| Launch Report Alfa Romeo Spider |
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Stylish, Not Sporty
Now you'll have to trust me on this but, roof either up or down, the Spider looks even better in the metal than it does in photos. So, praise to both Pininfarina and Alfa's in-house styling team as its desirable, clean-cut appearance has been achieved without resort to trendy, short term gimmickry, excessive reliance on retro pastiche or indeed any "over-styling". In short, the new Spider looks terrific, seemingly without even trying, and so stands as a lesson to most of its two-seater competitors, many of them German and sporting heels too high, skirts too short and make-up too thick. The Spider is due to go on sale in the UK in February 2007 at a price of approximately £1200 over that of the equivalent Brera, namely from £24,000 to £28,700. It will be offered in two specification levels (confusingly named Spider and Exclusive) with the same pair of petrol engines as the Brera - a transversely-mounted 2.2-litre, four-cylinder JTS petrol unit with 185bhp and 170lbs/ft of torque running through a six-speed manual to the front wheels, and a 3.2-litre V6 mated to a six-speed manual delivering power to all four wheels which pumps out a wholesome 260bhp and 237lb/ft.
As with two previous Alfa Spiders - the most recent dating from the mid 90s and before that the iconic Duetto series, (remember Dustin Hoffman's car in The Graduate?) - the new model makes no pretence at being a 2+2. Behind the seats is a pair of lockable stowage bins and space for some light luggage (or even quite heavy luggage if you drive with the seats well forward).
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