ALFA ROMEO SPIDER & GTV PERFORMANCE PORTFOLIO 1995-2005
Alfa Romeos have generally been regarded as sporting cars, whether having two doors or four. The tradition dated back to the early days of the marque but in the inter-war years Alfa Romeo established a reputation on the race tracks of Europe and catered for the cognoscenti by producing in limited numbers virtually hand made some exceptional sports cars and coupes that were very expensive and are rare today. After the war and the rebuilding of the war-ravaged factories near Milano, the company began to build less specialised saloons and sports cars. To further expand their range Bertone was contracted to design and manufacture the Alfa Romeo Giulietta coupé. This jewel of a car started a new dynasty and tradition for the company, one that continued unbroken until the 80s when the Alfetta GTV was allowed to wither and die along with the geriatric 2000 Spider, a car that had starred in The Graduate more than 30 years ago. Admittedly Alfa Romeo was in a desperate state at the time and was rescued from oblivion by Fiat in 1986. For a time in the 80s Alfa lost its way and scratched out a living by selling oddly styled sports sedans like the 155 and 33 while a future plan was formulated. The spark for a revival of the marques sporting heritage came with the display of two Pininfarina-designed cars at the Proteo, at the Geneva Motor Show in 1991. Public opinion was such that Alfa management had to acknowledge that development would proceed and in 1994 the new front-wheel drive Alfa Romeo Spider (soft top) and GTV (coupé) were announced. Amazingly, they were virtually unchanged in style from the concept cars. Sales were strong all over Europe as enthusiasts appreciated the fact that they could once again drive an Alfa sports car. Whether powered by the Twin Spark DOHC 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine or the fantastic 3.0-litre (later 3.2-litres) quad-cam V6 did not matter because they were both faster than class average, as an Alfa should be. If there was a disappointment it was the fact that the new generation were front-wheel drive where Alfa tradition had been established with proper rear-wheel drive sports cars. Alfa had come back from the brink and was now able to again properly cater for the needs of that special group of people for whom the Latin temperament in motoring was a must-have. For that we all should be thankful. Gavin Farmer
