Abarth 124 Spider 2017 first drive

Carlo Abarth might just be smiling up there somewhere. Current FCA boss Sergio Marchionne almost certainly will be down here. After a long list of fairly forgettable cars wearing the sporting Abarth badge in recent years, along comes one that has the recipe for potential success: the Abarth 124 Spider. 

For starters, the Fiat 124 Spider's turbocharged 1.4-litre engine has been boosted by 30bhp and 7lb ft to a total of 168bhp and 184lb ft, and making sure everybody knows it is a standard Record Monza sports exhaust. That's the punch sorted, then, but what about the poise? Well, a rear drive layout, 1060kg kerb weight distributed evenly, stiffened anti-roll bars and uniquely tuned Abarth-Bilstein dampers should see to that.

Rounding it all off nicely is a standard limited-slip differential, bestowed upon the more powerful Mazda MX-5s (the car with which the 124 shares its platform) but reserved here for the full-fat Abarth. There is one small problem, though: the price. Even the most expensive 158bhp MX-5 2.0 Sport Nav costs just £23,695, while the Abarth starts at a rather more cumbersome £29,565. 

But never mind that for the moment; what about the performance and the noise? The noise is certainly befitting of the badge, the 124's little 1.4 gurgling, howling and popping at lower speeds, if never building to quite the crescendo you'd like at full chat. The performance is decent rather than outstanding, with Normal mode accentuating the 124's turbo lag but sharper-throttled Sport making it feel pleasingly urgent. 

Even so, it never quite feels as fast as Abarth's pedigree suggests it should when pushed hard, and an official 0-62mph time of 6.8sec and 143mph top speed tell you just that. In reality, it's brisk but never outright rapid. Nevertheless, its short-throw, six-speed manual gearbox has one of the sweetest actions going, and with its turbocharging comes good mid-range flexibility and more frequent cog-swapping enjoyment. 

And the fact that this Abarth is hardly any quicker than a 2.0-litre MX-5 becomes all the more bearable considering its chassis. The Abarth rides very well most of the time and doesn't allow the same level of lateral body movement as the MX-5. This, coupled with linear, precise steering, makes for a thoroughly enjoyable driver's car. With Sport switched on and the traction control switched off, it allows for the sort of predictable low-speed, throttle-on adjustability that's nigh on perfect on UK roads.