Quote:
Originally Posted by SR Only
Ferarri - Fiat. Boy talk about opposites.  |
Fiat today is a joke, but back in the day . . . .
Actually, my 124 Abarth Rally is a Ferrari - sort of. The Fiat 124 Spider and the Ferrari 275 GTS are both derived from the same Pininfarina base design.
Ferrari 275 GTS:
Fiat 124 Spider:
The difference, of course, is what's underneath. The Ferrari's 3.3L V12 has little more go than mine.
Even so, the engine for the Fiat 124 Abarth Rally Spiders was a Ferrari design modified for the Fiat by Aurelio Lampredi - the legendary engineer who created the original Ferrari V12's. The engine badge might say Fiat, but it takes the same filters, wires, pistons, carbs, etc, etc, as the Ferrari engines of the same period. It obviously doesn't sound or go the same as a V12 Ferrari, but for all intents and purposes it's a little baby version of the 275 with about 1/3 the engine.
My car is actually the same model that won the European Rally Championship in both '72 and '75. It routinely beat (and still beats) 911's and 912's from the same years. It may not be as pretty as some of the other greats of that period, but it's got the moves.
Highly recommended fun little car that doesn't attract the attention of theives or the insurance bills of a period Porsche or Ferrari but still has some zoom to it. I wouldn't make a daily driver of a 911 or a 365 from those years, but I'm out in the 124 all the time in the summer. It's all the fun without all the hassle and bills.
Cheers,
Mazo.
