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The Fiat Spider as we know it was introduced in November of 1966 at the Turin Auto Show, and was first sold in the USA as a regular model in 1968. I won't elaborate on the detailed history of the car here, as that information is available from various other sources.  The important thing to note is that both the spider and coupe were derived from the common 124 sedan, a pushrod engined four door that sold in the millions around the world, and nearly lived on in perpetuity after the tooling was sold to the former Soviet Union to prodouce the Lada.  It is important to remember that Fiat is a mass-producer of cars, and the sporting models have almost always been derived from the chassis of pedestrian family sedans.  This should not be considered a negative; in fact, it speaks highly of the engineering prowess of Fiat's designers to be able to provide such a frequently exceptional basis for great sports cars.
 

Fiats in general, and the 124 in particular, are often misunderstood and unfairly criticised enthusiast cars. Those of us that own one or more know better than the lame-brains who use the tired "Fix-It-Again-Tony" moniker.  What follows is information to give you a better understanding of the cars as they evolved over the years, until the model line finally ceased in 1985 after over 150,000 spiders alone had been built.
 

Beginner's Guide to 124 Designations

The 124 community refers to the different models through the model designation portion of the serial number.  Spiders are a letter followed by 'S' for Spider, 124 sport coupes are the series letter followed by 'C' for Coupe.  Thus:
 

124AS    1966-1969 Spiders  (1438cc)
124BS    1970-1973 Spiders  (a mix of 1438, 1592 and 1608 engines)
124CS1  1974-1978 Spiders  (1756, or '1800'cc)
124CS2  1979-1982 Spiders  (1995cc or 2 litre, aka Spider 2000)
 

1983-1985 Spiders were referred to as Pininfarinas, as they were no longer 'made' by Fiat.
 

Coupes:
124AC  1966-1969  (single headlamps)
124BC  1970-1972  (dual headlamps)
124CC  1973-1975  (dual headlamps, bumper level trunk opening)
 

The 124 sport coupe along with the 124 sedan/wagon was replaced in 1975 by the 131 for the North American market. 

Here is one of the earliest known surviving 124 spiders, 124AS number 816. It is a 1967 European model. Note the clear front turn signal lenses, headlamps and the lack of bumper uprights. The passenger side mirror is an owner addition as are the BWA wheels. 
(Image courtesy www.fiatspider.de)
 
 
 
 
 

Here is a 1967 model unearthed in the USA by Pete Angel of Colorado Springs. It is in poor condition, but is generally complete and has a good body, which means makes the restoration worthwhile. 
(Pete Angel image)
 
 
 
 
 

The very early AS cars had several distinct features, the most noteworthy being the heater controls under the dash in a horizontal fashion and not in the center console. The 1968 USA sales brochure (orange cover) plainly shows this on what is actually a 1967 car.  When the car officially arrived here in 1968, the center console grew in length and the heater controls were positioned in it, making understanding them rather difficult!  Other early cars shared the torque tube rear suspension, which is also pictured in the sales brochure for 1968. With this arrangement, the driveshaft is encased inside an outer tube much like older American cars.

This design was dropped in 1968 in favor of the common subsequent axle with trailing arms, supposedly due to the torque tube axle housings developing cracks.  The torque tube design is thought by many to be superior(?). 1968 cars did generally not have head rests on the seats, the rocker panel moldings attached to the face of the panels and did not sit on the top edge as all subsequent models, and the accelerator pedal and washer pump were mounted to the floor.  Some of these items continued on to 1969, along with the small round side markers, reverse lamp under the bumper and the water pump mounted radiator fan. The AS cars had inumerable unique pieces compared to those that followed (smaller taillamps, for example) and this makes restoring the AS much more difficult.
 
 

The 1970 BS was an in-between car.  While it retained the 1438cc engine of the preceding models, it received the larger taillamps, electric radiator fan, black gauge bezels and mesh grille of the 1608 cars that would follow. 1970 models in the entire Fiat range are easy to spot, thanks to the two piece lens/reflector of the side marker lamp assembly. The front emblem moved from the hood to the grille and the reverse lamps were now integrated into the taillamps.  The accelerator pedal now hung from the firewall instead of pivoting on the floor.  The pictured car is my personal 124 spider number 26637. The wheels are Fiat-Roosevelt, a USA market option that is a copy of, but not the same as, the American Racing Libre wheel.  These can be found at swap meets on occasion but it should be cautioned that they require an unusual shank diameter lug bolt as well as a unique center cap.

