After Fiat stepped out, Pininfarina stepped up
The 124 Spider was originally a Fiat creation, released in 1966 and manufactured until 1982. “Wait a moment,” you may ask, “I thought this was a 1984 Spider, how can that be if Fiat stopped making them two years earlier?” The answer rests within Italian luxury design and bespoke coach company Pinifarina, located in Piedmont, the same Italian province as Fiat’s headquarters.
Pininfarina did the original design work for the 124 Spider and manufactured the cars under contract for Fiat. When Fiat pulled the plug on future production orders, Pininfarina continued the run under its own branding until 1985. Pininfarina focused on making fewer and more upscale, hand-built versions of the 124 Spider, renamed the Pininfarina Spider Azzurra in North America, and Pininfarina Spidereuropa in European markets.
Thus, while the Fiat 124 Spider is already a fine collector’s piece, ones such as this 1984 Pininfarina Azzurra have considerably more value and collectibility, as well as being generally created with a higher standard of precision and luxury than the earlier Fiat-branded models. This particularly rare 1984 Pininfarina Azzurra is for sale on Exotic Car Trader, and you can check out the full listing by clicking here!
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The best Italian styling has to offer
This Pininfarina Azzurra is decked out in iconic Azzurra Blue Metallic, a shade flirting with silver but still recognizably pale blue. The bumpers are a thin twin-line parallel silver piping, with a noticeable gap in the middle, and black fiberglass covers that also house the turning turn signals.
Big round headlights and prominent rectangular tail lights that taper ever so slightly inwards and downwards meld right into the body. Two slight bumps in the hood give the engine compartment just that little extra space, as well as adding tasteful texture to the hood. A wide grille is partially covered by the front bumper, looking a bit like a stylized diamond with the bottom cut off.
The windshield is low and angled back, with blocky square driver and passenger windows that stand a bit out of place when rolled up without the soft top in place, but provide the perfect wind protection even at speed.
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An original interior that still manages to impress
Inside, the tan leather seats and door paneling are complemented by darker wooden trim and brown carpeting. A simple tri-spoke steering wheel with black hand grips and steel spokes leading down into the steering column is equal parts refined and functional. The five-speed shifter is delicately wrapped in leather at the base, with a polished wooden knob that fits perfectly in the hand.
Original radio and audio controls, vents, and instrumentation and gauges all appear to be original and in fantastic shape, and are what you would expect from Italian craftsmanship. The soft top is manually opened and closed, ensuring maximum control over the balance of open top excitement and closed top comfort.
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An improvement over the 124 Spider in almost every way
The Pininfarina Azzurro shares many parts with the Fiat 124 Spider, but it can also be seen as the luxury package, with, among other things, advanced rust-resistant paint, a higher tier of material quality used in the interior, and reliable Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection being added for a smoother and powerful flow.
The engine is a 2.0-liter DOHC (dual overhead camshaft) inline-four, which is why those little bubbles on the hood are needed to give it enough room. This zippy and reliable engine, paired with a five-speed manual transmission, sent power to the rear wheels surprisingly quickly and efficiently. The odometer reads 37,569 miles, but the true mileage is unknown.
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Final thoughts: Don’t always trust the doubters
Even though Fiat gave up on the 124 Spider, moving on to other projects, Pininfarina held on for three more years, and in those three years, made the best version of the model. Commercially successful and visually gorgeous, the Pininfarina Azzurra is a triumph of Italian style, brought to life by the very company that originally gave life to the Fiat 124 Spider design. If you are looking for a classic open-air convertible that embodies everything right with Italian design principles, this 1984 Pininfarina Azzurra is definitely worth a look.
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