Mosky’s Musings: The Polite Sports Car (Part 2 of 2): The 124 Reborn
The latest iteration of the 124 almost wasn’t a Fiat. Lorenzo Ramaciotti retired after thirty years at Pininfarina, 17 of which were spent as Director of Design. After a few years on sabbatical, he was drafted to become Design Director at Fiat and subsequently the Chief Design Officer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. He explained that originally a deal (“more an opportunity than a strategic move”) had been struck with Mazda to build Alfa Romeos alongside the MX-5 on its same assembly lines. In the interim, “the direction of Alfa changed. The company elected to invest heavily in the relaunch of the Alfa brand putting on the table four billion Euros” to establish a distinct brand identity for Alfa Romeo.
There remained a need for an entry level sports car to increase traffic in Alfa/Fiat showrooms and the 124 was rebirthed.
Ramaciotti had experienced sudden corporate about faces before. “When I entered Pininfarina in 1973, we were developing the X1/20, a two-liter mid-engine performance car for Fiat…a few months before the launch we changed the grill and the emblems and Lancia had a sports car(the Scorpion) it didn’t foresee.”
The design expert would not comment on Mazda’s decision to build a competitor’s line. MX-5 sales figures in its number one market, the United States, offer one explanation. During its first ten years Miata sales averaged 23,383 per year. In 2014 only 4745 units were sold in the United States, its dominant market. More cars might have been needed to keep the production on line, and greater numbers would yield lower unit costs for Mazda and Fiat.
Asked about the new Fiat’s design, Ramaciotti, apologetic for his limited English skills, continued. “….we could have decided to make a brand new design or recall something with a historic flavor and since we had a very successful lineup with the 500, we thought that we could continue on this halo car lineup developing a car that was reminding of the 124 which by the way was Fiat’s best seller in the US.”
On the styling decisions, Ramaciotti shared” The two cars are different (in) proportion but we tried to recall the most relevant characteristics of the original car especially of the front where there is this hexagonal air intake with the two drop shaped lamps on the side..and the line on the side that goes up over the rear fender and the shape of the rear lamps in the back so of course we don’t just want to make a copy of the old one but its (to) more give some hints that suggests a subliminal suggestion of the old car….. The (early) 124 it has a character line on the upper fender that goes through the door and keeps up before the rear re-larges(enlarges) and then goes down towards the back and the same treatment of the character line of the side you can find on the new one with different proportions”. Other styling continuations mentioned included the windshield perimeter being presented in a different finish than the body and the paired hood bulges which adorned 70s and 80s editions.
Ramaciotti claimed a brief stint behind the new 124’s wheel: “I drove a standard and I find it very polite. Very nimble. Very pleasant to drive. And I was expecting more bite but I think I could have enjoyed it more if it had more power.”
Most every enthusiast knows the Mazda and comparing it with the Fiat may best communicate the driving experience. I have chauffered multiple street and competition Miatas in the past and have had two opportunities to spend a week wih the top of the line 2018 Fiat 124, the Abarth Spider. The Mazda tilts towards boy racer and the Fiat offers a bit more of a luxurious or grand touring experience. While both hold the road well and encourage driver confidence, the Fiat seems built to enjoy the curves but not to test them. Even with traction control switched off, the car was not ‘tossable’. Perhaps modern tires provide too much grip! Though multiple enthusiast magazines peg the Mazda with its 2.0 liter direct injected powerplant as being a shade quicker, I found consistent speed easier to achieve with the smaller displacement Fiat. The 124’s turbocharger works well and its impressive torque does not require the operator to ‘stay on the cam’ to achieve results.
I like the themes present in both versions of the Fiat Roadster: the easy to use top, pedals that allow those Italian leather loafers heel toe maneuvers, the relatively rich finishes of the interior, bellisimo styling and that grand touring driving experience. You won’t find a host of modern gadgetry in last millenium’s 124. No one expects a touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, USB ports or Sport Mode. The earlier car has its own virtues. Its cockpit is cavernous in comparison to the Fiata. Driver and passenger can reach behind and pull goodies out of the picnic basket. There’s real wood on the dash. The trunk is 30% bigger. And you can work on it, too!
Like Dottore Ramaciotti and whether behind the wheel of the old or new Fiat or the Miata, I always crave a bit more power. 2019 finds Mazda stepping up. Internal engine component lightening, a reworked throttle body increasing its opening by 28%, bigger valves and a new exhaust are part of a package that will bring the MX-5 from 155 to 181 hp! Maybe the Torinese will be jealous.
Both the old and the new Fiat are fabulous cars. Most conceive of these Fiats as not having the panache of their senior Italian brethren, Ferrari and Lamborghini; but the mites (Fiats) can thrill at legal speeds. Add the sensory input of an open top and the vintage words of a 1970s Road and Track article about the Fiat ring true. “It’s marvelous. Somehow, maybe because there’s so much more to sense, you seem to be much more alert than usual. You notice everything. You’re aware of every ripple in the road , every camber change; you smell everything from a fresh stack of road apples to the sensual perfume of a lemon orchard……………….It’s all very romantic and that romance is what started the sportscar boom here in the first place.”
About Mark Moskowitz MD
Mark Moskowitz MD is a retired surgeon, racer, and car collector. He is director and curator of The Museum of Automobile History (pvt), manages the estate of renowned automotive artist, Carlo Demand, serves on the Board of Directors of Carolina Motorsports Park and is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He is a frequent contributor to multiple motoring publications. Dr. Moskowitz is a member of the International Chief Judge Advisory Group and in the past 12 months, has been privileged to judge concours events at Boca Raton, Greenwich, Hershey (the Elegance), Radnor Hunt, Cobble Beach, Hilton Head, Dusseldorf, Monticello Raceway and Delhi, India.