In 1971 the car changed mostly under the hood, with the arrival of the 1608cc engine.  Probably one of the best engine choices, it lasted until 1973 at which time the 1592cc engine appeared.  While the size is very similiar, the two engines are different 'families'.  The 1438/1608 is the 124 block, where the 1592 and 1756 that followed were based on the 132 block, from the 132 sedan (not sold in North America). While the engines are interchangeable, many of the individual pieces are not. There seems to be some question as to when the change occurred in 1973, as both engines seem to have been available. Externally, the rear end got a '1600' badge, the side markers became rectangular but the engine hood remained flat.

The 1973 sales brochure shows the 'small bubble' hood on a yellow car, but that car also is shown with 1974 model bumpers???  As we will see, Fiat was not consistent on changes occurring across the board for a new model year.
 

1974 CS1
In 1974, Fiat introduced the 1756, or '1800' engine to provide adequate power with the tighter emission control laws of the USA.  The engine received a smog pump driven off the exhaust cam, which had a habit of seizing it's bearings and causing the timing belt to jump with disastorous results.  The grill became a black stamped metal piece, the bumpers were mounted to rubber blocks to help absorb impacts (it didn't work),  the rear emblem changed to a 'block' type and said '1800', and the interior began to receive a ceaselessly rotating bunch of emissions/safety controls and warning lights in the center of the dash. 

This was the last of the small bumper cars, and should be considered a model unto itself as it really shares parts from the BS and the CS cars that followed. The example above has an optional Cromadora alloy wheel with a large stainless steel lug cap which were available as an extra cost option for a brief period. This was the last 'official' alloy wheel from Fiat until the Spider 2000 arrived in 1979. 

One oddity that came out of the 1974 model year was the CA/MD bumpers.  These big blocks of rubber took the place of the chrome uprights and required unique bumper bars.  The odd part is, they were only attached to cars sold in California and Maryland!
 
 
 
 

You can see the rear emblem treatment on this CA car, as well as the popular Amco luggage rack, which was a dealer installed option and not a genuine Fiat part. (www.fiatspider.de image)
 
 

124 Rally (Abarth)
In the early to mid 1970s, Fiat's factory rally program used the 124 spider as a rally car.  Fiat had purchased Abarth and were using the company as its race preparation division.  These cars were essentially hand-built, and were modestly successful before Fiat turned its attention to newly acquired Lancia and the Stratos project.  Fiat would later have great success in the World Rally Championship with the 131 Abarth.  For Americans, the 124 Rally is merely a footnote in a fine history, as the car was never sold here, though a few did race at World Rally events held in this country.  The street versions were homologation specials, meaning Fiat made just enough road cars to satisfy the production requirements in the FIA rule book.  The Rally is far removed from the standard production 124, most notably in its full independent rear suspension, spartan interior with race buckets, Cromadora 'Abarth' wheels, no bumpers, matte black body parts and factory hardtop.  The VIN designation is CSA, and about 1013 were built between September 1972 and September 1974.  A stunningly brutish looking car, it is possible to duplicate the look with little trouble. They are much sought after and very expensive.

As of 1975, the 124 spider would be exclusively available to North America.  No cars were sold in any other market until about 1981, when it was again sold in Europe.

1975-1978 CS1
1975 saw the arrival of the much-maligned 'tube' bumpers.  Designed to withstand a 5mph impact without causing damage to the body (they didn't), these heavy chrome bumpers would curse the performance, handling and appearance of the car until it's demise. 
 
