bumper4fiat124spider
I always loved my 77’ Fiat 124 Spider, except it's ugly bumpers. In 1974 the US regulations forced all manufacturers to adopt to so called 5MPH rule. This rule says that during the crash test with the speed of 5MPH no damage should reveal. This rule was forced by the insurers trying to avoid policy payments from 90% low speed traffic jam accidents, caused by automatic transmission careless braking. FIAT designed and adopted the new heavy (ca. 30 kg each) bumper with shock-absorbers, making the car look and drive much worse than the original one. As most of the Spiders were sold in the US, FIAT sold the new bumper on all markets. The 5PM rule bumpers is not only the matter of aesthetics, by far the worst part of those heavy battering rams is what they do to handling. It’s much worse than an extra passenger on board, as this extra weight is located on car’s very ends. All that weight hanging as the pendulum there is disastrous, making a sweet-handling machine into a nervous slug. Here is my cure for that pain
First you can do is remove the bumpers completely, the car looks and runs better, but something is missing visually and there is entirely no protection against push parking
You can downgrade it to before 1975 look, but the installation of original very expensive bumpers and turn indicators requires front panel cutting and paint job and is irreversible . Some other options cost a lot of money and effort but the result is not always perfect.
This solution is not pretending anything. Completely new designed bumpers and front position/blinker lights. Within ca. 2 hours using simple wrenches, original screws and mounting brackets you can fit your Spider with new bumpers. Beautifully bended, welded and polished, stainless steel pipes will fit all post 1975 Spiders, without any structural change-no drilling cutting or painting.
Many loves the original Fiat Spider, Pi1975ninfarina design presented in 1966, but “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. It’s difficult to find a good rust free car in original form, from before
Many bought the post 1975 Spiders with the ugly and heavy rubber/pipe 5 mph bumpers really disturbing the clean Pininfarina line.
