Fast-forward to 2016 and the story has come full circle, with the European-inspired MX-5 spawning a new Japanese-built Fiat 124 Spider built ... fixes its gaze on the future.

The Fiat 124 Spider and Mazda MX-5 Miata share a platform, but they're hardly the same car. We compare the details of the two droptops, here. "We leveraged a great platform." That's how Bob ...