Fiat of Italy, which owns Alfa, and Mazda of Japan announced that they’ll team up to do a two-seater, based on the platform of the Miata, officially known as the MX-5. The two companies plan to come up with distinctly different models, and each will use its own engine.
It’s a fascinating idea — and it isn’t that far fetched. If you’ve ever visited car museums in Japan, you’ve undoubtedly seen the little models from the 1960s that paid homage to Italian sports cars, like the Daihatsu Campagno Spider, the Toyota Publica and the Honda S600. Now, a Japanese will get an opportunity to develop a car that one of those Italian companies will actually sell.