‘Outstanding performance’
Over the years, the wonderful Alfa Romeo 1900 had become a 2-litre. When Alfa Romeo presented a new model with the same engine at the Turin Motor Show in 1957, the name was changed to 2000, which was the logical consequence. The new vehicle was available as a saloon, called the Berlina (102.00), as a Spider (102.40) and, from spring 1960, as a two-door coupé called the Sprint (102.05), which was designed by Giorgio Giugiaro and manufactured by Bertone. Only 700 coupés were built, while 2,893 Berlina models were produced by 1961 – and then went on to enjoy a long life in Brazil.
The vehicle shown here is the 2000 Spider, designed by Felice Bianchi Anderloni and built by Touring, which is a masterpiece in terms of its form and had a decisive influence on convertible design. The simple and therefore very harmonious lines, inspired by the Giulietta Spider (750D), and the fabric roof, which could be completely lowered, made the Spider a design for eternity. Although the wheelbase of the Spider had been shortened by 22 centimetres to 2.5 metres, the Spider was still an imposing vehicle with a length of 4.5 metres; its weight was stated as 1260 kilograms.
The Spider was equipped with a 2-litre four-cylinder engine, redesigned with a new cylinder head, two overhead camshafts and a Solex twin carburettor, delivering an impressive 115 hp at 5500 rpm; it was shifted via a manual 5-speed gearbox. This was enough for a top speed of over 170 km/h; at that time, the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h probably took just under 15 seconds. These were respectable performance figures, but it wasn’t really that sporty; In contemporary driving reports, the Alfa, which had a rigid rear axle, was often described as having a dual personality: comfortable yet sporty, velvety smooth yet with ‘outstanding performance resulting from many years of motorsport experience’ (H.J. Brendel in ‘Road & Track’).
The problem was that the 2000 Spider was very expensive, costing 2.5 million lire in Italy and 24,900 Swiss francs at Alfa Romeo dealers in Switzerland. An outdated Porsche 356 convertible cost a third less, and a Jaguar XK150, which was also no longer very modern, was a thousand francs cheaper. BMW, on the other hand, offered an eight-cylinder model for the same price. This is probably why the 2000 Spider was replaced by the 2600 Spider in 1962 after only 3,443 units had been produced.
We have more Alfa Romeo models in our archive.
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