The Alfa Romeo GTV and the Alfa Romeo Spider (Type 916) are sports cars produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1993 to 2004.[4][5][6] The GTV is a 2+2 coupé, while the Spider is a two-seater roadster. Production totaled 38,891 units for the Spider and 42,937 units for the GTV.
The GTV's name (Gran Turismo Veloce–) 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 motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson in 1998[7] and was listed at number 29 in Top 100 Cars in 2001.[8]
Design
The GTV and Spider were designed by Enrico Fumia[9] at Pininfarina.[10] The GTV was planned to re-establish Alfa Romeo's sports coupe tradition during the 1990s. The design dates back to initial renderings in September 1987; the first 1:1 scale clay models were completed in July 1988. Fiat's then CEO, Vittorio Ghidella, rejected Pininfarina's interior design proposal created by Giuseppe Randazzo, after which the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo under Walter de Silva was assigned the responsibility for the completion of the exterior design details and a completely new design of the interior.[11] The Drag coefficient of the final design was 0.33 for the GTV and 0.38 for the Spider. The Chief Engineer for the project was Bruno Carela. The Spider and GTV are based on the then current Fiat Group compact car platform, called "Tipo Due" (or Type 2)[12] – in this case a heavily modified version with an all new multilink rear suspension. The front suspension and drivetrain are shared with the 1992 Alfa 155
Awards
- 1995: Autocar Magazine: "1995 Car of the Year".
- 1995: Car Magazine: "Best Designed Car".
- 1995: Car Magazine: Best Design Detail in production.
- 1995: "The World's most Beautiful Automobile" award.
- 1995: Bild: "Goldenes Lenkrad".
- 1995: Automobilia: "Auto più bella del mondo".
- 1995: Autocar Magazine: "Best Sport Car".
- 1995: Auto Zeitung: "Best car to drive".
- 1995: "Engineer of the Year" for chief Alfa Romeo engineer, Bruno Cena.
- 1995: Trofeu do Automovel Categoria "Deportivo di Ano" (Sports Car of the Year)
History
Engine choices included the 2.0-litre Twin Spark 4-cylinder engine or the 2.0-litre turbocharged V6 engine for the GTV, with the engine choices for the Spider being the 2.0-litre Twin Spark engine or a naturally aspirated 3.0-litre 12V V6 engine.
Production began in late 1993 with four cars, all being 3.0 V6 Spider models, assembled at the Alfa Romeo Arese Plant in Milan. In early 1994, the first GTV was produced, with the 2.0-litre Twin Spark engine. The production models debuted at the 1994 Paris Motor Show.[14] The GTV and Spider were officially launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1995 and sales began in the same year.[15] The GTV V6 Turbo has two air intakes on the lower lip, one for the oil cooler and the other for the intercooler. Early models of the V6 Spider lacked any additional air intakes as the oil cooler was mounted in front of the radiator. The car was produced in three distinct phases. The Phase 1 cars have a black plastic grille located in the nose of the bonnet, without the chrome details and black-painted sills all round.
1997 changes
For the 1997 model year GTV, a new engine, a 24-valve 3.0-litre V6, was available.
Characteristics
Engines
The engine range included of the GTV and Spider included the following range of the Inline-4 engine:
The V6 engine range included:
The turbocharged 2.0-litre V6, called V6 TB, was developed due to Italy's fiscal policy imposing a higher sales tax on cars powered by engines with a capacity of more than 2.0-litres. It is essentially a sleeved-down version of the 3.0-litre V6 engine. The turbocharger helped maintain a higher power-output for the smaller displacement engine while avoiding the higher tax. Both variants of the 12-valve V6 engines have a redline of about 6,500 rpm, while 16 and 24-valve engines have a redline of 7,000 rpm.
The 2.0-litre 16-valve Twin Spark engine of the 2.0 TS model was based on the Fiat SuperFIRE-family block, featuring an Alfa Romeo-developed cylinder head with two spark plugs per cylinder. Variable inlet cam timing, which allowed for 25 degrees of variation, was designed to improve torque and provide a more linear power delivery. In addition, the engine has two belt driven balance camshafts rotating at twice the engine's speed in order to eliminate vibrations from the engine. The base 1.8-litre engine did not feature the balance shafts. CF2 and CF3 engines have plastic valve cover and variable-length intake manifold.
The 3.2 V6 24V GTV model was the fastest road going Alfa Romeo at the time, capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h in just over six seconds and attaining a top speed of 255 km/h.
The last restyle of the GTV in 2003 saw the introduction of new 4-cylinder engines, in the form of the 2.0-litre JTS, with a power output of 165 PS and featuring direct fuel injection, similar to systems used on diesel engines.
Motorsport
Alfa GTV Cup
Prototypes
Vivace
Alfa Romeo Vivace Twin cars, coupé and spider, made as a preview of upcoming 916-series. Styled in 1986 by Diego Ottina at Pininfarina with cues from then-ready Alfa Romeo 164.[27]
Proteo
Alfa 164-based concept from 1991, designed by Walter de Silva with styling cues from then-ready GTV/Spider design.
Vola
Concept car styled by Leonardo Fioravanti in 2000, based on Spider chassis with 3.0 V6 12V engine.
Spider Monoposto
External links
References
- Alfa Romeo Spider 916 (1993 – 2004) – occasion video & aankoopadvies autoblog.nl, 25 October 2018, retrieved 9 May 2020^
- Produzione complessiva pininfarina.it, retrieved 2007-08-03^
- Production cars fumiadesign.com, retrieved 2012-02-13