• Iconic colour 

• Comprehensive history 

• Recent work carried out 

• Good mechanical condition 

If you’re in the market for a great value, characterful, convertible Italian sports car with head turning looks, a sporty soundtrack and the ability to put a smile on your face no matter the road then you’re looking at an Alfa Romeo. 

The 2008 spider was based on the stunningly good-looking Brera and was arguably made better by removing the roof. This 6th generation model of the spiders from the Alfa stable, based on the popular Brera Coupe, won the ‘cabrio of the year’ award when introduced in 2006. 

The model in this listing, being the limited-edition 2.2 JTS (Alfa’s ‘Jet Thrust Stoichiometric’ engine) model boasts the most well-known colour for Alfa. The deep ‘Alfa Red’ is matched with black leather upholstery, 19” alloy wheels and adjustable, heated seats and door mirrors.

This car was bought by the current owner 2 years ago to enjoy for its long-distance touring ability, something this Alfa is particularly good at, being hailed for its cruising comfort. The car was purchased from a Cambridgeshire garage who looked after it for some time for a long-standing customer. The previous owner traded the car in as part exchange for another vehicle.  

Previous to its time spent in Cambridgeshire with the dealer the current owner purchased it from, the car has only had 3 previous owners in its 13-year life. 

This example has had a number of general maintenance and cosmetic refreshments recently, including a rear light lens, badges all round and some Pirelli tyres which wrap the limited edition’s 10 spoke 19” alloy wheels.

All of these additions add to the aesthetics and driving characteristics of this attractive example. 

The Alfa comes with a comprehensive service history with lots of receipts and invoices detailing the recent work carried out. The car has seemingly been looked after and the owners have clearly cared for the car during their time. If you were inclined to do more research, the garage could always be contacted to find out more about its history.  

The original handbooks are present with stamps for services and MOT work, along with the V5, confirming the owners. In addition to the paperwork is the purchase receipt from the garage confirming the part exchange details. 

This Alfa Romeo’s interior is one of the best parts of the car as you’d expect from a tourer. On our inspection of the car, we found that the black leather seats have stood the test of time very well, with no rips or tears at all, and very little wear to the driver’s side bolster.

The shape of the seat padding is seemingly very hard wearing whilst still being exceptionally comfortable. In addition to the great condition of the seats and upholstery, the plastics have lasted well too with no noticeable marks, scratches or missing trim, except for the driver’s side speaker cover which has some minor damage. This did not affect the speaker quality however which worked as expected. The gear gator and steering wheel also look very presentable with no obvious wear to speak of. In addition to that and the good condition of the carpet, mats and roof, its testament to the owner’s care for this car. 

The rear storage bins behind the seats were in good condition also and had no issues opening and closing. They provide additional space to the boot, which was again in pristine condition with no unpleasant surprises we could see, even sporting the original spare and tool kit. 

Similar to the interior, the exterior has fared quite well for a 13-year-old car, with only the expected age-related stone chips, which come as part and parcel of the smiles this car delivers on the road. The owner has made sure to touch up any paint chips with a touch up pen to ensure no corrosion develops on those areas. There are some other sections of missing paint, namely around the doors and in front of the rear wheels. Whilst the area in front of the rear wheel is protected by rubber sticker panel, the sections around the door could be attributed to wear over this car’s life. 

The rear light lens and side indicator on the driver’s side occasionally experiences some condensation, but the owner stated that this did not affect the operation of the lights. 

The owner has recently spent money on replacing the badges at the front and back of the car, so they should be proudly shining for some time to come. The wheels, the owner reported had been refurbed during the car’s lifetime but did have some minor curbing along with a superficial nick to one of the tyres, as shown in the gallery below. 

An important point to note is the hood, which the owner reports to be watertight, and looked to be in good condition fabric wise. We did not test the operation however due to a reported electrical fault in the operation despite the owner replacing the struts and motor. 

Mechanically, the Alfa is reportedly in good health, starting up and idling with no issues. During our test drive we heard no squeaks, rattles or knocks with the engine delivering plenty of go despite its power to weight ratio, with no noticeable hesitation. 

The manual gearbox happily changed up and down with no crunching or sloppiness. The steering seemed direct and provided lots of feel through the suspension, which was firm but by no means uncomfortable on the test drive. 

Heading underneath the body, the Alfa seems to have stood up to the salted roads of the UK remarkably well. Upon inspection, there was no structural corrosion obvious, with the rear exhaust back boxes standing out as looking to be in great condition. 

The Alfa Romeo Spider is a poster car for Alfa, capturing the passion, emotion and design flare tied to the brand’s history. This example is no different, with the iconic triangular grille setting off the front end along with those headlights like diamonds contrasting the dark panels they’re set in. 

People thought the Brera was a beautiful car, the spider goes one step further giving you an entire universe of headroom and really showcasing the profile of the car. 
All of which conjures up thoughts of cruising through the Italian mountains with the hood down, sunglasses on, Matt Monroe blasting out of the speakers, even if your headed down the motorway towards work.

If you want a fun, pretty, Italian convertible that is capable of delivering a smile whatever its tasked with then the Alfa Romeo Spider should hold a firm place on your list.

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