The Fiat spider as we know it was introduced in November of 1966 at the Turin Auto Show, and was first sold in the USA as a regular model in 1968. I won't elaborate on the detailed history of the car here, as that information is available from various other sources. The important thing to note is that both the spider and coupe were derived from the common 124 sedan, a pushrod engined four door that sold in the millions around the world, and nearly lived on in perpetuity after the tooling was sold to the former Soviet Union to prodouce the Lada. It is important to remember that Fiat is a mass-producer of cars, and the sporting models have almost always been derived from the chassis of pedestrian family sedans. This should not be considered a negative; in fact, it speaks highly of the engineering prowess of Fiat's designers to be able to provide such a frequently exceptional basis for great sports cars.
Fiats in general, and the 124 in particular, are often misunderstood and unfairly criticised enthusiast cars. Those of us that own one or more know better than the lame-brains who use the tired "Fix-It-Again-Tony" moniker. What follows is information to give you a better understanding of the cars as they evolved over the years, until the model line finally ceased in 1985 after over 150,000 spiders alone had been built.
Beginner's Guide to 124 Designations
The 124 community refers to the different models through the model designation portion of the serial number. Spiders are a letter followed by 'S' for spider, 124 sport coupes are the series letter followed by 'C' for coupe. Thus:
124AS 1966-1969 spiders (1438cc)
124BS 1970-1973 spiders (a mix of 1438, 1592 and 1608 engines)
124CS1 1974-1978 spiders (1756, or '1800'cc)
124CS2 1979-1982 spiders (1995cc or 2 litre, aka Spider 2000)
1983-1985 spiders are referred to as Pininfarinas, as they were no longer 'made' by Fiat.
Coupes:
124AC 1966-1969 (single headlamps)
124BC 1970-1972 (dual headlamps)
124CC 1973-1975 (dual headlamps, bumper level trunk opening)
The 124 sedan/wagon was replaced in 1975 by the 131 for the North American market. The sport coupe was dropped for 1976.
The very early AS cars had several distinct features, the most noteworthy being the heater controls under the dash in a horizontal fashion and not in the center console. The 1968 USA sales brochure (orange cover) plainly shows this on what is actually a 1967 car. When the car officially arrived here in 1968, the center console grew in length and the heater controls were positioned in it, making understanding them rather difficult! Other early cars shared the torque tube rear suspension, which is also pictured in the sales brochure for 1968. With this arrangement, the driveshaft is encased inside an outer tube much like older American cars. This design was dropped in 1968 in favor of the common subsequent axle with trailing arms, supposedly due to the torque tube axle housings developing cracks. The torque tube design is thought by many to be superior(?). 1968 cars did generally not have head rests on the seats, the rocker panel moldings attached to the face of the panels and did not sit on the top edge as all subsequent models, and the accelerator pedal and washer pump were mounted to the floor. Some of these items continued on to 1969, along with the small round side markers, reverse lamp under the bumper and the water pump mounted radiator fan. The AS cars had inumerable unique pieces compared to those that followed (smaller taillamps, for example) and this makes restoring the AS much more difficult.
The much more serious and stately 131 replaced the 124 sedan, wagon and eventually the coupe in 1976. A very solid car much like a BMW or Volvo of the same period, it enjoyed moderate success until Fiat's eventual US departure. The engine is shared with the 124 series, but the balance of the drivetrain is unique and is not interchangeable. The car was renamed the Brava in 1979.
P.S. During the same period 67-73, Fiat also sold the 850 spider which is sometimes confused (unbelievably) with the 124. Powered by a rear mounted engine of less than 1000cc, it is a fun little car that was unfortunately not really right for US driving characteristics. Regardless, it sold well, and many can still be found in existence. This one is the final 1973 model. (Image courtesy Jody Farr)
