Spider Classica offers simple joys for a good drive
The best drives were along the Rue de la Mer, running south along the Mediterranean from France to Italy. I did that four times, once in an open-top Fiat 124 Spider Classica on a sunny day of mild climate. It was beautiful.
It was the kind of day and drive that taught a young man much about love, freedom and the wonderful lightness of being.
The 124 Spider Classica was the perfect teacher - totally uncomplicated, just four wheels, a floor-mounted manual transmission and a manually operated soft top.
So of course, I was excited when told I would get a 2017-model 124 Spider Classica to play with for a week. I knew exactly what I would do.
The weekend weather was promising - perfect for a long, leisurely drive down Interstate 66 westbound into Virginia's Shenandoah Valley with a woman I met in undergraduate school 50 years ago and have been with ever since through times good and bad - my wife, Mary Anne.
That is what we did. It was a good drive, as beautiful in many respects as those jaunts along the Rue de la Mer. There was no Mediterranean. But there was Lake Frederick. And there were beautiful mountains. And the roads, once off Interstate 66 and away from truck-laden Interstate 81, were wonderfully undulating and twisty. It was hard to believe we remained within striking distance of Washington, D.C.
Ah, the car. It was different, yet much the same, and just as enjoyable as the one driven years ago in Europe. The new 124 Spider Classica, which should be on sale in American Fiat Chrysler Automobile dealerships this summer, came with an optional six-speed automatic transmission. A six-speed manual is standard equipment, but my troublesome back was grateful that it was not along for this drive.
The two seats were comfortable. And FCA has gifted the new 124 Spider Classica with a wonderfully compliant four-wheel independent suspension that magically smooths the many bumps in our declining local roads.
It helps that the new 124 Spider Classica has a 50-50, front-rear weight distribution. The car is very balanced and responsive. It is like driving a sharpened pencil.
Power comes from a 1.4-liter, twin-turbocharged, four-cylinder engine (164 horsepower, 184 foot-pounds torque). A tad more oomph can be had in the Abarth version of the Fiat Spider, and a bit more luxury can be gotten in the Spider Lusso.
But I'd stick with the 124 Spider Classica. It is a matter of understanding what the little roadster is about. It is about love, romance and driving through beautiful surroundings. It is not about rushing along the road, winning races, listening to exhaust notes - although pleasant tones are emitted from this one, equipped with two steel-tipped exhaust pipes.
There is little practical about the 124 Spider Classica, or the Lusso or Abarth versions of this car. Practicality has nothing to do with why you buy it. Think of falling in love, touring beautiful country in an open-top car on a lovely day with someone you truly care about. Now, you understand the reason for the Fiat Spider 124 and all of its iterations.