There’s no polite way to put this: The Fiat 124 Spider is America’s least popular car. The convertible is aesthetically pleasing, fun to drive (it is, after all, basically just a turbocharged Mazda MX-5 Miata, our pick for the best affordable sports car on sale) and comes with a six-speed manual transmission. But it is in no way the sort of practical car Americans want to drive. So to entice American buyers, Fiat just announced a new gambit: a sick “Scorpion Sting” appearance package.
For an additional $395 on top of the top-level Abarth trim’s price, the Scorpion Sting Appearance Group offers a splash of Rosso red paint across the door and a gigantic scorpion graphic encompassing the front left quadrant of the hood. It’s a bold choice, one that prompts immediate, provocative questions such as “...what?!?” and “…why?!?”
To be fair to Fiat, It’s not clear what the company could do to increase the 124 Spider’s appeal. Fiat can’t cram in two more seats. A more robust powertrain — the current 1.4-liter engine puts out only 164 horsepower — would require too much investment. One suspects the $995 Record Monza exhaust option might be more of a step in the right direction, but even that can only do so much.
Why one would choose to have a giant red scorpion slapped on their hood is undoubtedly a question worth asking — especially if it’s the car your Tinder date shows up in. But the bigger question may be why anyone is optioning out a new 124 Spider at all. Those enticed by the little convertible can get great deals on the ones that have been sitting on dealer lots. You have to really want that scorpion to pay full freight.
Gear Patrol