The fact that both the Mazda MX-5 and the Abarth 124 Spider sports cars exist, side-by-side, is a good thing. In fact, they need each other to survive.
You’ve heard it before: the issue with making a sports car is scale. There is a great deal of development cost involved in getting a vision to production and then, because no one really needs sports cars, the return is generally not all that great.
Most manufacturers make sports cars based on their existing platforms (e.g. M3, C63, WRX STI etc), as the costs are significantly lower. So for a (relatively) small manufacturer like Mazda to create a bespoke sports car like the MX-5 in the modern market, it needed support. That came from the Italians, who were keen on reviving the Fiat 124 name. Together, the managed to justify a return on investment that led to the creation of both cars.
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https://www.caradvice.com.au/504125/abarth-124-spider-v-mazda-mx-5-comparison/
