Custom Fiat 124 Spider Hardtop Modified With KA24 Engine Swap

Fiat Abarth 124 CCP Fabrication hard top and Black Miata flares

A sport car that gives you ultimate driving enjoyment at the race track doesn’t necessarily have to produce insane horsepowers. In fact, it should have a combination of qualities twisted together in a certain proportion to be called a proper “sports” car, just like this red Abarth 124 roadster that we’re about to review today!

Before diving into the specs of this caged track-ready roadster, let’s talk a little bit about the background of this model.

In the second part of the XX century, British racing fans and enthusiasts realized that there is a certain golden ratio of power to weight that works best at the track and on twisty country roads, which soon brought them to the idea that light and nimble cars with small displacement engines can bring just as much fun behind the wheel as the more expensive V8 and V12 supercars.

“British racing fans and enthusiasts realized that there is a certain golden ratio of power to weight that works best at the track”

The key qualities of such cars were lightness, perfect weight distribution, precise handling, and rear-wheel-drive layout. Little by little, the brands such as Austin-Healey, MG, Triumph, and others have popularized the new image of compact sports cars, which quickly gained popularity among motoring enthusiasts around the world and changed the direction of the entire industry.

“The key qualities of such cars were lightness, perfect weight distribution, precise handling”

Table of Contents

Fiat 124 Spider Abarth

In the late 60s, Fiat has launched a 124 convertible, which combined the best compact sports car traditions of that time. It was a rear-wheel-drive roadster with a sporty appearance and appealing design. For almost 20 years of production, it became incredibly popular in Europe and gained notable results in autosport.

Modern Generation

The modern generation of the 124 Roadster is sharing the chassis and other components (except for the engine) with the Mazda MX5 Miata ND, which in essence is the modern reincarnation of the same idea.

The owner of this beautiful Abart 124 enjoys the sporty nature of this convertible and uses it as his track toy, that’s why, the majority of modifications are made to bump up the performance, handling, and safety, rather than just the looks.

Fiat 124 Spider Performance Upgrades

The car has got that wide functional stance to improve the cornering and handling. It sits low on a set of Ohlin custom long-stroke coilovers with 11k front, 6k rear, and 17” Forged Titan 7 Wheels wrapped in wide 275 Toyo Proxes RR tires. Rear arms and links as well as the front camber arms are developed by @phase2motortrend.

“The car has got that wide functional stance to improve the cornering and handling”

CCP Fabrication HardTop

Among the exterior upgrades are the half cage, custom welded to fit to the roofline of a CCP Fabrication hardtop, APR performance aero, Miata Carbon fiber fender flares, Kaze Space Engineering spoiler, and other. Thanks to the unification with MX5 Miata models, some exterior parts are interchangeable.

KA24 Honda Engine Swap

Performance-wise the car has been through various stages with the latest setup featuring a stock 1.4L Multijet engine with a stuffed turbo, E85 tune, and other upgrades by Euro compulsion.

To drive the performance gains further, the owner decided to swap the stock engine with a famous K24 turbocharged motor by Honda, which is known for truly massive performance potential.

Fiat 124 Spider Mods list

Wheels

Forged Titan 7 Wheels 17×10 (15lb)
Toyo Proxes RR track tires 275 wide

Coilovers & Upgrades

Ohlin custom long-stroke coilovers with 11k front 6k rear. Carbon Miata flares
Phase2motortrend for developing all 10 rear arms and links, front camber arms

Exterior mods

Aero by APR
Carbon Miata flares
Kaze Space Engineering spoiler
Custom welded half cage
CCP Fabrication hard top

Interior

Sparco Circuit II bucket seats
Steering wheel hub extension, adaptor & Quick release by Phase 2 Motortrend

Performance

Full turbo back 2.75” Valved exhaust
Upgraded Intercooler
Stuffed turbo, E85 tune and other upgrades by Euro compulsion
Honda K24 engine swap upgrade on the way

FAQ
Who makes Abarth 124 Spider
Modern generation of the Abarth 124 Spider is manufactured for FCA (Fiat-Chrysler) on Mazda’s Hiroshima plant in Japan.