Specifications

• What happens if you combine a French petrolhead with Italian beauty and technique? Alfa happens. –

A French car enthusiast, an Italian aristocrat, a 4.1 litre engine that produced 25 kicking horses and reached over 100 kilometres per hour, on wooden spoked wheels. Brakes? For sissies! If this doesn’t make your chest hair grow, we don’t know what will.

And then there’s the Spider, actually just as synonymous with the brand as the aforementioned things. In production since 1966. Back then a 5-speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive, topless with sex appeal. However, Alfa’s are also known for their ‘character’, which nowadays is a wonderfully elastic term for ‘technically incapable’.

Every mountain has its valleys. In the early 2000s, for example, Alfa had a little less Spark in their Twin. Big GM gobbled up Alfa and paired her with Opel. Like most forced marriages, this one was very unhappy. The only thing we are somewhat pleased about is the borrowed engine block from Vauxhall, which gave the Alfa sauce. The 2.2 JTS is a light-footed party, with the manual gearbox. This together with a good colour combination, manual gearbox and no options; what are we waiting for? Let’s go topless, with the rational brother of Italian passion. Will we see you soon?

• Sex is most likely more fun than driving this Spider. However, she refuels faster than you do. –