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■ We take wraps off Fiat sister car to Mazda MX-5 ■ On sale next year ■ Could be badged 124 Spider

Richard Richa Ingram

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.ukRicha @cutt_ings

THE sister car to the new Mazda

MX-5 will be badged a Fiat, Auto Express can now confirm. It could also revive the 124 Spider name from the past, and a hot Abarth version will follow later in the lifecycle.

Until recently, the Fiat Chrysler Group rear-wheel-drive two-seater was set to wear an Alfa Romeo badge, but a U-turn from CEO Sergio Marchionne meant how the roadster would be branded was up in the air, until now.

A company insider told us “all Alfa Romeos need to be 100 per cent Italian”. That backs up Marchionne’s earlier comments that no Alfa would be built outside Italy on his watch.

And as part of the joint venture agreement with Mazda, both cars are to be made at Mazda’s factory in Hiroshima, Japan. According to our source, the agreement between Fiat and Mazda is that the MX-5 will launch first and take centre stage in 2015, with Fiat’s alternative offering coming 12 months later.

News also broke last week of a pair of Fiat trademark applications in the US – for the ‘Fiat 124’ and ‘Fiat 124 Spider’ nameplates, suggesting they’re being readied for a return. The 124 first appeared in 1966, using the same front-engine, rear-wheeldrive layout the Spider will adopt.

Being based on the MX-5, the new Fiat Spider will, of course, share certain key components such as the wheelbase and chassis with its Mazda stablemate. However, another insider hinted that the 124 Spider’s styling will be more retro than the Mazda’s, with elements inspired by the Fiat 124 of the sixties.

Our exclusive images closely reflect this, with squared-off rear lights, a wide front grille and much more rounded headlamps than the MX-5. The extended flat rear deck is another cue taken from the 124.

Our source revealed that the new roadster will weigh in at less than 1,000kg, with a choice of “small affordable engines”. It’s likely to use the 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo from the Alfa Giulietta in a variety of tunes, while for the Abarth version the same engine could be tuned to “200[bhp] without issue”. On top of the additional power, expect the Abarth to get stiffer suspension, more aggressive styling and bigger brakes.

Given that the basic MX-5 has just 129bhp and does 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds, a 200bhp-plus version could offer genuine Porsche Boxster-rivalling performance.

Our source also hinted that a lightweight, more affordable, Caterham 160-style model could be on the cards. This would have steel wheels and a “mechanically sensible” powertrain. It would be stripped of anything nonessential, though, with a focus on back-to-basics, rear-wheel-drive handling.

We can expect the new Fiat 124 Spider to make its debut early next year before going on sale in the summer of 2016.

Prices and specs will be confirmed nearer the time, but given the predicted power increases over the MX-5, we envisage a starting price of just over £20,000.

“Mazda and Fiat have agreed the MX-5 will take centre stage this year, the Fiat in 2016” 124 Spider to be

EXCLUSIVE Insider sheds more light on Mazda sister car – and it could see EXCLUSIVE IMAGES

Poblete

FIAT FIA 124 SPIDER

LaunchedLaunch in the sixties, the 124 Spider 124 Sp was designed for Fiatfor Fi by Pininfarina

be reborn on Fiat MX-5?

see famous badge return

POWER STRUGGLE One of the

significant differences between Fiat and Mazda will be engines, with the Spider using turbocharged units

Evoking the spirit of the Barchetta two-seater

FIAT’S last attempt at a two-seater sports car was the Barchetta – launched in Europe in the midnineties. Barchetta means ‘little boat’ in Italian, and given its long overhangs and pointed nose, it’s easy to see where Fiat got the inspiration.

Based on the front-wheel-drive Mk1 Punto, the Barchetta was great fun to drive. It featured a 128bhp 1.8-litre petrol engine capable of 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds and a 124mph top speed.

Although it was officially sold through Fiat dealers in the UK, it was never engineered for right-hand drive. Understandably, that limited its appeal over here, although you can now pick up used examples from just £1,500. Barchetta was sold in nineties but came in left-hand in left-hand drive only drive only