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First introduced at the Turin Motor Show on November 3, 1966, Fiat is celebrating the 124 Spider’s 50th birthday with a huge gallery (full album at CarScoops) and video.
After Italy got through the monetary crisis of 1964 – 1965, Fiat launched the first 124 Spider and it has since stood up to the test of time. It may not seem like much today, but the original car had a high-tech (in those days) 1.5-liter inline four engine with a double barrel vertical carburetor and it was paired with a five-speed gearbox to produce 90 horsepower. Back then, the 124 Spider sported a unique design and a respectable top speed of 170 km/h (106 mph).
In 1972, the next generation arrived with a few upgrades including two new engine options sourced from the Fiat 132. Buyers could choose between a 108 hp 1.6-liter or 118hp 1.8-liter engine, the latter variant can go up to 180 km/h (112 mph) and the latter 185 km/h (115 mph). Both came with dual overhead camshaft and a double barrel Weber or Solex carburetor.
A 87 hp 2-liter engine was added to the spider in 1978, followed by a 105 hp 2.0-liter, twin-shaft, four-cylinder engine in 1981 and a 136 hp Volumex version in 1983. After that, the 124 Spider was retired until now.
Fast forward to 2016 and Fiat’s introduction of their new 2017 Fiat 124 Spider. It may not have been developed in-house, but it still wears the same moniker and retained some of the older Spiders’ styling details.
