Employees at the Auburn Hills headquarters of FCA US recently had the opportunity to experience the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider.
These employees were part of the multi-continent effort to design, engineer and build the new rear-wheel-drive roadster with a classic name.
Nearly 50 years after the original 124 Spider was introduced in Italy, the new version of the Fiat 124 Spider convertible has started to arrive in dealerships across the country.
“It’s really a heritage play and it pays homage to the original 124 Spider that was incredibly sought after in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s,” said Bob Broderdorf, Director, FIAT Brand North America.
Red Fiat 124 Spider Abarth (front) and white Fiat 124 Spider (rear).
The original 124 Spider was the best-selling Fiat of all time.
For the newest edition of the 124 Spider, Fiat gave the car a number of modern features, such as a standard 1.4 liter, multi-air turbo engine.
“That’s what you would expect from a roadster like the 124 Spider,” said Broderdorf of the rear-wheel-drive convertible that weighs less than 2,500 pounds.
Just as customers are discovering the new convertible – it’s posted consistent month-to-month sales for Fiat – employees who oversaw the development of the car recently had a hands-on opportunity with it.
A Fiat 124 Spider Abarth exits the test track.
FCA employees had the chance to talk with Fiat officials about the car, get an up-close look at the stylish convertible and take it for a drive on the company’s test track.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Samantha Doty, a supplier delivery operations supervisor, after a lap on the test track with the top down. “It grips the road and it feels good. It is a nice sports car and it’s affordable.”
Others liked the handling of the 124 Spider, along with the “rumble” and “attitude” of the exhaust sound.
“It was a very smooth ride,” said Mahera Rahman, a lead compliance auditor, who drove on the track with a colleague. “(We) really liked the sound … the roar it makes.”
Broderdorf added that the employees who took the car for a test drive are among those who put the “heart and soul” into the 124 Spider.
“There’s probably no greater pleasure here at FCA than to see a car that you worked on come to life firsthand and then get a chance to drive it,” he said.
Visit www.fiatusa.com to learn more about the 124 Spider, search inventory and build and price the roadster.
FCA US employees recently took the new Fiat 124 Spider for a test drive.
