2006 ALFA ROMEO Spider 1.7L TBI 6MT FWD (200 HP)

Vehicle Overview

In 2008, at the Geneva Motor Show, Alfa Romeo introduced an updated version for the Brera coupe and the Spider version. Both cars featured the same front fascia with the 159 model range.

Alfa Romeo kept an open-top vehicle in its lineup almost all the time. After the GTV Spider was pulled out of production in 2004, there was a gap that needed to be filled. But there were some years until the new soft-top appeared on the Italian company stable.

From the outside, the three-headlights design of the front was used, along with the big Alfa Romeo shield in the middle. The design was signed by Pininfarina and it featured a long hood and short cabin and trunk lid in the back. The raked windshield helped to improve the drag coefficient.

Inside, there were two seats separated by a massive center console. Some parts of the interior were carried over from the bigger Alfa Romeo 159, along with the steering wheel and the instrument cluster.

The platform was created in a joint-venture with General Motors, after a failed takeover of the Italian group by the American company. The V6 engine was also carried over from the Australian branch of the GM. But the result was far from satisfactory. The car was heavy. With the V6 and all-wheel-drive system, it had a high fuel consumption. The turbodiesel had better fuel-efficiency but it was not the choice for the roadster buyers. The 1.8-liter turbocharged version was too weak and also, had a high fuel consumption.