Alfa Romeo Spider
In the mid-1960s, Alfa Romeo management decided to produce an heir to the Giulietta Spider, a model that had won over the United States by embodying a "different way of life." An ambitious goal, it was entrusted to the hand of Pininfarina, the author of the Giulietta Spider a decade earlier.
For the new car, the Turin atelier took as its starting point the mechanics of the Giulia Sprint GT, with its wheelbase reduced to 2,250 mm and all its dynamic features - performance, acceleration, acceleration and road holding - maintained, including high-level mechanical specifications such as independent front suspension, five-speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive and four disc brakes.
The interior reflected the typical 1960s Alfa Romeo layout: a three-spoke 'chalice' steering wheel, two generously sized instruments in front of the driver, three smaller diameter dials in the middle of the dashboard, and an almost horizontal gear stick with exceptional maneuverability.
The low, slender bodywork with rounded front and tail included bumpers in two parts to emphasize the typical Alfa Romeo badge in the center, while wide grooves ran along the low sides to modernize the lines.
The curb weight of only 990 kg meant it could reach a top speed of 185 km/h. The engines in the line-up developed over the years around the legendary Alfa Romeo four-cylinder twin-cam, available with four displacements: 1600 (1,570 cc), 1750 (1,779 cc), 1300 (1,290 cc) and 2000 (1,962 cc), with carburetor supply, "Spica" mechanical injection, and electronic injection.
For the 1966 launch of the "1600 Spider", Alfa Romeo dreamed big: a cruise on the Italian turboship Raffaello from Genoa to New York, with a stopover in Cannes for its Film Festival. There were 1,300 VIPs on board with three new Spider models on display on deck, all made available for dynamic tests.
Success in the U.S. was immediate and extraordinary, so much so that it then went into use as a prop car in hundreds of film and television productions.
A star was born, although "Duetto" - as it was popularly known - was never the car's official name. Alfa Romeo launched a prize competition in conjunction with dealerships to name the new spider; the winner was "Duetto." However, that name was a registered trademark, so Alfa Romeo left "Duetto" behind to remain in the memories of enthusiasts. It would later become the commonly used moniker for every generation of the car. Over the years, the Spider remained one of the very few proposals in its market segment, acquiring such an identity of its own that the noun ended up becoming a proper name: simply, Spider.
The first series (1966-1969) - nicknamed "cuttlefish bone" for its ellipsoidal bodywork of a rounded front and tail, and convex sides - was the last creation overseen by Battista "Pinin" Farina and the most sought after by collectors.
From 1969 onwards, the silhouette was updated with a clean cut at the rear, which earned the second series the moniker of "truncated tail" (1969-1982). The longest-standing and best-selling series, almost 50,000 units were sold, including the 1978 "Niki Lauda Special Edition" made for the American market as a tribute to the Austrian champion then at the wheel of Alfa Romeo-powered Brabhams in Formula 1.
In 1983, the wind tunnel was dictating new forms: known as "aerodynamics", the third series (1983-1989) introduced integrated bumpers and sophisticated updates to the bodywork.
The fourth series (1989-1994) closed the circle, with a clean, sleek line that somewhat stood as a return to its origins. Models included the 1991 "Beauté" limited series for the French market and the "Commemorative Edition" whereby the American market bade farewell to the Spider Veloce after an honorable career of 28 years.
Production took place at two plants: Alfa Romeo's in Arese and Pininfarina's in Turin, with volumes at each according to market needs and production availability. Produced continuously from 1966 to 1994, with over 124,000 units sold, it had the longest career of any Biscione model (28 years) and was the most popular in the world.
