- 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider 1600
- Azzurro Celeste with black interior
- Recent extensive bodywork
- Single ownership since 2013
Finished in the attractive shade of Azzurro Celeste, this Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 Series 3 offers an eye-catching way to get into these chic Italian convertibles.
The left-hand-drive, British-registered example has been in the same ownership since 2013. Before that, it was kept at its previous owner’s Portuguese villa for five years – the little sports car being the ideal runaround for the sunny Iberian peninsula.
Between 2008 and 2010, that same owner spent more than £10,000 on rebuilding the engine, the five-speed gearbox, the differential and the brakes. More recently, in 2021 and early 2022, its latest custodian commissioned a specialist to carry out extensive bodywork repairs. These included the replacement of the sills, one rear wing and one front wing, the floors panels and the inner wheelarches, and the work totalled more than £11,000.
At the same time, the braking system was overhauled again, with new discs, pads and calipers being fitted all round. It also wears new Firestone tyres on all four corners and has recently been serviced.
The result is a well-sorted Alfa Romeo Spider that presents nicely. The black interior is in good condition, and the view from behind the wood-rimmed steering wheel is dominated by the stylish cowls for the speedometer and rev counter.
Now being offered for sale by the Classic Motor Hub, this pretty Italian sports car comes with its original service book and handbook, plus a tonneau cover and numerous invoices from the current ownership.
Model history
Immortalised on the silver screen thanks to its appearance in The Graduate, the Alfa Romeo Spider is the epitome of the classic Italian sports car, with an intoxicating blend of timeless style and charismatic twin-cam engine.
One of the most enduring and instantly recognisable of all classic cars, the Tipo 105/115 Alfa Romeo Spider was launched at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show. Borrowing mechanical components from the 105 Series Giulia, the new Spider featured Pininfarina styling that won universal acclaim – plus a 1570cc twin-cam engine that was equally well received. It ran on twin Weber carburettors and drove through a five-speed gearbox.
In June 1968, it was upgraded into the 1750 Spider Veloce thanks to the fitment of a new 1779cc engine. In the same year, an ‘entry level’ Spider 1300 Junior was added to the range.
The Series 2 Spider was introduced in 1970 and featured a redesigned rear that did away with the rounded tail of the original model and replaced it with sharper Kamm-style lines. A year later, the adoption of a new 132bhp, 1962cc version of the four-cylinder engine led to the creation of the 2000 Spider Veloce.
When the Series 3 came along in the early 1980s, it featured black rubber impact bumpers front and rear, plus a black rear spoiler. It was offered in both 1600 and 2000 form, and while it was fed by carburettors in European form, it was fuel-injected for North America.
When Motor Sport drove a Series 3 2000 in 1986, its tester said: ‘Find a smooth S-bend with a clear view, select third with the briefest of double-declutching, give it an armful of lock and almost immediately wind it off again, and it all comes together: the snarl of exhaust, the chirruping of tyres, blue sky above the windscreen as you slot into fourth… Great stuff.’
Amazingly for a car launched in the 1960s, the Spider would live on into the 1990s with the heavily facelifted, last-of-the-line Series 4. Production eventually came to an end in 1993, after which an all-new front-wheel-drive Spider was introduced.