Helsinki Weekend Edition – 1981 Fiat 124 Spider 2000

Antti Kautonen

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I’ve shot an earlier, orange Fiat 124 Spider some time ago, but this one is of the latter batch. I also detect the presence of 5mph bumpers, which give this 1981 124 Spider some New York charm – to be charitable.

The green colour with a contrasting tan top and tan leather interior really make this Spider a treat to the eyes.

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The twin bulges on the hood differ from the earlier 1972 car, but since both have a twin cam engine, it’s difficult to say whether there’s any significance or relation.

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I dig the four-hole wheels, that have a touch of ye olde quadrifoglio verde.

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The newer taillights, combined with the sturdy bumper manage to turn down the daintiness. It actually looks quite butch from behind, for a small convertible.

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The green Spider has a two-litre engine, with 105hp. The trunk keyhole is really neatly integrated in the badge.

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I really like seeing old Fiats around. They’re getting so rare, every sighting feels like a special occasion.

[Images: Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Antti Kautonen]

About

Antti Kautonen

Antti Kautonen

The resident Finn of Hooniverse. Owns old Peugeots and whatnot, writes long thinkpieces on unloved cars. These two facts might be related.

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11 responses to “Helsinki Weekend Edition – 1981 Fiat 124 Spider 2000”

  1. Bret Dodson Avatar
    Bret Dodson

    Great find. I had two 1975s that I loved, one was my very first race car (SCCA Improved Touring). Absolutely love seeing these, it always brings back great memories.

    Reply
  2. Van_Sarockin Avatar
    Van_Sarockin

    Love those 124's. But those modernising changes don't improve things for me. I'm not afraid to drive a beautiful car.

    Reply
  3. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar
    Rust-MyEnemy

    That must be a restoration, surely? Looks incredibly fresh. Love that colour combination.

    Reply
  4. wisc47 Avatar
    wisc47

    I do like the forrest green and tan. Even I have to admit there are to many red 124s around. Also, fun fact: this one is a female because of it's double bulge hood. There were both one bulge and two bulge hoods, but one bulge hoods are relatively rare.

    Reply
  5. Bryce Womeldurf Avatar
    Bryce Womeldurf

    Weird, I just saw one of these today at a salvage yard! I might bring the better camera tomorrow (these are from the phone). I was considering taking it's Ferrero wheel but I have no idea if it will fit on my Miata. I might grab it anyway. I don't know much about these, but the 5mph bumpers appear to be there, so it may be of a similar vintage.
    <img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7288/8752525302_9977a69921_z.jpg"&gt;
    <img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8552/8752525612_fe933398c2_z.jpg"&gt;
    <img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/8752525754_26d67c9ddd_z.jpg"&gt;

    Reply
    1. wisc47 Avatar
      wisc47

      My 124 has a Ferrero with gold finish. It has a pretty good feel to it.

      Reply
      1. Bryce Womeldurf Avatar
        Bryce Womeldurf

        Looks like good quality, even despite the surface rust. I was thinking some polish and paint might fix it up. I don't really know the condition outside of what it looks like though, because the door on that side was closed and there was no door handle. I didn't have an allen head wrench on me, so I didn't bother breaking the glass yet or looking into the door for a way to open it.

        Reply
        1. wisc47 Avatar
          wisc47

          Oh yeah, it's essentially one solid slab of metal. I think after you got rid of all the rust you would still have a solid wheel to work with. I don't know if you have painted alloys on your Miata, but painting it to match their finish would be really cool.

          Reply
          1. Bryce Womeldurf Avatar
            Bryce Womeldurf

            Yesterday, I nearly took it, I even got the driver's side door open, but I could not find the right allen head to remove the screws. I tried a 3mm and a 2.5mm. I'm not sure if it's 2.75mm or if the screws were just so rusty that they impeded insertion. I was tempted to take the Pininfarina badges from the sides but they were faded down to pretty much being mirrors. On the plus side, I found the Miata that they had there and quickly found the sensor connector I was looking for. There was also one lens left on the whole car and it happened to be the one I wanted to replace, the driver's side taillight. I think the previous owner left the car to sit for a long time in the sun on one side. That or it was hit on the other side and it's just a really aged original lens. They only charged me $20 for the lens and the connector was free. Can't beat that.

  6. mseoul Avatar
    mseoul

    Finland seems to have a large number of US market cars, is this correct or is it more a result of the reporter's great ability to track them down? Itr is a shame what those US bumper regs did to so many cars though. With US market volume being so large on many models, like these Fiats, not to mention Mercedes and BMW, there were literally hundreds of thousands of otherwise great cars aesthetically destroyed.

    Reply
    1. julkinen Avatar
      julkinen

      The US-market cars sort of stand out, and I tend to report them more eagerly. Euro cars blend in more easily. The USDM-ness of this Fiat is probably down to it being a semi-recent California import, at a guess.

      Reply