Rides from the Readers: 1980 Fiat 124 Spider

Hagerty readers and Hagerty Drivers Club members share their cherished collector and enthusiast vehicles with us via our contact email, tips@hagerty.com. We’re showcasing some of our favorite stories among these submissions. To have your car featured, send complete photography and your story of ownership to us at the above email.

Today’s featured car is a 1980 Fiat 124 Spider. Styled by Pininfarina’s Tom Tjaarda—who also penned the DeTomaso Pantera during his time at Ghia—Fiat’s attractive roadster slotted beneath Alfa Romeo’s top-down offering in both price and performance. The trim little Fiat Spider, first introduced in 1966, came with a four-cylinder, DOHC powerplant all 17 model years, with displacement fluctuating between 1500 and 1995 cc. Most U.S.-spec roadsters got 1756-cc or 1995-cc engines with a single Weber carb and, in 1980, sported fuel injection. Since Fiat withdrew from the U.S. in 1983, Pininfarina marketed the same car from 1983–85 as the Azzurra.

This particular 1980 Fiat Spider belongs to Jeff Pfeiffer, who bought it 11 years ago. It isn’t Pfeiffer’s first Fiat fling, though. He parted with his first Fiat 124 Spider, a ’72, when the kids came along; then he heard of a friend who was planning to sell a red 1980 model with 78,000 miles. He couldn’t refuse. Pfeiffer’s had this Spider for 11 years now and crossed the 100K mark two years ago. “It’s still going strong,” he writes. Here’s wishing you and the Spider many more miles.

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Comments

    I just recently obtained a 1980 Fiat Spider 124/2000 on a “Trade Deal”. I’ve been “Chasing Cars” for years, like them all and as noted recently trailered home this Fiat, my very first Fiat. It is truly a “Blast To Drive”. I like it because in 1969, two weeks after graduating from High School (showing my age) and friend and me drove a 1969 Triumph TR6 from Ohio to LA – California; this Fiat reminds me of that drive.

    I don’t know how long I will have this Fiat, now being Winter here in Ohio, It’s going in the back garage for storage and I’ll play around with it, come spring we’ll see what happens, as for now, truly a great, fun car.

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