Summary

European-market example that was not available new in the U.S. Finished in red over tan upholstery and powered by a 2.0-liter DOHC 16V inline-4 Twin Spark engine mated to a 5-speed transmission.

Details

The 1996 Alfa Romeo Spider was described as 'one of the best sports cars of its time' by Jeremy Clarkson in 1998 and was listed at #29 in his Top 100 Cars in 2001. Both the Spider and GTV were designed by Enrico Fumia at Pininfarina. The GTV was planned to reestablish Alfa Romeo's sporty convertible tradition for the 1990s. Power comes from a 2.0-liter Twin Spark inline-4 engine paired with a 5-speed manual transaxle, and the car is finished in black with a red soft-top. The bolstered bucket seats are trimmed in black leather with red inserts, and further details include an aftermarket head unit and power windows. It is optioned with a black leather interior with red accents, digital information readouts and a sizable trunk thanks to the behind-seat hatch that safely stores the convertible top. The shifting is precise and easy to use at low speeds, but where it really shines is during spirited driving sessions. Its extensively reworked Fiat-based platform features passive rear-steering-enabled multilink rear suspension provides Alfa Romeo-quality handling. First, there's power steering that offers the kind of direct steering that you'd normally associate with a racing car. Secondly, the Italians managed to design a multi-link rear suspension system that allows a degree of rear-wheel steering. There's certainly none of the twitchiness that normally affects powerful front-driven sports cars under heavy acceleration. Despite its front-wheel-drive origins, this is an impressive handler that upholds Alfa Romeo's performance reputation, which is perhaps one of its highest accolades. If you've always thought that proper sports cars should be powered from the rear, then stand by for a change of heart. Alfa wisely used the outstanding Lotus Elan as a benchmark in development but improved upon it in a number of key areas. The new owner will find themselves pleasantly surprised with how this car has been engineered - it is truly an exhilarating and economical sporty convertible.