This custom 124 Spider ditches its 1.4-liter engine for something even better. The owner tells us how the project came to life. The Fiat 124 Spider is the Mazda Miata’s oft-forgotten Italian sibling.

During the late 1960s through the early 1980s, American car shoppers had two main options when seeking a sporty European roadster that didn’t break the bank and—at least in theory—could be used as a ...