel-injected Spidereuropa. This family of engines remained in production into the 1990s giving it one of the longest production runs in automotive history. The double overhead cam (DOHC) version was the first mass manufactured DOHC to utilize reinforced rubber timing belts, an innovation that would come into nearly universal use in the decades after its introduction. Its family powered race cars such as the FIAT 131 Mirafiori, 124 Special T, Lancia Beta Montecarlo, Delta Integrale and many others.
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