ARRIVEDERCI FIATA; HELLO FROGGY!

Recently, my neighbor Alexander’s pacemaker began broadcasting Amazon notifications which, according to him, it is not supposed to do.  This  resulted in him having to have the device re-flashed.  I rode along with Alex in his 2019 Fiat 124 Spider to the re-flash appointment. 

The 124 Spider is often referred to as a “Fiata” because, as you know, it’s basically a Mazda Miata all gussied up in tidy Fiat roadster attire.  Remember when Carrot Top reportedly underwent cosmetic surgery and if you squinted just right you could tell it was him, but, boy, did he look different?  It’s like that.

Sadly (I guess), the Spider was squashed after the 2020 model year.  It’s a bit harsh to say sales of the two-seater sucked, but your chances of actually seeing one on the road are on par with spotting Sasquatch at Jimmy John’s.

The Fiata’s bellyflop, however, isn’t deterring one small British start-up from building its own Miata-based sports car.  The firm, Carbuncle Motors, will utilize the Mazda’s platform to build a modern version of the Austin-Healy “Bugeye” Sprite.  

So far, the fine folks at Carbuncle have built only a single concept car, which the company refers to as the AH2.  They tell us “AH” pays homage to Austin-Healy, but we found ourselves saying “gesundheit” each time someone mentioned the AH2 . 

The manufacturer is tightlipped regarding powertrain, price, or if and when the AH2 will even hit our shores. We hope it does, as we liked the Sprite and have a fondness for frogs.    

As we headed home following the re-flash procedure, I inquired, “Alex, would you consider trading your Fiata for an AH2?”  Before he could answer, a  pleasing female voice from his side of the car interjected, “Sorry, I’m having trouble understanding right now.  Please try again later.”