The Fiat Barchetta Is A Quirky Little Roadster And You Can Pick From Two In Florida

The JDM scene is bigger than ever and only about to get bigger as cars like the R34 Nissan GT-R are set to become legal here in America. One market that might still be untapped is that of Italian cars and at least one dealership in Florida sees that gap as they’ve got two brightly colored Fiat Barchettas just waiting for you to go pick them up.

The Barchetta is the ‘little boat’ that we never got here in America despite its beautiful styling. That styling isn’t the only big benefit of the poky little sports car. For those that remember the three original Miata concepts, this is going to sound kinda like the front-wheel-drive version that was never put into production.

The Barchetta uses a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that makes just 129 hp (131 PS / 96 kW) but it puts that power down with a gruff exhaust note serenading you as you go. It’s not quite as dynamic as the Miata, but when pushing the envelope, it’s got all the same panache. Having the sky as your roof and a small sports car wrapped around you is almost always a recipe for success.

Both Barchettas available at Lotus of Jacksonville seem to be in great condition. The one in red is priced at $14,900 and has a simple straightforward interior without any bells or whistles. The blue example is priced at $17,900 and comes with a mildly nicer interior and less than half the mileage. Either one would be a show stopper at a place like cars and coffee or a local weekend car show so long as you don’t live locally in a place like Amelia Island.

Still, if neither of these floats your boat, the same dealer has quite a few cars that weren’t originally sold here. From what we can tell, a Chris Bangle-designed Fiat Coupe Turbo was just sold with an asking price of $21,900. Moreover, an MG F is still available and offers rear-wheel drive and a rare mid-engine layout for $19,900.