• Generally solid and ready to be put back on the road

• Complete car from private collection

• Great opportunity to get a late Spider to fix up

• Bespoke interior

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. 

Of course, the late models were a fair bit different to the earliest. The powertrain had evolved from a 1.6-litre unit that could trace its roots back to the old Giulia 105 models to a fuel-injected engine, albeit still based on the old Fiat Twin Cam unit (itself, no bad thing). 

The final version of the Spider appeared in 1990, identifiable by its thick black rear bumper and rear lamp arrangement and chunky rear spoiler. 

This is one such example and is being sold as a light restoration project – a solid, complete and mechanically decent car that is in need of some fettling and minor cosmetics to make it perfect. 

The vendor bought the Spider three years ago with a view to restoring it himself, but work commitments have meant he parked it in the corner of his garage and went on to do absolutely nothing with it. 

The car is exactly as he bought it, and he hasn’t even started work on it, so has reluctantly decided to pass the opportunity on to someone else. 

Supplied with the Spider are a V5C and a handful of receipts and old papers, but not much else. Full title will be passed to the new owner. 

There are no historical MOT records for the car as it was previously used on a private registration number and it hasn’t been submitted for a test during the era of digital MOTs. 

Finished in its original white, the Spider looks pretty decent at first glance and is generally in decent order for a 32-year old Alfa Romeo. 

The vendor reports that it is unusually solid in all the right place.  The front nose panel is very clean, the front valance is also very tidy, the headlamp bowls are good, front wings are straight and clean and there is signs of a small repair between the driver’s side wing and bonnet shut.

The inner wings are extremely solid, with no corrosion in the suspension turrets or wing seams. The front wheel arches are also good, the doors are in generally decent condition (even the inner sections) and the driver’s side rear wing is also solid. 

On the passenger side, there’s a small dent and it looks like the vehicle has had new sills on both side. At the rear, the boot lid is generally sound along with the spoiler, the rear lights and other rear finish mouldings are good, as are the bumper and lower valance.

The fabric roof also appears to be in good order and goes up and down as it should.

Other minor cosmetic issues include a missing reflector off the front bumper and a few minor scuffs and scratches, but nothing horrific.

At some point, the Spider has been given a blue and white leather-effect interior, which will most certainly be an acquired taste for the next owner. 

It’s in good order and if you like it, then it needs nothing. If not, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to put back to the original black. 

The dashboard, carpets, and controls are all in order and work as they should, but the door trims need refitting properly and the glove box lid is missing. It would also benefit from a thorough clean-up after being barn-stored for the past three years. 

The vendor reports that the Alfa’s Twin Cam engine fires up and runs well with good oil pressure and no concerning noises or misfires. It holds good oil pressure and idles smoothly, so in terms of returning it to the road a general service and fluid change should be all the engine requires. 

It has been standing for a while, though, so expect to have to do some work on perishable components for the brakes, steering and suspension components. Brakes, tyres, bushes and such like should all be considered as items that need to be carefully inspected and replaced if necessary – it’s a project car and not one that you can simply drive away. 

Prices of early Spiders have shot through the roof in recent times, and to get a good Duetto you now need a budget of around £30,000, or around half that for a superb example of a later Spider such as this one. 

All of which makes this extremely solid and already presentable project car a fascinating and extremely tempting proposition. Don’t think for a moment that it won’t need any work – but compared to other project Alfas on the market the restoration it requires seems very minor. 

It’s a great project and will most likely turn out to be a sensible investment as well.