1969 Alfa Romeo Spider History

In this series, a classic -- but fairly time-worn -- 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider is brought to street-level restoration. If you should choose to undertake a project such as this, knowing some of the history of the automobile you've chosen for restoration is an important part of the process. The Internet, car-enthusiast magazines and your local library are all great sources for researching the history and background of vintage and classic models. Most such automobiles also have enthusiast clubs made up of individuals interested in the preservation of a particular model. The people in these organizations can be great resources for helping you as you begin a restoration project.
The Alfa Romeo Spider was very popular in the late 1960s due, in part, to its racing heritage. The kind of automotive technology found in the Alfa was unusual for a street automobile. This segment provides a quick historical overview of the highly recognizable and sought-after sportster and the company that created it.
History of Alfa Romeo
Officially formed in 1910, the company then known as A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombardo Fabrica Autombili) flourished until 1915 when mining industrialist Nicola Romeo, looking for a profitable investment, joined ALFA and the Alfa Romeo marque was born.
Alfa's early successes shined brightly in the late 1920s and early '30s. With the brilliant automotive designer Vitorio Jano at the creative helm, and racer Enzo Ferrari running the company's racing unit, Alfa Romeo won almost every major motor competition in Europe. From hill climbs to Grand Prix, Le Mans and Mille Liglia, Alfa's cars set standards by which others were judged. The early Alfas were considered to be among the world's ultimate road cars, even surpassing Mercedes, Maserati and Bugatti.
After World War II, Alfa shifted its designs to smaller, four-cylinder cars with an eye on mass production. Twin-cam engine designer Orazio Puliga's work first appeared with the introduction of the Giulietta (figure A) in 1954. Available in several variations -- a salon, a convertible and two types of coupe -- the Giulietta made a huge leap in redefining sports-car standards of that era.
Following are some highlights from the Alfa Romeo line during its heyday.
The Guilietta -- The mainstream small salon featured a 1290 cc, 53 bhp engine. The success of this model turned Alfa into a mass production manufacturer.
The Guilietta Sprint -- The coupe version of the Guiletta appeared in 1954 and generated 80 bhp.
The Guilietta Sprint Speciale -- Based on a shortened Giuletta floor plan, this coupe was attractively sleek, low and fast -- generating 100 bhp and capable of reaching a top speed of 125 mph.
The Guilietta Spider -- A Farina-styled convertible with the same engine as the Sprint, the Spider was slightly faster thanks to a lighter weight. Alfa produced a convertible model every year after the introduction of this automobile.
The Guilietta Ti -- This was a tuned version of the salon and was capable of generating 74 bhp. Introduced in 1961, this became the most popular of the models. Fifty-thousand were built between 1961 and 1964.
The Giulia -- Another step in Alfa's evolution came with the introduction of the Giulia in 1962. This model also came in coupe and spider designs, which were mostly carryovers from the Guilietta predecessor. The salon, however, was a new design. But all had a new name and, more importantly, a 1570 cc engine with a 5-speed gearbox. The Giulia models would ultimately form the backbone of the Alfa line, with sales surpassing 400,000 in 1972.
The Veloce -- While the Giuletta and Giullia were crucial to Alfa's history, the model most commonly regarded as the classic Alfa Romeo is the 1750 Veloce 105 series released in 1967 (figure B).
The Duetto and The Spider -- Derived from the Battista Farina designed Duetto (introduced a year earlier), the Spider (figure C) had the same round-tailed body and was essentially indistinguishable from its predecessor. With its alloy engine-block (figure D), twin camshafts chain driven from the crankshaft, aluminum/cast-iron cylinder liners and aluminum head, the new 1779-cc engine propelled this rear-wheel drive, five-speed model to a top speed of 115 mph.
Alfa made just over 8,700 1750-Spiders between 1967 and 1971 -- half of which were exported to the U.S. And there are some notable differences between the European and North American versions.
In Italy, the car came equipped with two side-draught twin-choke Weber carburetors (figure E). The US version -- not available until 1969 -- came with a Spica mechanical indirect fuel-injection induction system (figure F). The US fuel-injected version was distinguishable by the "iniezione" badge visible on the trunk lid (figure G). All Alfas brought into the US between 1969 and 1981 came with this specially designed injection system to address the emissions requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The 1750 Spider Veloce's cockpit (figure H) featured a wood-rim steering wheel, bucket seats with integral headrests and a sophisticated instrument panel with the gauge faces angled toward the driver.
A defining feature of this vehicle, the convertible top remains to this day an example to sports-car manufacturers of how to provide a traditional soft-top that is simple for the driver to raise and take down (figure I).
While 1970 saw the end of the "long-tailed" spider (figure J), the Alfa redesign revealed a shorter trunk (figure K) -- also referred to as the "square tail" -- which improved the car's aerodynamics. It's markings were relocated to the rear panel, and the bumpers were redesigned to include rubber facings. The door handles were recessed into the door.
Variations of this basic design remained throughout the seventies, eighties and even into the nineties (figure L). Between 1971 and 1994, Alfa sold almost 100,000 convertible units.
While some Alfa enthusiasts applauded the revisions and upgrades of the late-model spiders, a vocal following of purists yearn for the stylistically classic round tail and low-slung nose of the original 105 series design (figure M).