 
 

The example pictured above really is a 1978.  It has been fitted with a hood and 13" alloy wheels from a Spider 2000, but the old-style door handles give away the true vintage. With the bumper change, the license plate lights moved to the rear body panel, the front emblem moved back to the hood but not much else changed. This series of car is still reasonably plentiful and can be the basis for a nice car. With the smog equipment removed and a 4-2-1 factory exhaust, the car is easily livened up.  Removing the bumpers is popular, though many state laws prohibit it. (Thad Kirk image)

In 1978, with the impending change to the Spider 2000 (CS2) model, Fiat began to substitute parts as stocks were depleted. The 1978 cars can be found with CS2 door handles and rear differentials, among other pieces.  The hood should be of the small bump variety regardless, but with many hoods being damaged, the replacement piece was often that of the large bump CS2 (CS1 hoods were unavailable for many years). The serial number will always divulge the true type of car.
 

CS2  1979-1982

The above is not entirely accurate.  The CS2 became the CSO when the new 17 digit VIN codes came into effect.  For the purposes of identifying a time period, though, I will refer to all cars that are "Fiat Spider 2000s" as CS2s.

1979 saw real changes in the spider, which was no longer referred to as a '124' model but as the Spider 2000. The obvious change was the 1995cc engine, which generated more torque to suit American driving tastes. The large hood bulges debuted, along with larger taillamps, new seat design, available leather seats and metallic paint, flush Alfa-Romeo type door handles and a different style differential (which was sadly not an improvement).

Alloy wheels were also available as an option once again.  There were numerous other details that were changed, everything from the trunk lock location to the crankshaft pulley.  Some were improvements (catalytic converter replacing smog pump, non-interference engine at last) while others were not (new seats had weak frames, crank pulley difficult to remove for timing belt replacement). 

Fiat Motors North America changed their marketing strategy and became more aggressive, and the rest of the Fiat line (X1/9, 131/Brava) was upgraded as well.  In addition, the type 138 Strada made it's debut (called the Ritmo in other markets) in a very volatile import market. The Spider was soldiering on, now less as a sports car and more as a mid-life crisis antidote in marketing perception. The car was still capable, though the 1979-1980 models suffer from a terrible carbeurator/intake manifold design. For the first time ever, an automatic transmission was offered (actually made by GM).

Partway through 1980, Fiat finally gave up on carbs and began building all the USA market cars with Bosch fuel injection.  Performance and drivability went up tremendously. Outwardly, the cars changed only in the "fuel injection" added to the rear badge. 

The sample car pictured above is actually an 'LE' model, or 'Limited Edition'. Pininfarina built 1000 of these to celebrate 50 years of business. These unique cars were painted a sort of champagne color, had cream leather upholstery, power windows, serial numbered badges on the sides and glovebox lid as well as 14" 'iron cross' wheels unique to that model. They were not exclusive to the USA and can be found throughout the world. (Roger Hoffman image)
 

Turbo Spider
In 1981, FMNA jumped on the turbo bandwagon and commissioned the Turbo Spider.  This was a time in American car history when turbos were the answer to every performance problem; they could even be found on Chrysler's new invention, the minivan!  Unlike the factory Chryslers or even the 'skunk works' Mustang SVO, the Fiat Turbo Spider was pieced together by an independent company called Legend Industries. Conveniently located in New Jersey (home of FMNA and port of entry for most Fiats), Legend took stock Spiders and added the turbo system to them. 

Legend had spent a whole 18 months developing the car, which basically meant they figured out a way to put a turbo on it and not blow it up. Peak boost of 6psi came at only 3000 rpm, so the car was no performance demon for the sake of reliability, but did manage to gain 20 hp in the process. A good deal of the system was crudely hand-built, and replacement parts were expensive, including the turbo which cost around $1000 as a replacement part. As was typical of the period, most people who bought them didn't know how to properly care for them, and as turbos failed, the cars were de-turbo'd back to stock in all too many instances.

Aside from the obvious turbo installation, all Turbos had the 14" alloy wheels as pictured along with the stripe kit and logo decals on the fenders. There was a boost gauge in the center of the dash with no numbered markings, only color coded 'zones'.  The VIN number will not divulge if the car was originally a turbo, since the cars were pulled at random from the port of entry inventory.  Despite the meager power gains, the cars are rather desirable today, and properly cared for deliver reliable service. Indeed, the engines rarely suffered, only the oil cooled turbo unit itself was prone to premature failure. Approximately 700 Turbo Spiders were built.
 

