More on the new spider....

[bradartigue]

Who the hell is Chad Mcqueen? Oh yeah,some second rate talent getting by on his family name.The Miata is the most successful and most raced car in the world.Anybody who wants to call them a 'chick car',should hop into a Spec Miata and run one of those races! The most competitive class in all of road racing.
The business climate has changed since 1968(duh).Fiat chose not to go to the expense of having Pininfarina design a clean sheet ''New Spider''. They decided instead to go into a joint venture with Mazda.We will get a Miata(the most successful 2 seat roadster in history) chassis with some Italian styling cues and hopefully an Italian powerplant.Dont like...don't buy.I have owned a Miata and a Fiat Spider at the same time.Each have their strong points.We can only hope Fiat doesn't screw it up!

Yeah but this is the old moped argument, its fun until you get caught riding one.

[Kevin1]

I think I will wait to see one before rendering an opinion...

[So Cal Mark]

While it might be nostalgic and romantic to think Fiat would market a retro-design Spider, they've got to aim at a broader market segment than current/former Spider owners. Todays' car buyer would not accept anything except a modern equipped/performing sports car. Look at the various "tribute" cars being sold today; Mustang, Challenger, Camaro, Mini and it's a stretch to compare them to the originals. All of them are far larger and heavier than the originals and bear little resemblance. But they have gobs more performance and are selling pretty well.

The knock on the Japanese (and now Korean amongst) other imports is that they lack "character". If you think about it, "character" in a vintage car mostly means things that don't work properly. Leaky tops, agonizing slow wipers, lights that require daily tinkering all are considered "character" and are remembered fondly after the car is long gone.

I'm just happy that Fiat thinks enough of the US market now that they want to keep introducing new models.

[bradartigue]

I'm just happy that Fiat thinks enough of the US market now that they want to keep introducing new models.

I think you have that backwards; FIAT should be more than grateful that America thinks enough of them to buy what they sell.

[mscafide]

Which America Brad?

North America, South America or Central America? Or, did you mean the United States of America?

So little time and so many Americas.

M

[bradartigue]

Which America Brad?

North America, South America or Central America? Or, did you mean the United States of America?

So little time and so many Americas.

M

Well I'm glad you asked because maybe one person might confuse what I meant and not know it is the United States of America, a significant market for automobiles. Unlike the other Americas, which represent sales numbers around the same level as an accounting error, in this country people buy cars - lots of them - 8/10 households own cars here. This USA is the only place in the "Americas" that people refer to as "America." The America that bought 16,000,000 vehicles last year, more than every other country on the hemisphere combined, and is the 2nd larger purchaser of automobiles in the world, 1st if you subtract out utility vehicles.

[djape1977]

while sales in USA would be nice, fiat has managed to survive for past 100+years with very few cars sold in USA. don't think that american market is he goal of new models. when they decide to make something soecially for US market, you'll recognize it instantly.
for example, new 500L is a car that i see on streets every day, and i suspect that they have sold more over here in Serbia than in United States

[bradartigue]

while sales in USA would be nice, fiat has managed to survive for past 100+years with very few cars sold in USA. don't think that american market is he goal of new models. when they decide to make something soecially for US market, you'll recognize it instantly.
for example, new 500L is a car that i see on streets every day, and i suspect that they have sold more over here in Serbia than in United States

Survive - barely - but that seems to be what auto companies do. With the exception of the German auto makers most other brands go boom/bust/boom/bust with regularity. They (FIAT) absolutely sell more cars elsewhere. I suspect the only car they'll design and build for the USA will be the Alfa Romeo Spider. I'd honestly be surprised if FIAT brought a convertible over here to compete with the 500 convertible.

[topbuddy]

Sorry, not impressed. A Miata is a Miata and I really don't want a Fiat that looks like one, if I did I would have bought a Miata. Please put pressure on the bring back the same car we all love based on the Pininfarina design Spider that we all love.

[toplessexpat]

Jumping back on here...

- I love the 60s/70s/80s 124 Spiders, heck I own 3, and they're simply wonderful.

- Could a company start building the same car right now and selling it in numbers that would make it economic? No. There wouldn't be the demand in sufficient volumes, and I'd imagine that there'd be some regulatory issues to get it approved.

- The new "spider" at best will be a homage to the old "spider", with cross platform underpinnings. If I get the grill the same shape I'll be a little happy. If I get a spritely high revving engine, preferably from AR, then I'll be very happy. If it has that swell in the bodywork from the back of the door over the rear arches, then I'll be amazed and very happy. If it is still a 2+2 then Mrs Topless will be very happy (for the shopping).

We won't get everything we want, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to get a sensible visual homage.

A

[DieselSpider]

At Fiat/Dodge the design philosophy has been to build the car that it would have developed into if we had never stopped making them. To me the Miata makeovers do not seem to follow that philosophy very well. The Hellcat and 500 do a decent job at it and globally there should be plenty of interest in a more pure in-house Fiat Spider that looks more like a continuation of the 124 as if they never stopped making and refining them.

[bradartigue]

The guy who designed it, Tom Tjaarda, told me there's no way. I took his word for it. I asked him in 2009 when introduced to him by a friend, and we spent some time talking about Spiders (duh) and a car I had brought to the show (a 1970). The FIATs, Panteras, and Ferraris he designed, as well as everything else, were all "no, no, no, you can't do that anymore, you can't shoehorn something like that in there, the p/w ratio is illegal now, etc."

The last thing in the world I want is something they thought it would have evolved to. "They" designed things like the Dodge Charger.

[divace73]

My 2c is that FCA should (MUST) get Tom onto the job of design, he did after all managed to shoe horn the corvette rodine to become the 124 spider, he does have that magic master touch when it comes to design.
Maybe all of us as forum members should write up an open letter to Tom and FCA to reignite some spark and turn those No's into yes's......
There is an huge opportunity for Fiat to get something really right here, I don't think we need another 500 style rendition??
Not being in the automotive industry I have no idea on the cost vs return when it comes to design, but I think you have greater chance of selling a good looking car then an ugly car. We know the backbone structure will be good as it has been proven many years over with the MX5/miata.

How do we get this letter started.

Dear Mr Tom Tjaarda.....


Dear Sergio...

[bradartigue]

What is FCA?

[spiderdan]

What is FCA?

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles