Introduced in 1962 Alfa Romeo – as successor to the Giulietta – the Giulia. Which the sedan version of the Giulietta soon gave way to Alfa's newcomer, the sporty variants of the Giulietta remained for sale there. In the meantime, various parties involved worked on the new Spider in Italy, which was fitted with the basic mechanics and techniques of the Giulia. The Alfa Romeo Spider was based on the Giulia, with independent suspension with coil springs at the front and a rigid axle at the rear, rear suspension and a monocoque body. In it, the relatively new principles of the crumple zones at the front and rear were applied. And speaking of the rear: the drive of the wheels was good there Alfa also use place.
The roadster designed by Pininfarina was launched in March 1966 at the 36th Geneva Motor Show. Alfa Romeo wanted to attach a special name to the new creation. A competition was held in which the participants could come up with the name. More than 120.000 ballots were mailed to Arese. The winner was Guidobaldo Trionfi, a Brescian who suggested the name 'Duetto' and a copy of Alfareceived the newcomer. The wry part was that the name 'Duetto' couldn't be officially used due to trademark issues. That's why the car just got the name Alfa Romeo Spider 1600. The 1570 cc engine in the Spider had two Weber carburettors and produced 109 DIN Pk. In addition, it was equipped with a five-speed manual transmission and disc brakes.
From 1750
Introduced in January 1968 Alfa Romeo her 1750 line for the press. The beautiful Berlina, the impressive 1750 GTV (derived from the Giulia Sprint) and the Duetto-based 1750 Spider Veloce formed an impressive three-in-hand. The Spider variant actually succeeded the Spider 1600. The new 1779 cc engine version of the Alfa Romeo DOHC engine generated 118 HP and reached a top speed of 190 km. It was striking that the car had no Spider badge. The type designation '1750' revealed which version the admirers were dealing with. Like the predecessor, it was fitted with a five-speed gearbox.
Other specs for America
While the 1750 in Europe was fitted with twin Weber 45DCOE32 carburettors, these Spiders for the North American market were fitted with SPICA mechanical fuel injection. Changes also took place in other areas. Suspension, brakes, electrics, wheels and tires received different specs for the American market. The visible differences were limited to the wing mirror, which moved to the door. Furthermore, the type designation on the tail consisted of the words 'Alfa Romeo' and 'iniezione' (injection).
Arrival of the Junior
Due to favorable Italian tax principles, the Junior was launched in 1968. The well-known 1290 cc engine, with double overhead camshafts and in this case with two Weber 45DCOE14 carburetors, produced 89 DIN HP. The top speed was 170 km / h. The Junior and the 1750 had some differences. The Junior interior included a simpler two-spoke plastic steering wheel. It was simpler in design than the wooden three-spoke version from the faster brother. A console was missing in the Junior. The headlights on the Junior did not have a glass 'roof'. Furthermore, the Junior version could be recognized from the outside by its black colored lower front bumper.
The end of 'Osso di Seppia'
Ultimately, for the 1970 model year, the long, rounded tail came to an end and the Series Uno Spider - also called 'Osso di seppia' or 'boat tail' - was succeeded by the second Series with a straight rear. 1600 copies of the 1966 'Duetto' were built between 1967 and 6324. The 1750 and the Junior, presented successively in 1967 and 1968, were built 1969 and 4674 times up to the end of production in 2680.
