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John Mahoney21 Jul 2015
NEWS

Hard-core Fiat 124 Spider confirmed

Mazda MX-5-based roadster will be badged Abarth after all. Expect extreme performance

Fiat’s performance division Abarth will create a hard-core, faster version of its forthcoming 124 Spider.

The revelations, made by Brit mag Auto Express, came after journalists quizzed Fiat Chrysler Automotive Europe’s boss, Alfredo Altavilla:

“You like performance? There will be an Abarth version,” he told the British mag.

Altavilla went on to say that the 124 Spider will be seen more as a “comfortable” roadster while the Abarth version will be far more “extreme”.

It’s still not known what will power the new Abarth-tuned Spider, with some commentators predicting that the 177kW/350Nm 1.75-litre turbo-petrol engine from the Alfa Romeo 4C might be a suitable candidate -- but with an expected 0-100km/h time of less than six seconds it might prove too close, in performance, to the $95,000 4C Spider.

In any case, the European CEO has some strong opinions over Abarth and said that in the future its focus will shift towards increasing performance, rather than styling packages.

“Abarth is all about performance and so I’ve told my team to stop working on colours and trims. Any new version of an Abarth car should deliver some sort of a performance enhancement, otherwise it is useless.”

Altavilla also admitted in the interview that a Punto Abarth was a step too far.

“An Abarth has to be something special and a family car cannot offer this.”

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