The Fiat 124 Spider is a fun Italian take on the Mazda Miata. There's an Abarth version that ups the fun a bit more. The one I want to drive though? It's the Fiat Abarth 124 R-GT rally car.

Any Abarth-tuned Fiat is going to make some great sounds. This particular car definitely does just that, thanks to a hefty swap of the stock engine for one making a bit more power. Gone is the 1.4-liter mill; in its place is a 1.8-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder unit that produces 300 horsepower.

Also swapped out is the standard manual gearbox for a 6-speed sequential transmission. Both engine and transmission are set farther back in the car to help adjust the weight balance. There's also a full roll cage, a fixed roof, and an aggressive scoop sitting on the roof. Speaking of the roof, since it's a fixed top now, it can't be called a Spider anymore. That's okay, because we prefer "Race Car" to "Spider" any day of the week.

The car looks and sounds the business, and it also seems like it would be an absolute riot to push down a twisting road. A concept version was shown at the Geneva Motor Show, and it was clear that the car would be built to FIA specs for its class. That's just the case with the version being tested in the video above.

Now just add more forward lighting, paint it, and slap on some stickers, and get this thing out there racing!