This UK supplied right hand drive Spider must be the finest example of its type, the car that every collector hopes to find but rarely does. The term full restoration is much-abused but it really is the case here, every single element of the car has been painstakingly rebuilt with existing or new parts where applicable as detailed in the extensive history file. In excess of £90, 000 was spent to create the level of perfection found in this matching numbers example.

The Spider started its life on the 16 of December 1975 and was supplied to the UK Alfa Dealers Bell and Colvill shortly after on the 22nd of December as detailed in the Alfa Romeo Certificate of Origin on file. The Spider was sold and first registered by them on the 17 May 1976. The first owner sold the Alfa back to Bell and Colvill on the 26 July 1977, indeed this long established and highly regarded Alfa dealer continued to handle the sale of the car to its next few owners until 1985 when it was purchased by a resident of Jersey. The following year the Spider returned to the mainland and was used sparingly and carefully looked after by several further owners until 2000 when the last owner purchased it.

This last owner, a regular Hairpin customer and collector with the highest standards bought the Alfa following an exhaustive search for the best example he could find. An Alfa 2000 Spider had featured large in his early motoring life and as is often the case he had a yearning for a reacquaintance with this most charismatic sports car. This example presented well, a good example with a reasonably comprehensive history proving its recorded mileage at only 54, 000 miles. However, plans for a light renovation soon expanded somewhat as is often the case with this car loving collector into a no compromise restoration.

The Alfa was placed into the capable hands of John Holden, well known for a high standard of work particularly with Italian marques. Following a full evaluation the car was dissembled and the three-year painstaking process began. Holden handled the strip down, structural work, bodywork and build up, whilst celebrated Alfa engine expert Bob Dove Motorsport fully rebuilt the drivetrain. All this work is fully detailed in the extensive invoicing on file as are the enormous list of new parts supplied by Classic Alfa and Alfaholics, and the beautiful interior leather trim work and new roof carried out by Geater Coach Trimmers of Thatcham. The level of detail is well expressed in further invoicing, for example Classic Car LED’S were used to update all internal, dashboard and external lighting to higher output LED units and Chrome London, the classic radio specialists were able to find an original and correct type Grundig Weltklang radio updated with modern componentry and new correct size coaxial speakers.

The Alfa has received minimal use since the restoration and not surprisingly it remains in better than new order in all respects, inspection of every detail on top, inside and underneath shows a level of Alfa perfection that I, an Alfa enthusiast have not seen before. The full burgundy leather interior is particularly lovely.

This special, unique Spider comes with the above-mentioned extensive history with full restoration detail, original tools, keys and book pack. Every now and then a car arrives with Hairpin that I would love to keep, this is one of them. Available for far less than the restoration cost.