A production run of 27 years is an impressive innings for any car, and in the case of the original Alfa Romeo Spider it managed to clock up two more years’ service than the MGB, making it the longest running mass-produced sports car of all-time.
This one is from the Spider’s ‘purple patch’, with the best engine – a 2.0-litre derivative of Alfa’s seductive Twin Cam – but before US Federal legislation forced it to have chunkier impact bumpers and a raised ride height. It’s delicate and pretty, whilst also being one of the few Kamm-tail roadsters to have delicate chrome.
Furthermore, the history of this car is like nothing else you’ll see. It’s incredible, and the entire story of its ownership is known from Day One.
First registered in Renfrewshire in 1973, the Spider belonged to two gentlemen with the same surname for the first six years of its life – one would assume either brothers or father-and-son.
In 1979, it passed into the hands of an owner in Lanarkshire who sold it again to a Glaswegian owner who kept it until the early 1990s. From his tenure onwards, the paperwork in the car’s history file begins, documenting work carried out on the Alfa throughout its life.
The owner obviously loved it, as there are repair and restoration bills for four figures tucked away in the lever-arch file that comes with the car – accounting for inflation, they’d have been big bills in today’s money.
That level of care continued into the 1990s and through another two owners until the current keeper acquired it in 2017. He bought the car for his wife but she has decided she prefers her modern convertible, so the Alfa is reluctantly for sale, the vendor having decided to free up garage space for another acquisition. For the past five years, the Spider has lived in a dry, temperature-controlled garage among the vendor’s other classics.
The cabin of the Alfa is well-presented with re-trimmed seats and door trims and good carpets. It also has a set of tailored floor mats that the owner had made up for it.
It’s in great overall condition and has a tonneau cover to help protect it, as well as to hide the hood when retracted. The only minor faults are some small cracks in the dashboard, which is otherwise on good order.
The Spider has seen restoration work at various times in its life and has had a lot of money spent on it, though the work it has had done has always been a question of making good rather than a complete strip-down and rebuild.
Most recently, it was taken back to bare metal and resprayed in its original Farina Red by Veloce Sport, a well-known Alfa specialist, who brought it from good condition to the superb order the car is presented in today.
It is solid underneath, the panels are seemingly free from rust and untarnished, and the trim is all in excellent order with just some minor pitting to the chrome on the front grille.
The Alfa’s 2.0-litre Twin Cam engine fires up on the button requiring minimal choke and settles to a sweet idle once warmed up. The vendor says it is great to drive and that there are no known issues.
It has recently has a full service along with four new road springs, gear lever gaiters, a speedo cable, gearbox top seal, a new electronic distributor and replacement carb mounts, along with a full oil and coolant change.
Original right-hand-drive UK-spec Alfa Romeo Spiders are very rare things, not least because our climate hardly serves them well in terms of longevity.
The fact this one has survived, then, is nothing short of a miracle, helped in no small way by a life of diligent care and enthusiast ownership. It’s a truly lovely thing, with a great story behind it.
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the seller's discretion.
Please see our FAQs
here
and our Terms & Conditions
here
Car & Classic's secure payment system protects buyers and sellers. At the end of the auction, the winning bidder transfers payment into a third-party escrow account. Once the transfer of the vehicle is complete, both parties confirm they are happy with the sale and the money is released to the seller.
More about buying with us
1973 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000
About Max Bids
The max bid process allows you to bid without any hassle.
Enter your maximum bid and we will then bid on your behalf to ensure you're the highest bidder - just enough to keep you in the lead and only up until your maximum.
Anti-sniping
Car & Classic prevent auction snipers from bidding in the last seconds to win an auction.
Auctions are extended by 3 minutes if anyone bids within the last 2 minutes to allow other bidders to react and counter-bid.
Auto-bidding increments
If your maximum bid is equal to or below the reserve price, your maximum bid will be applied in full if you are the highest bidder.
If you are the highest bidder and place a maximum bid above the reserve, we will automatically put in the reserve as your first bid.
Once the reserve has been met, Car & Classic will make sure you are the highest bidder using only the bidding increments stated below.
We will keep you in the lead up until your maximum bid OR the increment closest to your maximum bid, providing your maximum bid is enough to cover the increment value.
Bid Amount
Increment
£0 to £9,999
£100.00
£10,000 to £49,999
£250.00
£50,000 to £99,999
£500.00
£100,000 +
£1,000.00
Automatically outbid immediately
When you place a max bid and are outbid immediately that means that another bidder has placed a max bid limit which is higher than yours.
You can bid again and we will use our automatic bid system to try and get you as the highest bidder.
Matching max bids
When there are two max bids of the same value, the one placed first remains the lead bidder.
Pre-authorisation
We may hold a pre-authorisation charge on your card until the end of the auction when the hold will be cancelled. If you win, we'll take a security deposit which counts towards the payment for the vehicle and isn't any extra cost to you.
What are pre-bids?
A pre-bid means you're able to place a bid before the official start of the auction.
You will be notified whether or not you are the highest bidder when the auction starts.
Problem with your bid
Bids are contractually binding. To help protect you, we have some rules in place if we think it's been mistyped. Please check and amend what you have entered.
