One of the most stunning 1960s roadsters produced was the Alfa Romeo 105 series 1,600cc and 1,750cc round-tail Spiders. They are often incorrectly all called Duettos whereas only the 1600 models should be thought of by that name.
Alfa Romeo held a contest to come up with a name for the new roadster, with the prize being one of the new Spiders. The winner after more than 100,000 ballots were sent in, was a man named Guidobaldo Trionfi, who had submitted “duetto.”
Sadly, that name could not be used officially due to a trademark issue with Volvo, so the roadster ended up just being called the 1600 or 1750 Spider, respective to engine displacement. Trionfi did receive his new car from Alfa Romeo, however.
The Alfa “Duetto” in addition to being stunning also was the last car designed under the eye of Pininfaring founder Batista “Pinin” Farina. With so many amazing cars to his credit, the little Alfa was a great way to conclude a storied career.
The Pick of the Day is a 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 Spider finished in white with a black interior. The Miami dealer advertising the car on ClassicCars.com describes it as a lovely US-spec example still equipped with its original SPICA fuel-injection system.
The car was repainted in its original white in 2012, the seller says, the suspension rebuilt, and new clutch and brakes installed, with very little use since then. The Alfa stands as an excellent driver for weekend cruises, the seller adds.
I had one of these Alfas and still consider it to be the most stunning roadster I ever owned. I prefer the original round-tail styling, which Pininfarina based on its Disco Volante concept car, to that on the cars with revised rears that came later.
The Alfa is powered by an all-aluminum inline-4 DOHC engine backed by a 5-speed gearbox and disc brakes on all four wheels, which makes these cars more exotic than other popular period offerings from the likes of MG or Triumph.
The cockpit of the Alfa will fit practically anyone regardless of their size or height. It has full instrumentation and every control is exactly where you want it to be. The convertible top mechanism is the essence of simplicity, easily able to be raised or dropped in seconds, with none of the hassles of earlier Alfa Spiders.
The pictures accompanying the ad show a car that looks exactly as described, not a show car but a clean classic Italian driver. One thing I would want to see would be the underside of the Alfa, as these cars are notorious for rust issues.
These Alfa 105 series Spiders, along with practically every classic Alfa Romeo, have been moving up in price over the past few years, so this example with an asking price of $32,900 seems market correct.
To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
