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Junkyard Gem: 1980 Fiat 124 Spider with slushbox

The original Fiat 124 Sport Spider sold like crazy in the United States, with its cheap price tag, raucous-sounding Fiat Twin Cam engine, cool Pininfarina lines, and happy convertible top. They were finicky and fragile, and they broke frequently, so most of them ended up under tarps in driveways and back yards. I have been crawling around in wrecking yards for 34 years now, and the numbers of discarded, never-going-to-get-around-to-this-project 124 Spiders in those yards have remained pretty constant; I see a half-dozen or so junked examples every year, year after year. What I had never seen before now, however, is a Fiat 124 Sport Spider with an automatic transmission. Sure, this car had an optional GM-sourced slushbox available, just as the MGB had a Borg-Warner automatic option, but a car buyer during the Malaise Era generally understood that the only reason to get a flaky, impractical European sports car was for the joy of driving something so lightweight and nimble. Bolting an automatic to one was like chaining a urine-soaked phone book to a jackrabbit. I never believed that anyone actually got the automatic, but here's proof that at least one buyer did. Actually, 80 horsepower in a Fiat with an automatic would be slightly less miserable than 62.5 horsepower in an MGB with an automatic. So there's that. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1980 Fiat 124 Sport Spider in Denver junkyard View 15 Photos Auto News Fiat fiat 124 spider

Fiat 500X and 500L could be combined into 500XL for next generation

The Fiat 500L, classified as a subcompact minivan, has been on sale since 2012 in Europe, since 2014 in the U.S. Its subcompact crossover platform-mate, the 500X, went on sale in 2014 in Europe, replicating the same two-year delay in getting to the U.S. Neither has managed to make much of an impression in the U.S., but the 500X has done solid business globally, moving more than 455,000 units in Europe alone since going on sale and still putting up strong numbers deep into its first generation. The 500L, far from the prettiest offering in an unloved segment, has seen its European sales numbers decline from 94,114 in 2014 to 36,495 last year, but that's still not a shabby figure. AutoExpress figures the twins will roll out second-generation versions in about 18 months, but word from Fiat boss Olivier Francois suggests they could meld into a single 500XL model combining the best of their individual traits. What's more, the resulting vehicle is viewed as a prime candidate for electrification, Francois citing the roomy, high-riding 500L as "a particularly good body, high on wheels, to add batteries [to]." The 500X injects appeal into the equation, since Fiat needs to "think of the next generation with the same approach to the consumer that makes a lot of sense in an all-electric version, with a body that is obviously more relevant and in fashion. We’re thinking maybe a blend of the X and L is the way ahead, at the end of the day. But it is not for the near future – and when I say near, I mean not by the end of this year, for sure." Francois' mention of the 500L having a good body for full electrification begs the question of a second-generation platform. The new battery-electric 500e rides on a bespoke EV architecture that's so far only publicly planned to support other electric minicars like an electric Panda and the production version of the Centoventi EV concept. The Renegade has been electrified with a PHEV model, and it would make sense for that tech to cross the aisle into the Fiats — the Jeep is built in the same plant as the Italians, after all — but potentially being so close to a new generation, Fiat could opt to save money and go with one of its mild hybrid solutions for now. Considering what Fiat has on its to-do list over the next 18 months, however, from managing its own affairs post-coronavirus to completing the merger with PSA Group, anything is possible. All we can be sure of is that U.S.

FCA employees likely to reject UAW contract

For a brief, blissful glimmer of time, it seemed like we might have a period of labor harmony here in the Motor City. The United Auto Workers and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the UAW's lead bargaining company, came to a pending agreement that seemed promising enough that union president Dennis Williams, shown above with FCA boss Sergio Marchionne, thought it'd be ratified by the membership. Well, he was wrong. It's widely expected that FCA's rank-and-file workforce will vote against the deal, which gave workers a raise, would establish a VEBA-style healthcare pool, and deliver a $3,000 bonus for signing the agreement, while retaining the much-hated two-tier wage system. According to The Detroit News, it'd be the first time in over three decades the union's general population didn't follow its leadership's recommendation. Two of FCA's big US facilities, Toledo Assembly and Sterling Heights Assembly, overwhelmingly voted no, with The News saying they "mathematically sealed the deal's fate." According to The News, UAW Local 1700 President Charles Bell said roughly 90 percent of SHAP's 3,000-plus union workforce voted "no" on the deal. Should the pending agreement fail as it's expected to, there are three potential avenues for the union. First, as The News details, both sides could return to the bargaining table. Second, FCA workers could hit the picket line. Finally, union leadership may opt to focus its firepower on General Motors or Ford. It's a good thing we aren't the gambling sort, because those all seem very much within the realm of possibility. Not surprisingly, rank-and-file UAW members have taken issue with the survival of the two-tier wage structure, while others simply think that union employees deserve a wage hike. There was also, we're betting, some serious concerns over the reshuffling of production that would come with a new FCA/UAW deal. As previously reported, no fewer than four UAW facilities would have their vehicle lines shuffled around, including both SHAP and Toledo. Expect more news as soon as the UAW formally announces the results of its FCA voting. News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Chrysler Fiat FCA toledo sterling heights