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1955 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider 

1966 Alfa Romeo 'Duetto'

1983-89 Alfa Romeo Spider 

1995 Alfa Romeo Spider 

1995 GTV-based Spider 

Driven: Alfa Romeo Spider 

by Eric Gallina 08 Aug 2007 

Seldom do automotive manufacturers create designs that continue in the tradition

of an earlier successful model. Often, the evolution of the once groundbreaking

lines of an automobile will be diluted over time, as new generations of designers

seek to create a car that will appeal to its target demographic. Sometimes even

the purest of forms will become tarnished by new additions for safety, comfort and

practicality, and the model will deviate from their once intended objective. This

may well be the case of the new Alfa Romeo Spider.

Based on Giorgetto Giugiaro's Alfa

Brera design, the new Spider was

developed by Pininfarina in collaboration

with Alfa Romeo Centro Stile in Milan.

 Arguably better resolved than its coupe

sibling, the Spider shares its platformand 2528mm wheelbase but is 17mm

shorter and 23mm lower, though it

retains the same suspension setup.

The first Alfa Romeo to be coined

'Spider' (the name was derived from

'Speeder') was built on the Giulietta

platform in 1955 and designed by Turin-

based coachbuilder Pininfarina. The

nameplate was then carried over to the

2000 Spider in 1958 and eventually

morphed into the Giulia Spider in 1962.

But it wasn't until the 1966 Geneva

Motor Show that what is now

considered to be the original AlfaRomeo Spider was launched. Called the

Duetto, the model was made famous by

starring alongside Dustin Hoffman in the

1967 cult classic The Graduate. Though

the car was slightly revised in 1967 and

had a dramatic restyle to the rear end in

the 1970s, the Spider retained its basic

form until the GTV-derived version was

introduced in 1995. That generation of 

the Spider was initially well-received but

 Audi's TT usurped the car in the

fashionable coupe/cabriolet stakes.

This latest iteration of the Spider is a

very contemporary design that stillmanages to retain the emotional aspect

of its predecessors. Adorning the front

of the car is Alfa Romeo's distinctive

'Villa d'Este' shield and horizontal

chrome bars, flanked by the now familiar 

three-lamp headlight clusters first seen

in production form on the 159 saloon.

The top of the shield is the starting point

to the deep lines of the hood, which flow

seamlessly into steeply raked A-pillars.

In profile the new car appears to be

more balanced than the Giugiaro

design. A rising waistline, which begins

at the front wheelarches, accentuatesthe Alfa Spider's sporting stance – 

underlining the side indicator and the

chrome door handle before reaching the

rear wheelarches. This is where the new

car's styling is entirely revised. Since the

top has been chopped, the rear profile is

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2007 Alfa Romeo Spider 

© 2012 Car Design News Ltd

chiseled and focused, forgoing the

bulbous rear hatchback treatment and

thick C-pillars which make the Brera

appear bloated.

 At the rear, the broad wheelarches and

purposeful haunches carry over onto the

decklid, lending curves to what would

otherwise be a flat and uninspired

panel. The center-mounted Alfa Romeo

badge is the focal point of the rear,

situated between the four lamp horizontal light clusters which conceal the shut-

lines of the luggage compartment lid. A small residual spoiler integrated into thedecklid serves to improve aerodynamics while visually enhancing the rear end and

providing a nesting point for the brake lamp. In the lower part of the bumper are

four chromed exhaust tips, emphasizing the Spider's sporting presence.

 An essential component of every roadster is the roof. And while many carmakers

are rushing to incorporate fashionable folding metal tops, it's refreshing to see the

Spider still employs a fabric roof. Shaped over five steel and aluminum frames, the

double layered top is efficient; providing adequate sound proofing to the

passenger compartment even while traveling along at motorway speeds. The top

can be raised or lowered in 25 seconds at the push of a button – there are no

latches to release – and stows beneath a flush-fitting body panel incorporating

aerodynamic 'blisters' which extend from the roll -over bars. While lopping off the

roof has meant that there is an enormous amount of scuttle shake over less than

perfectly smooth tarmac, the fact that it is a soft top as opposed to a metal folding

roof enables the luggage area to remain unaffected when the top is stowed. Hardmetal roofs – no matter how ideal or advanced their packaging – always encroach

upon space, but the Spider boasts a 200-liter capacity, a 36 percent increase over 

its predecessor.

Continues →

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