Alfa Romeo Spider S3

Alfa Romeo has been producing pretty little roadsters endowed with the name 'Spider' since the launch of the Giulietta in 1955. The most famous is probably the new model that was launched at the Geneva Salon in 1966: the Duetto. Beautifully styled by Pininfarina and overflowing with Italian brio, the car was a huge success from the outset but was immortalised by its starring role in The Graduate in 1967, sharing the limelight with Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft.

The original 'boat-tail' design of the Duetto was dropped in the late sixties in favour of a more aerodynamically efficient Kamm tail. At the same time a 132bhp 2-litre version also became available. The model continued in production for over 27 years with only detail changes to the original Pininfarina design before production finally ceased in 1993 after an amazing 30-year run.

This particular car is a left-hand drive Series 3 QV (Quadrifoglio Verde) model that featured front and rear spoilers which greatly reduced lift at speed, sideskirts, plus a more luxurious interior. It is powered by Alfa’s wonderful 1.6-litre twin cam engine that produces 109bhp and propels the car to 60mph in just 10 seconds on its way to 112mph flat out.

After spending its first seven years in Italy, the car was imported to the UK in 1997. Finished in Silver with a black hood, red carpets and grey leather seats, the bodywork is described as “straight and very solid as you would expect from a car from sunny Italy.” The interior has new carpets although the seats have been somewhat aged by the sun. Mechanically the car is said to be very good and to drive well with an MOT and tax until April 2012.