Volumex
While not really chronologically correct, now is a good time to mention the Europe-only Volumex.  This car was actually made by Pininfarina, sort of as a last hurrah before kissing the model goodbye. It featured a supercharger induction system borrowed from Lancia, which used essentially the same engine in the Beta range. Strangely, the Roots type blower forced the induction through a sealed carbeurator instead of using an injection system. Running a maximum of 5.7 lbs of boost, the power output reached 135 hp at 5500 rpm, over ten hp more than the turbo.  A highly sought after collectible in Europe, only 500 were built. (www.fiatspider.de image)
 

Pininfarina Spider 1983-1985
At the end of 1981, FMNA was beginning to admit defeat. The Strada had been a colossal failure. In spite of an import-hungry car market, the 'Americanized' (meaning, incredibly uglier) Strada had failed to steal enough sales from the likes of VW, Toyota and others. Ford had just brought the Escort to market, Chrysler was selling K-car based products and turning a profit, yet sales of the Brava and Strada languished. It was yet another example of the Italian incapability to understand the American market. 

The products themselves were not terrible; FMNA and Fiat Italy just couldn't figure out how to get people into the showroom.

For 1982, FMNA sold only the Spider and X1/9, marketing themselves as a sports car company but likely already been given word by the home office that the end was coming. In Italy, Fiat advised Bertone and Pininfarina that no more orders for bodies would be coming.  This was a huge problem for both coachbuilders, as neither had another suitable contract ready to go to keep production lines busy. 

While Pininfarina may have survived building bodies for Ferrari, Bertone in particular had nothing of any quantity to keep them alive. Enter Malcolm Bricklin.
Here was a guy that had actually worked for FMNA, who had built and sold his own car (the Bricklin) before bankruptcy, who had first imported Subarus when no one wanted them, and who would later give us the Yugo, a Yugoslavian built Fiat 128. Bricklin convinced Bertone and Pininfarina to keep producing the Fiat Spider and X1/9, and sell them as their own models. Bricklin would set up a dealer network in the USA to market the cars. Thus was the arrangement in 1983, as Fiat left the US market for good.

Several dealers were signed on, though few were Fiat dealers. The reason for this was the price of the cars, for the Spider around $15000 at the time. This was significantly more than what Fiat had been selling the same car for the previous year, and sales were poor at the Fiat price. In spite of ads comparing the Spider to the Mercedes SL, nobody was fooled. Desperate dealers dropped prices on in-stock cars, and orders for new ones dwindled. At the end of the 1985 model year, Pininfarina (with GM's order for Cadillac Allante bodies firmly in hand) announced that production of the Spider would cease, blaming a lack of rwd components in a fwd world.

1983-1984 Pininfarinas differed somewhat in detail from the earlier cars. Obviously, all external badging was changed to Pininfarina's stylizied 'f' or an emblem of a sailing ship in reference to Italy's success in a sailboat race. 14" turbo style wheels were standard, but the center caps were plain silver. The dashboard design was changed, but the easiest wasy to spot a Pininfarina is the rearview mirrors which are attached to the vent window glass instead of to the door. Also, the joke of a rear seat was finally turned into a parcel shelf.

In 1985, Pininfarina built the final cars, and they were unbelivably much improved. It must be assumed that the improvements had been planned for some time, and that the intent was to keep building the car for several more years. It is truly puzzling. The Spider finally got rack and pinion steering, ventilated front disc brakes, new wheels (see image below), storage compartments under the rear parcel shelf and a host of other detail changes that certainly cost quite a bit of money to perform for such limited numbers. These are often incorrectly referred to as '85.5' models. The final car was actually built at 3pm on July 30, 1985 and is rumoured to have been sent immediately to the Fiat Centro Storico Museum.

In the USA, one more little piece of history would unfold. After the Pininfarina dealer network was closed up, there were several unsold USA spec cars still in Europe. An enterprising enthusiast named Michael Blumberg purchased and privately imported these last cars, selling them to friends and enthusiasts. At last report, Blumberg had the last car sold still in his family.
 

This should by no means be considered a comprehensive history. I only hoped to give the basics on the car's evolution and history to the uneducated enthusiast.  As always, if you have any questions of a historical or accuracy nature, please feel free to contact me.