Can the new 124 live up to the nastalgia

[sherman]

A cute little comparison article.
http://gearpatrol.com/2016/08/18/fiat-1 ... er-review/

[TX82FIAT]

Good article. It's nice for a review written by someone that owns the classic. I drove a new 124 the other day for fun. I agree it is a modern driving experience crisp and clean with all the new car amenities. There is something to be said for Veglia gauges, true Italian design and a driving experience that time has left behind. The rumble, excitement and feel when you turn the key to the classic is not present in the modern car. The new 124 is a great car! its just not the classic.

[DieselSpider]

Get that from Miata drivers every time they ride with me in the old Spider. Something about the classic that just puts a smile on your face that is beyond superior engineering.

[aevansgatech]

I think we need to remind ourselves that there's no Possible way for a modern car and a 30-40+ year old car to provide the same experience. There's just no way, and that's OK.

The classic 124 provides raw and direct emotion at the expense of modern performance and safety. A new vehicle will be faster, safer, more technologically advanced, etc.. at the expense of that direct connection to the vehicle (no power steering, carbed engines, basic gauges, etc).

They are two completely different animals, as they must be, but I am 100% thrilled with how much of the styling and heritage they were able to capture in re-creating the 124. FIAT nailed it in my humble opinion.

[fiathead]

For years, I've dreamt of having a daily driver Spider. The closest I came was with my '77, but I would not take that car out in the rain due to the amount of water that came in from both above and below. My '69 would never work in that role due to it's complete lack of impact protection and my daily commute taking me into the city when I'm in the office. I've toyed with buying a late model Spider from around the '82 to '84 time frame and then going through it completely to make it a good, solid daily driver, but the problem that presents is with insurance. Typical insurance will pay pennies on the dollar if someone runs into the car and collectors insurance does not allow use as a daily driver.

Enter the new Spider! With the new Spider, my dreams of having a daily driver Spider will be realized. It will never replace my '69 for back road drives, as it just will not deliver the same experience, but it will take me from commuting in an F150 and into a Spider that can easily be replaced if someone runs into it. I'm looking forward to having both in the garage eventually. One for the day to day commute among the morons that are texting, putting makeup on, eating breakfast and reading the newspaper all the while driving to work. The '69 will see no less use because it is the ultimate tool to deliver a fantastic back roads drive on the little travelled roads south of Indianapolis.

My only real complaint with the new Spider is that it is not offered in Giallo Postiano (yet).

[AndyS]

its a pretty simple formula actually for car enthusiast:

For collecting & weekend / leisure driving , hard to beat a well restored and maintained vintage sports car, whether it be an old Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lotus, etc. Those cars exude character and passion and come from a time that will never be repeated.

For daily driving and mixing it up with semis, road construction, traffic, bad weather, and the fast pace of the modern world, a newer car with the current safety equipment really is the sensible thing to be daily driving.

One thing I just found out today from a good friend long time classic 124 owner, and potential new 124 buyer, is if you are very tall (he is over 6 feet 4) you will not fit in the new Spider. Funny, becasue he fits fine in the older ones. he just sat in the new Abarth version at Concourso Italiano in Monterey , and texted me that he does not fit. He is pretty bummed out.

[DieselSpider]

I have the fitment issue with many of the new cars but was pleasantly surprised by the 500's being so easy to get in and out of along with be in. The old Spider was also a surprise that despite my size and disability that I can still fairly easily get in and out of it. The lack of power steering and such is a good daily work out since it my commuting vehicle. That gives me two 45 minute workouts a day since its a stop and go commute with some twisty roads too.

The Nissan Leaf would probable give both the old and new Spiders a challenge. I just test drove one the other day and was surprised by how quick and roomy they were. The salesman had to caution me that there was a speed trap up ahead and that the speed limit was only 65. A quick check showed it had silently zipped up past 75 which would have taken much longer in the Spider. Rack and pinion with zero play and a quarter ton of batteries under the floor boards made for a quiet stable planted ride that was more like being on rails. The regenerative brakes had such a light touch I had the salesman straining on his seat belt on the first stop.

It was almost boring and required much less driver involvement.

[AndyS]

"It was almost boring and required much less driver involvement." -- that's the problem with most modern cars to one extent or another. we actually already have "self driving cars" to some extent. our input is just another one of many it is responding to at any given time. even when you turn the steering wheel (electric steering) or hit the gas pedal, (electric throttle) its only a suggestion that the ecu will take under consideration.