Yup. It makes no sense but I love it.

 

I just googled furiously trying to find something it looks like, came up with nothing.

well played

 

BMW tried really hard to build something nearly as ugly:



Not sure who won that prize.

 

I actually FOUND that picture, stared at it for a while, but didn't post because not close enough and because alfa was still 1st with that design

Get out of my head, Charlessss.

Actually the rear of the alfa is hands down top 10 ugliest ever

 

The M1 was a Guigaro design, not in house BMW. Calling this classic ugly exposes your rather plebian sense of style.

Edit: my respect for your integrity, wit and intelligence remains.

 

+1 to all he said..In the context of the time, that the M1 was designed, I think it was one of the best supercars of that era - in design and power

 

On a work assignment in Itally. Look what Hertz had for me at Milan-Malpensa International (MXP)! It was brand new, I was the first to rent it:


Immediately took it out into its natural habitat -- Italy. First some city driving.

Visconti Castle in Somma Lombardo


Then, off to the Italian Alps.

On the road from Aosta to Cogne (Gran Paradiso national park) in the Aosta Valley:



Overlook above Cogne:


The ideal "Fiata" test road (with Cogne and St. Ursus Meadow below):


Aaaand, home, sweet home (Villa Borghi hotel):


It's good to be the king!

So, having spent some time with the car, my thoughts:
-Feels like a much bigger car than an NA. The hood seems especially long. Quite a difference from the MX-5.
-Super comfortable and smooth Grand Touring car. Power delivery is perfect for cruising the Autostrada and driving the mountain roads. With the turbo, climbing the Alps is no big deal, there's never a loss of power as with a normally aspirated car.
-I think this is the first "Fiata" in Italy. I haven't seen any others, and people would point and stare. Lots of positive comments and I did my best to reply in Spanish -- which is close enough!
-God, I love the ND top mechanism. BEST TOP EVER!!

Complaints:
-When the windows are down, they rattle in their tracks when you close the doors. That's a bit off-putting.
-Above 130kph with the top down, the upholstery on the back of the driver's seat would start flapping. Really strange. I slid the seat all the way back to stop it.
-Wish the exterior was smaller -- less overhang. It feels like a Miata with an Italian body kit -- which is what it is I guess. I like small cars. If you like bigger-feeling GTs, then this is your baby!

 

The Italian coachworks firm Ghia designed some of the most fabulously elegant cars in history:













They also designed this:







An impressive pedigree does not a beautiful car make.

 

+ given. That is not an unattractive car.

 

Wasn't suggesting it did. Merely correcting your assumption that BMW designed the M1. Just the same, the M1 is rather widely regarded as one of the classic 70's supercar designs. To be distinguished from the rather appalling Lamborghini Countach for example.

 

Does anybody know if the interior dimensions of the ND and Fiata are different? I sat in an ND and with the seat all the way back, my knees touched the dash and my head stuck out the roof. The Fiata is obviously a visually bigger car - does any of that translate into more space for the driver?

 

Fair enough.

Oddly, I find the Countach to be a beautiful car; particularly the LP500. It's not graceful or elegant, don't get me wrong. Rather, it embodies everything wretchedly excessive and arrogant about both its time and its purpose. It's a car designed to shot "LOOK HOW MUCH BETTER THAN YOU I AM!" as you snort cocaine off of the breasts of the high-end hooker seated beside you, paid for by the money you've embezzled from your investment banking firm, as you race towards your private yacht docked in Monaco.

It was the perfect icon of its era.

 

Identical inside in terms of dimensions. Most of the details are identical too, it's an ND with a Fiat badge on the steering wheel instead. The door panels are different, with an alternative handle/latch design, but that doesn't affect space inside.

 

Yep. Same stuff. Fiata has more classically styled seat covers and the door panels are more "luxury" than "sport." It feels cozier than even an NA to me. I think it's the sculpted door panels. Makes the doors feel heavier -- in a not so good, '70s Caddy Eldorado kind of way (see my note about the window rattle when closing the door -- just like an old Eldo).

 

Same exact tub. The dash is exactly the same.

The only changes are the seats and steering wheel.

 

How can the ND achieve >90 ft-lbs per liter?! (see blue trace of 2nd plot). On a chassis dyno, no less.
Compare it to the stock plot (1st plot)

MX-5 Miata Forum - View Single Post - Abarth 124 vs ND Club Comparison

 

Just look at the difference on the modded plots at 2000 rpm and at 6000-7000 rpm. Astronomical.

Will be fun to see how far they get wth the Fiat engine, but it falls sooooo flat up top...

 

No replacement for displacement. 1.4L vs. 2.0L.

I'm really enjoying driving the Fiata around streets in Italy. The torque delivery is perfect for this environment (diesels are popular here too) -- with the exception that there is little off-idle pull. I don't think I would like it too much on a track. It shuts down right when things are getting interesting (just like the plots). My guess is that the miata.net type who never revs past 5K will like the Fiata power delivery.

 

It will be curious to see if and how the Miata aftermarket responds to the turbocharged Fiat engine. Eg: will market penetration be sufficient for someplace like FM to market a Big Enchilada Stromboli for it?

 

oh there will always be penetration
I don't see why not, the whole bolt ons + tune thing is already starting to happen for the fiata