Built as a daily driver which goes on the track and also attends car shows. 51 awards so far and counting. To date, Itsy has been on Eagles Canyon Raceway, Motorsport Ranch Cresson, Motorsport Ranch Houston, COTA, and TMS. She has been down Tail of the Dragon and run Twisted Sisters 6 times.

I only list some of the better awards Itsy has won. We mostly go to local car shows around Dallas and North Texas.

The modern FIAT 124 Spider was collaboration with Mazda. Maxda needed a partner to share development costs for thei MX-5 ND and FIAT wanted a roadster to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original 124 Spider. Multiple styling cues on the modern 124 are direct homages to the original. From the shape of the headlight bay, to the sculpting on the hood, the line from the trunk to under the doors, and the shape of the rear lights, visual cues tie the modern to the orignial.

Designed by FIAT's Stilo Central, 124 sits on the MazdaMX-5 ND chassis and uses many Mazda parts. The interiors are almost identical. However, the motor, exterior design, and engine are pure Italian and give the car an identity separate from the Mazda. While many auto magazines considered the 124 more a grand tourer in their reviews, results on the track and roads by professional drivers confirmed an unexpected result: on the track and on twisty roads, the 124 slightly outperforms the MX-5 ND.

Featuring a true 50-50 weight distrubtion, at the time it premeired, the Abarth 124 was rated by Fastest Laps Grip Kings in the top 20 production cars for grip. It is tied with cars like the Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari 488 Pista, McLaren 720S, SRT Viper TA, and many iterations of the Porsche 911 for lateral grip.

Now, with many more cars hitting the roads since it was first sold 9 years ago, it has fallen to #65 overall, as of spring 2026. For comparison, the MX-5 ND isn't in the top 100.

One of the unique things about owning a modern 124 Spider is no one knows what it is. If you are an introvert, don't buy one. People will literally talk to you about the car anywhere and everywhere including while driving down the interstate at 75 mph!

Tazilon Brenner's Garage

Tazilon Brenner