While never officially imported to the U.S. due to Alfa Romeo closing shop here, today’s Nice Price or No Dice Spider is now old enough to live in the States on its own. Let’s see what this Pininfarina-bodied beauty might rightfully cost now that it’s here.
Owing to age and attrition culling their numbers, Volkswagen’s Type 1 Beetle has recently found favor amongst the car collector crowd. This is after years of disinterest from everyone but the model’s most ardent supporters and those looking to leverage the versatile platform as the basis for a kit or component car.
The 1970 Volkswagen Wizard Speedster we saw yesterday was one of the latter, with two-seater, low-topped bodywork from a specialty car builder in Slough, England. Aside from the unique top and body—and oddly, a pair of Ford Capri seats—it maintained, for better or worse, all of the Beetle’s attributes. In the minds of many of you, that combination wasn’t enough to meet the seller’s $8,995 asking price, with the result being a decisive 62% ‘No Dice’ loss for the Wizard.
A fitting follow-up
When Alfa Romeo introduced the Giulia Spider in 1966, it created an instant classic. Having the model play a significant role in the Oscar-winning film ‘The Graduate’ the following year sealed its position as an automotive icon. Years later, Alfa would lean into this association with a special Graduate edition of the Spider. By the time the Giulia Spider ended production in 1993, it was extremely a lungo nel dente. Alfa Romeo’s exit from the U.S. two years later denied that market the model’s successor, the similarly-named Spider and its GTV (Gran Turismo Veloce) coupe sibling.
That was a shame as, upon their debut in 1993, the 916 GTV and Spider garnered almost universal praise for their styling, performance, and, in what was arguably uncharted territory for Alfa, their build quality.
Now of an age making private importation possible, we in the U.S. can find out what we’ve been missing. This 1997 916 Spider has been privately imported, according to its seller, from Brussels, where they say it was purchased a year and a half ago. Since then, they’ve put some money into its maintenance and have racked up an impressive 13,000 miles, bringing the car’s total to a still-low 74,000.
Two sparks, one cylinder
The Spider was made available with several engines over the course of its model run, both four-cylinders and V6s. The most common engine under the hood was the Twin Spark inline four cylinder, which in this car offers two liters of displacement. As the name implies, the engine sports two plugs per cylinder for improved combustion efficiency and better fuel economy, as it allows for a leaner mixture to be achieved. As fitted, the engine offers 150 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque, both found fairly high in the rev band. That output is routed through a five-speed manual to the front wheels. The rest of the underpinnings are shared with other cars using Fiat’s Tipo Due platform, although the Alfa has its own unique five-link independent rear suspension.
Topping all that is what is arguably one of the best-looking Italian bodies to come out of the 1990s this side of Monica Bellucci. This one is painted a muted metallic gray and rides on a handsome set of factory Teledial wheels, wearing recently obtained Michelin rubber. One interesting thing to note about the car’s design is that the iconic four-headlamp nose is, in reality, a pair of rectangular units masked by holes in the clamshell hood.
The Brussels connection
According to the ad, the car was previously owned by “two doctors” in Brussels, and little of the maintenance and repair history from that ownership is offered. Since making the move to America, however, the car has seen some love. Along with the new tires, the car has new struts all the way around. It also has new wheel bearings on all four corners, refreshed control arms, and a replaced fuel pump and sending unit. The Brussels doctors apparently replaced the engine timing belt before the present owner took over.
Aesthetically, the car looks to be in great condition. The paintwork looks unmarred, and the wheels are free from any curbing. We don’t get to see the interior in all its glory, but the snippets we do get to see show off the car’s bright-red seat upholstery and the replacement of the air bag-equipped steering wheel with a nice but non-SRS three-spoke unit. This is probably too old a car for that to signal a dash lamp alert. The seller also notes that a new plastic rear window will come with the car, saying that replacement is a zip-out and zip-in affair.
Let’s go!
While a private import, this Alfa appears to have all its papers in order, offers a clean title, and currently wears an Oregon “Special Interest” license plate. According to the seller, the car is being offered for sale due to an imminent move out of the country. The asking price to adopt this Spider is $15,000. If you want to consider just what this Alfa’s competitors are, think Audi TT, although not the Quattro kind. Other competitors might include Mazda’s Miata, since that’s always a choice, and the BMW Z4. This is obviously a vastly more unique option than any of those. Is it a good deal, however?
What do you say about this Spider and that $15,000 asking? Is that a bargain for some formerly forbidden fruit? Or is that too Omega for this Alfa?
You decide!
Facebook Marketplace out of Portland, Oregon, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Bill Lyons for the hookup!
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