Alfa Romeo GTV & Spider
| Alfa Romeo GTV Alfa Romeo Spider |
|
|---|---|
Alfa Romeo Spider
|
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Alfa Romeo |
| Production | 1993–2004 (Spider) 1994–2004 (GTV) |
| Model years | 1995–2005 (GTV) 1995–2006 (Spider) |
| Assembly |
Arese, Milan, Italy (Alfa Romeo) San Giorgio Canavese, Turin, Italy (Pininfarina, from 2000) |
| Designer |
|
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sports car |
| Body style |
Coupé (GTV) Roadster (Spider) |
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel-drive |
| Platform | Type 2 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
|
| Transmission | 5- and 6-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,540 mm (100.0 in) |
| Length | 4,285 mm (168.7 in) 4,299 mm (169.3 in) (Phase 3) |
| Width | 1,780 mm (70.1 in) 1,776 mm (69.9 in) (Phase 3) |
| Height | 1,318 mm (51.9 in) 1,315 mm (51.8 in) (Spider) |
| Kerb weight | 1,350–1,470 kg (2,976–3,241 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor |
Alfa Romeo GTV and GTV6 (116) Alfa Romeo Spider (105/115) |
| Successor | Alfa Romeo Brera and Spider |
The Alfa Romeo GTV (Gran Turismo Veloce—English: Fast Grand Touring) and Alfa Romeo Spider were two sports cars produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1995 to 2006. It is also known by Alfa Romeo's internal designation 916. The GTV is a 2+2 coupé, and the Spider is a two-seater roadster version of the GTV. Around 39,000 Spider and 41,700 GTVs were built from 1993 to 2004.
The GTV's name placed it as the successor to the long-discontinued Alfetta GTV coupé, whereas the Spider was effectively the replacement for the then 30-year-old 105-series Giulia Spider. The GTV was available until the launch of the Brera in 2005, while the Spider lasted another year until the launch of its Brera-based successor in 2006.
Alfa Romeo GTV is claimed as the best sport car by Jeremy Clarkson in 1998 and is listed at no. 29 in Top 100 Cars from 2001.
Both cars were designed by Enrico Fumia at Pininfarina. The GTV was planned to re-establish the sporty coupe tradition of Alfa Romeo for the 1990s. The design dates back to initial renderings of September 1987 and first clay models to complete 1:1 scale model in July 1988. After Vittorio Ghidella (Fiat CEO) accepted the design, Alfa Romeo Centro Stile under Walter de Silva was responsible for the completion of the detail work and also for the design of the interiors, as Pininfarina's proposal was not accepted. The Spider and GTV were based on the then-current Fiat Group compact car platform, called "Tipo Due" (or Type 2), in this case a heavily modified version with an all new multilink rear suspension. The front suspension and drivetrain was based on the 1992 Alfa Romeo 155 saloon. Chief engineer at that time was Bruno Cena. Drag coefficient was 0.33 for the GTV and 0.38 for the Spider.
It is a typical Italian design, with the Alfa Romeo grille with dual round headlights, recalling the Alfa Romeo Proteo from 1991, it is low-slung, wedge-shaped with a low nose and high kicked up tail. The back of the car is "cut-off" with a "Kamm tail" giving improved aerodynamics. The Spider shares these traits with the GTV except that the rear is rounded. The Spider featured a folding soft-top with five hoop frame, which completely disappears from sight under a flush fitting cover. An electric folding mechanism was fitted as an option.
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Wikipedia