Project 124 • Fiat 124 Spider Abarth • Rally / Safari Concept
Veleno GoesOff the Pavement
My black 124 Spider Abarth is a little Italian roadster with a Japanese chassis. I want to lift it, light it up and throw it at gravel. Here's the plan.
The idea
Safari Cars Are Having a Moment
Porsche built the 911 Dakar. Lamborghini built the Huracán Sterrato. Everybody with a sports car and a gravel road has started wondering what it would look like on taller tires with a light bar. I am everybody.
My car is Veleno, a black Fiat 124 Spider Abarth with a 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo, a 6-speed manual and a mechanical limited-slip differential. It's an Italian-bodied roadster built on the ND Miata platform, which means it's light, balanced and surrounded by an aftermarket full of people who already lifted their Miatas. You might remember it from the mirror replacement that took the whole door apart.
So I put together a build sheet. It's called Project 124, and the goal is simple: a street-drivable, moderately lifted Abarth that still looks like my black roadster. Same tricolor stripe, same black soft top, plus a white 124 roundel, four rally lights, skid protection and red mud flaps.
To be clear up front: this is a plan. Nothing's been bought or bolted on yet. The pictures in this post are concept renderings, not photos.
The build sheet
What Actually Changes
Ride height. The target is about 1.5 inches of lift to start, and 2 inches only if full-travel testing and alignment say it's OK. More height doesn't automatically mean more suspension travel, and a 124 that looks lifted but bottoms out is just a sad Miata on stilts.
Suspension. The leading candidate is Paco Motorsports' ND long-travel coilovers, listed at $2,095 and advertised for about 1 to 3 inches of lift on the ND Miata. Fitment on the Fiat 124 Abarth is unconfirmed. I need it in writing from the manufacturer or a specialist before I order anything, including the top mounts, spring rates and rear links.
Wheels and tires. Ideally 16-inch rally-style wheels with 205/55R16 road-legal all-terrain or gravel tires. The catch is that 16s may not clear Brembo brakes. The backup plan is to keep 17s and try 205/50R17. Offset, barrel clearance, full-lock rub and loaded compression all get checked first.
Protection. A custom aluminum skid plate with real mounting, service access and room for cooling, plus guards for vulnerable lines. Recovery points front and rear have to attach to rated structure, not plastic trim. A tow hook that rips off a bumper cover is just a very expensive keychain.
Powertrain. Stock for phase one. Same 1.4 turbo, same 6-speed, same LSD. The first job is reliability and shakedown testing. Horsepower can wait. Ask my Honda Beat how that goes.
The look. Four compact auxiliary lights on a removable mount, four flexible red flaps, two big white 124 door roundels and a small AGF mark. No full wrap. It should look like a factory rally homologation special, not a NASCAR.
I'm a CPA, so here we go
What It Costs
I'm an accountant. I don't start a project without a budget worksheet. Here's mine.
| The Damage (Planning Numbers) | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Long-travel suspension + fitting | $2,500 | $4,500 |
| Wheels (set of 4) | $900 | $1,500 |
| Tires (set of 4) | $650 | $1,100 |
| Custom front skid plate | $600 | $1,200 |
| 4 rally lights + mounts + wiring | $500 | $1,000 |
| Mud flaps + brackets | $120 | $300 |
| Engineered recovery points | $300 | $800 |
| 124 roundels + light livery | $200 | $450 |
| Paint and gravel protection | $300 | $900 |
| Other fabrication and labor | $1,500 | $3,000 |
| Total | $7,570 | $14,750 |
Before contingency, shipping and taxes. With a cushion, the working reserve is $9,000 to $17,000. These are planning allowances from my build sheet, not quotes. Part prices were checked Oct. 30, 2026, and they will change.
The Plan, in Order
Still to figure out
Open Questions
The wheel model, diameter and offset, and whether it clears the calipers. An actual DOT road-legal tire in the right size. A fabricator for the skid plate and light bar. A properly engineered recovery-point solution. What Montana allows for auxiliary lights on the road. And real install quotes, freight and taxes.
When the build happens, I'll document it the right way: baseline measurements, mockups, suspension at full droop and compression, finished fabrication, steering clearance, wiring and road-test results. Every estimate on this page gets replaced with a receipt, including anything that didn't fit and why.
Final thoughts
Why a Lifted Abarth?
Because the best roads around here turn to dirt. Because a light, small, rear-drive car with a limited-slip and a manual is basically a rally car that hasn't been told yet. And because I like cars that do something they weren't supposed to do.
Want to help, have a 124 or ND Miata that's already lifted, or know which wheels clear the Brembos? Tell me. I'll take all the advice I can get before I spend a dollar.
Talk Me Into It (or Out of It)
If you've lifted a 124 or an ND Miata, I want to hear what fit, what rubbed and what broke. Send me a message, or bring your car out and I'll bring the camera.
The images in this post are concept renderings from my Project 124 build sheet. Part prices and fitment are research notes, not recommendations.
Drive Fast · Take Chances · Never Lift.
