The Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 stimulated interest and demand for the small affordable sports cars segment when they debuted. Now during the past couple of years it seems that other manufacturers are following the trend. We’ve seen new creations as well as modern takes on classic sports cars. 
Alfa Romeo stunned the world with their new model destined to mark their return to the U.S market; the 4C. The 4C would be their first all new sports car in years and comes wrapped in a beautiful body, but with minimal driver aids in order to provide an uninterrupted driving experience. The lightweight construction means the Alfa comes with minimal amenities on the inside and has no power steering, but gives the driver a pure bred sports car with the looks to match.
Flash forward a bit and now we have Fiat giving us a modern creation of one of their best selling sports cars; the 124 Spider. In partnership with Mazda they have created a fresh body around the skeleton of the Miata, and now with Abarth under FCA, we of course get the Abarth 124 Spider. The Abarth variant only gets an extra 10 horsepower over the base model, but comes loaded with extra visual flair most of which is inspired by the older model from the 70’s, like the blacked out hood. With the successful bones of a Miata underneath and an attractive Italian designed shell, all for under 40K, the Abarth 124 is set to be a new sports car classic.
Now at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, we see two new surprising entries to this segment, from a new brand and a resurrected brand.
Alpine has returned with the A110 reborn into a small sports car similar in size to the Alfa Romeo 4C. Specs are comparable to the 4C as well, weighing at 2,400 lbs and making 254 horsepower from a mid-mounted 4-cylinder engine. The original A110 was sold in the sixties in partnership with Renault, and the looks of that car have obviously been translated very well over to the new model. This car won’t be sold in the U.S as of now, but it marks a significant addition to this growing segment.
The second debut from Geneva comes from a much different part of the world with absolutely no history in sports cars. Indian company Tata have created a new sporty sub-brand named Tamo and to show everyone their intentions they have brought out its first car, the Racemo. Silly name no doubt, but they seem to have hit the mark if you can get past the unique bodywork.
The Racemo seems to have the Miata in its sights, powered by a 1.3 liter three cylinder engine making 188 horsepower and 210 lbs ft of torque, allowing it to get to 60 in under 6 seconds. The initial run will be limited to 250 units and pricing info has not been revealed yet, but it’s a hopeful sign that we will see this segment become more popular especially if an Indian manufacturer has taken interest.