Alfa Romeo Spider II Pininfarina. Black cabriolet from 1995
The Alfa Romeo GTV and the Alfa Romeo Spider (Type 916) were sports cars produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1993 to 2004. The GTV is a 2+2 coupé, and the Spider is a two-seater roadster version of the GTV. Around 39,000 Spiders and 41,700 GTVs were built.
The GTV’s name (Gran Turismo Veloce—English: Fast Grand Touring) placed it as the successor to the long-discontinued Alfetta GTV coupé, whereas the Spider was effectively the replacement for the then 30-year-old 105-series Giulia Spider. The GTV was available until the launch of the Brera in 2005, while the Spider lasted another year until the launch of its Brera-based successor in 2006.
The Alfa Romeo GTV was described as “one of the best sports cars of its time” by Jeremy Clarkson in 1998 and was listed at number 29 in Top 100 Cars in 2001.
Both cars were designed by Enrico Fumia at Pininfarina. The GTV was planned to re-establish Alfa Romeo’s sporty coupe tradition for the 1990s. The design dates back to initial renderings in September 1987; the first 1:1 scale clay models were completed in July 1988. After Vittorio Ghidella (Fiat CEO) accepted the design, Centro Stile Alfa Romeo under Walter de Silva was responsible for the completion of the detail work and the design of the interiors, as Pininfarina’s proposal was not accepted.
