Welcome to my Alfa Romeo Spider tribute! With an award-winning Pininfarina design and an engine to match, – a real head-turner and truly a driver’s delight!



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There has been made quite a few Alfa concept cars over the years by the Alfa in-house design department Centero Stile, and by outside design houses like Pininfarina, Bertone, Zagato and Giugiaro/ItalDesign.








 


T H E   D E S I G N

 
"For a car to be aerodynamic, it should resemble a banana. To be roomy it should resemble a shoe-box. Style lies somewhere in between the two."

Design has always been an important factor for Alfa Romeo. In fact, it’s the combination of design and engine that has made it into the legend it certainly is.

The 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Touring Coupe was exceptional in both design, power and handling. With coachwork by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, it was described at the time as "the fastest car in the world". A total of 43 were built and it’s the most exclusive and expensive Alfa ever. The 8C 2900B was based on the 8C 2900A sports racing cars and were built as "Corto" (short wheelbase), "Lungo" (long wheelbase) and "Le Mans" version. 10 cars of the Lungo-version were built between 1937 and 1939. Buyers could choose between the Pininfarina convertible or the closed Touring Coupe version. A prime example of a Lungo convertible was sold at Christie’s in 1999 for more than 4 million US dollars! [More about 8C 2900B]

The classic 1967 Alfa Romeo Type 33 Stradale was a dream and has numerous times been voted among the sexiest car designs ever made! Based on the Autodelta Type 33 racing car, only 18 units were built including two concept versions by Bertone (Carabo – 1968 and Navajo – 1969), one by Pininfarina (Cuneo – 1968) and one by Italdesign (Iguana – 1969). The bodywork for the Stradale was designed and built by Scaglione in Turin and coachbuilder Marazzi in Milan. The V8-engine was performing 230 hp at 8.800 rpm. This was enough to carry the only 700 kg coupe to a maximum speed of 260 km/h. [More concept cars]

The 1995 GTV/Spider has claimed numerous design and styling awards throughout Europe, including winning design awards from two of the UK’s most respected magazines, Autocar and CAR, along with the prestigious Golden Steering Wheel award in Germany.

The creation of the Spider is the result of a design partnership between Alfa Romeo’s own Milan-based styling center "Centro Stile" and the prestigious Italian design house, Pininfarina.

Established as a car body shop in 1930 in Turin, Pininfarina is now an industrial group involved in design, aerodynamic research, prototype construction and car production. As well as Alfa Romeo, the client list include such prestigious names as Ferrari, Bentley, Peugeot, Lancia, Fiat, and Honda, – and it has produced cars that have changed the face of the industry.

The GTV/Spider are available in the colors below. Move the mouse over the colors and see the Spider change. You can also check all the body colors and upholstery combinations, and the optional trim levels. [Courtesy of alfaromeo.it]

 

Take a 360 degree virtual tour of both the exterior and the interior of the Spider. In order for it to work, you will need the "External Surround Video" plug-in, distributed by Fiat Auto s.p.a. Simply click exterior or interior, and press "Yes" when promted. The plug-in will then download and install automatically. Enjoy! [Courtesy of alfaromeo.co.uk]