Alfa Romeo Spider: In Depth

Press Release

Page 1: Overview
Page 2: Driving satisfaction
Page 3: Safety
Page 4: In-car wellbeing
Page 5: Engines
Page 6: Spider is Alfa
Page 7: Range & services (IT)
Page 8: Specifications

The model in brief

The Spider or convertible has an important place in Alfa Romeo tradition (starting with the Giulietta Spider in the 1950s and going on to the Duetto and the Spider launched in the 1990s), because it has always embodied the 'free emotive' expression of the car. And the new model reiterates the same theme, a natural evolution of the convertibles created by Alfa Romeo in its long history, cars that have always produced strong emotions, guaranteeing extremely entertaining driving and combining superb styling with the performance of powerful, elastic engines. And the new Alfa Spider is no exception: it has the same 'essentially simple' character of a true sports car, combined with the technological superiority of the 'new Alfa breed.

Developed by Pininfarina in conjunction with the Alfa Romeo style centre, the model turns heads for its unmistakable Italian elegance, an absolutely unique and unrepeatable style that promises the satisfaction of a sporty drive with full respect for Brand traditions. While maintaining a front end compatible with the latest generation of Alfa Romeos, the new car is nevertheless the latest stylistic development of the Alfa Romeo convertibles that have written the history of world motoring. Take for example the car's penetrating lines that invite the eye to run over the entire length of the clean-cut perimeter. The side is made more dynamic by the concave surface that runs across it. Brawny wheelarches express the car's sporty vocation while maintaining its stylistic elegance and lightness. The rear is also made lighter by fins and the round plan view of the boot and bumpers.

Inside, the Alfa Spider offers a welcoming and highly sophisticated environment due to the use of top-quality materials and the adoption of opulent features (standard on some versions). From dual-zone automatic climate control to steering-wheel-mounted radio controls, VDC and Cruise control, a map navigator with bird-view function and the Blue&Me system.

The car is offered in a choice of two outfits, and the customer can also choose between two JTS petrol engines (2.2 delivering 185 bhp and 3.2 V6 Q4 delivering 260 bhp), combined with a sporty, mechanical, 6-speed gearbox. The new car guarantees the temperament of an Alfa and excellent dynamic performance thanks to high double wishbone suspension at the front and a Multilink system at the rear. The Alfa Spider combines superb comfort with a sporty trim and an evolved 'Alfa Romeo Q4' four-wheel drive system (on the 260 bhp 3.2 V6 Q4 version). And in the safety field, the new Alfa Romeo is fitted with the most sophisticated electronic devices to control the car's dynamic behaviour: from braking to traction.

These are the winning features that allowed the new model to run off with the 'Cabrio of the Year 2006' prize at its first outing (at the recent Geneva Motor Show). This prestigious title was awarded by a Cabriolet Committee made up of 23 motoring journalists from 12 different countries. With its safety, power and attractive styling, the Alfa Spider marks step forward in the convertible field, a specific segment where Alfa Romeo has always played a leading role. The new vehicle has been designed for quality without compromise. This concept has been pursued throughout all stages of the car's development process, from product design and including the innumerable tests that the car underwent before production. The Alfa Spider's quality is also expressed in the choice of opulent interior materials; in the tuning of its Alfa Romeo engines to achieve top-level performance, engine note and driving comfort - and in the optimisation of the sophisticated suspension systems. The term 'quality' also describes a world of financial services and products to meet all needs.

Italian style with respect for tradition

The new convertible, derived from the attractive Alfa Brera coupé, was developed by Pininfarina in conjunction with the Alfa Romeo Style Centre and will be assembled in Pininfarina's San Giorgio Canavese plant (Turin).

A byword for sportiness, Italian flair and quality, the model is confirmed as a stylish and generously proportioned 2-seater. The Alfa Spider is 183 centimetres wide, 439 cm long and 131 cm high with a wheelbase of 253 cm, although the sharply tapered front and rear make it look more compact. Despite this, we have not had to stoop to compromise by choosing between comfort and function, as you are often forced to do with this type of car. The luggage compartment offers 253 dm3 (always available whether the hood is up or down) while there are numerous roomy oddments recesses (including the climatised one in the central console).

In detail, the new Alfa Spider offers an up-to-date appealing front end, similar to that of the coupé on which it is based, with a shield occupying pride of place in the centre, the starting point of the lines that run along the bonnet and frame the headlights, 'suspended' on an air inlet: a stylistic and functional device that Alfa Romeo reserves for its out-and-out sports cars, which makes the front look even wider and more imposing, because the shoulder of the wing and the front pillar are stronger and thicker.

From the side, the combination of a short wheelbase, long bonnet and compact, rear-mounted cabin enhances the car's sporty, dynamic looks. This impression of great temperament is underlined by the elongated rear lights and four exhaust terminals. But the styling of the new Spider also includes some 'romantic' elements, in the best Alfa Romeo tradition, such as the fold-away, light hood, and the design of the rear shoulder muscle that is borrowed directly from the famous Giulietta Spider.

The collaboration between the Alfa Romeo style centre and Pininfarina continues inside the vehicle where a sporty look has been achieved by the general layout and one-off features such as the armrest area of the door panel or the band that wraps around the surface above the rear bench. Without mentioning that the dash features an array of controls and instruments that all face the driver. The seats, while maintaining an area with distinctive Alfa piping, have been customised by incorporating the head-restraints into the structure and by side strips that connect the 4-point seat-belts and give a personality boost to the seat.

And finally, the Alfa Romeo soft top, an irresistible design feature, is distinctive for its light appearance and the way it blends in perfectly with the rest of the car. For example, the U-shaped hood cover fits in harmoniously with the body and houses a third brake light in its base.

Last but not least, the rear roll-bar is a safety element that slots perfectly into the silhouette of the car which tracks the line of the seat to shade off into the rear volume above the rigid hood cover. And everything is embellished by the two 'bosses' set behind the roll-bar and enriched by some high-tech details.

Sportiness and elegance combined in unique, exclusive styling. Harmonious forms and volumes which produce a beautiful, powerful, solid car, when they are supported by Alfa Romeo mechanical and engineering excellence. All this without ever stooping to compromise in terms of comfort and on-board wellbeing.