Alfa Romeo Spider

The Alfa Romeo Spider is a roadster produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1966 to 1993 (190 Spiders were badged as 1994 Commemorative Editions for the North American market). Widely regarded as a design classic, it remained in production for almost three decades with only minor aesthetic and mechanical changes. The three first series were assembled by Pininfarina in Grugliasco and the fourth series in San Giorgio Canavese. The last Alfa Romeo Spider was produced in April 1993, it was also the last rear wheel drive Alfa Romeo produced before Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione was introduced.

Alfa Romeo Spider

Series 1 Alfa Romeo Spider (1966-1969)
The first presentation of Alfa Romeo Spider, as a prototype, was at the Turin Motor Show in 1961.However, the continuing success of existing models and the economic challenges facing Italy at the time meant that the first pre-launch production Alfa Romeo Spiders began to emerge from the Pininfarina production line only at the end of 1965.

Based on the Giulia 105 series chassis, the Alfa Romeo Spider was launched in the 36th Geneva Motor Show in March 1966. Unnamed at launch, the name "Duetto" was chosen in a write-in competition in Italy. The Italian firm of Pininfarina was responsible for the design of the body; in fact, the Duetto was the last project with which founder Battista "Pinin" Farina was personally associated. Pininfarina were also responsible for the manufacture of the vehicle's monocoque construction (designed with the relatively new principles of crumple zones incorporated into the front and rear). The engine was a 1570 cc variant of the Alfa Romeo twin cam four cylinder engine, and produced 109 hp (81 kW). Sparsely fitted inside but including five speed manual transmission, disc brakes and independent front suspension, the price on launch in Italy was 2,195,000 lire and upon its US introduction in 1967, price was US$3,950 which was about $1,500 more than an MGB.

Alfa Romeo Spider

Series 2 Alfa Romeo Spider (1970-1982/83)
In 1970 the first significant change to the exterior styling was introduced on the 1750 Spider Veloce, with the original's distinctive elongated round tail changed to a more conventional cut-off tail, called the "Kamm tail", as well as improving the luggage space. Numerous other small changes took place both inside and out, such as a slightly different grille, new doorhandles, a more raked windscreen, top-hinged pedals and improved interior trim.

1971 saw the Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce get a new, larger powerplant - a 1962 cc, 132 hp (98 kW) unit - and consequently the name was changed from 1750 Spider Veloce to 2000 Spider Veloce. The 1600 Spider restarted production a year later as the Spider 1600 Junior, and was visually identical to the 1300.

Alfa Romeo Spider

Series 3 Alfa Romeo Spider (1982/83-1989/90)
The Series 3 Alfa Romeo Spider was previewed in North America for the 1982 model year with the introduction of 2.0 liter Bosch electronic fuel injection to replace the SPICA mechanical injection.

The Alfa Romeo Spider underwent a major styling revamp in 1983, which saw the introduction of black rubber front and rear bumpers. The front bumper incorporated the grille and a small soft rubber spoiler was added to the trunk lid. The change altered the exterior appearance of the car considerably and was not universally praised by enthusiasts. Various other minor mechanical and aesthetic modifications were also made, and the 1600 car (never available in North America) dropped the "Junior" name.

Series 4 Alfa Romeo Spider (1990/91-1993)
The final major change to the Alfa Romeo Spider came in 1990. The primary mechanical change was that the Spider was given Bosch Motronic electronic fuel injection with an electric fan. Externally, the Alfa Romeo Spider lost its front under-bumper spoiler and the rear trunk-lid spoiler and picked up 164-style rear lights stretching across the width of the car as well as plastic bumpers the same color as the car. This also marked the first generation of this car with automatic transmission.

Alfa Romeo Spider

In North America, the styling changes did not appear until the 1991 model year; 1990 models featured the Motronic fuel injection but retained the black bumpers. Power steering, larger knee bolsters and a driver-side airbag also appeared as standard for North American market Alfa Romeo Spiders, which were available in two configurations: Alfa Romeo Spider and Spider Veloce. Primary differences were in standard equipment: the Veloce substituted leather seats for the base model's vinyl; 15" alloy wheels were one size up from the standard steel wheels with hubcaps; and air conditioning and a cloth top were standard.

Production of the original Alfa Romeo Spider ended in 1993. An all-new Alfa Spider arrived one year later. A limited edition Alfa Romeo Spider Commemorative Edition was produced for the North American market in 1993 and was badged as a 1994 model. Each of the 190 Spider CEs imported to the United States had a small plaque affixed to the dashboard that identified which of the 190 cars it was. The CEs differed from previous Alfa Romeo Spiders in that they had a special badge on the nose, a "CE" script badge below the "Spider Veloce" badge on the tail, unique gold center caps on the "phonedial" 15" wheels, and burled wood interior trim. Each model came with a leather portfolio, numbered keychain, and documentation. The cars followed the VIN sequence 008276 to 008460, although there does not appear to be any systematic order numbering. It appears that all of the 1994 Alfa Romeo Spider Commemorative Editions were produced in May 1993.

Alfa Romeo Spider photos