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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.
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