Fiat rarely launches brand new cars, but special editions are pretty common, and they're usually revealed in Geneva. This year, we got a couple of Abarths, as in addition to the 595 esseesse, the 124 Rally Tribute is also coming to the Swiss motor show.
Why's the name about? Well, as you may already know, the most exciting application of the 124 Spider was a racing version, a rally car that participated in the FIA R-GT Cup last year. It won, so they're throwing a little celebration.
The R-GT Cup is like a much cleaner version of the WRC, and it has some excellent sports cars competing (like the 911), so we were surprised that the 124 won. Of course, we're not going to talk about how they used a 1.8-liter turbo with 300 horsepower and a 6-speed sequential transmission.
Still, the race car and this special edition have something in common: a hardtop. They also did a good job of copying the colors, as the Rally Tribute is available in Costa Brava Red and Turini White, both with the same black hood and trunk which is said to reduce dazzling reflected sunlight.
The standard Abarth engine is still there, a 1.4-liter turbo, similar to the one in the 595, but placed longitudinally and producing 170 HP plus 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque.
Go-fast goodies also include a Record Monza exhaust with dual mode system, Brembo brakes, and Ultralight 17-inch white wheels which are said to reduce the weight by 4kg.
Inside, you get red leather bucket seats with heating, Alcantara trim, Abarth mats, automatic climate control, and a Bose sound system. We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't tell you that the Abarth 124 is based on the Mazda MX-5, which just got a more powerful 2-liter engine.
The Miata's 20th birthday also came with a special edition that's probably worth picking over this rally-inspired Abarth.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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