The Fiat top-management decided that they needed to get away from the Giulietta shape, which they considered outdated and commissioned Pininfarina (now inseparably linked with the Alfa Romeo name) to build a new car on the 1600 engine.

1966 saw the advent of the 1600 Spider, with a double convex shape that was drawn out harmoniously to give the car a cuttlebone form contained within a wraparound rounded shape with a quintessentially mannerist flavour. Such shapes were actually nothing new to Alfa Romeo convertibles: fourteen years earlier, the 1900 C 52 convertible known as the 'Flying Saucer' had aroused much curiosity and interest.

After cars with evocative names such as the Giulietta and Giulia, this 1600 spider could hardly remain restricted by such a dry-sounding technical title. The Alfa Romeo top management, led by Giuseppe Luraghi, therefore announced a competition: anyone who came up with a name good enough to satisfy a special jury would be given a 1600 Spider. Many more people entered the competition than Alfa ever expected. So many, in fact, that once the jury had chosen the name 'Duetto', they had to pick a winner from all the entrants who had suggested this name. Mr Guidobaldo Trionfi was the lucky contestant: he based his entry on the number of passengers, the engine tone and the inseparable harmony of shape and feeling.

The Duetto had only just entered the stage: then the young Dustin Hoffman arrived on Italian cinema screens aboard a red Duetto, driven in dashing style on the set of the film 'The Graduate', to the accompaniment of 'Mrs. Robinson' by Simon & Garfunkel. The film and the car were so popular that a special series of the Spider in the US was given the name of 'Graduate'.

The Seventies ushered in another look entirely and the car underwent a radical restyling. This mainly affected the rear end, with the disappearance of the cuttlebone shape in favour of a cut-off rear end. Different engines also came and went over the years, from the 1300 to the 2000 with the 1750 in between.

And so production of Alfa Romeo spiders has continued in an unbroken strand up to the present day, a sign of the importance and awareness of Alfa Romeo's place in the world of convertibles, i.e. in the world of passion, motor racing, wind and asphalt.
After all, Spider is Alfa Romeo.


The range and services (Italian market)

The new model range is created by cross-matching two engines, 2 specifications, 10 body-colours - and 4 interiors in needle-punched fabric, Alfatex, Frau leather and grosgrain leather. The Alfa Spider range offers all customers, even the most demanding, the opportunity to choose between a range of features that emphasise the versatility of the model while also meeting the practical and emotional needs of all customers.

In detail, the original equipment includes as standard an on-board computer, manual climate control system, electric rear view mirrors, electronic key and dash-mounted starter button, VDC, 16" alloys, needle-punched fabric interiors, kneebag (for the driver) and radio with CD player.

The second specification complements this already extensive list with an automatic climate control system, 17" alloys, radio controls on the steering wheel, electric fold-down mirrors, Alfatex interiors, screen-printed aluminium trim, rear parking sensor, cruise control and rain sensors, dusk and demisting sensors.


Innovative services and custom purchase packages

On the major European markets, Fiat Auto Financial Services offers a wide range of custom finance packages for purchasing the Alfa Spider. These products include the following essentials:

- conventional instalment plan lasting from 12 to 72 months;
- leasing, designed for business and professional people and the self-employed, lasting from 24 to 60 months;
- innovative packages that offer a tailored finance plan with a down-payment and very low monthly instalments and guaranteed minimum buy-back price. When the plan expires, you can choose one of three options: replace the car with a new one; purchase it by paying the final settling payment; re-finance the remaining amount.

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