Italian cars are all about sex appeal and the Alfa Romeo Spider is no different. But this time it comes with a hefty price tag writes, Michael McAleerMotoring editor
The watery light of a setting spring sun, a biting breeze, an empty open road and a topless Alfa. Mix the choral cries of Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter with the rasp of the Spider's engine and you'd have to be made of stone not to feel the tingle.
It's in moments like these that car fans pity those who can't see past the car's role as a simple means of transport. There's more to this metal than utility.
In this instance it's partly down to its Italian parenting: put simply, they know about motoring sex appeal.
You don't have to stretch the imagination too far to see that, with sports cars at least, the cultural stereotypes of the nation are apparent. The Germans give us fast and well-toned metal monuments to reliability and power. The French give us quirky design and funky fittings - if not the greatest finish in the world.
The Italians: well, they give us sex appeal. Just don't count on them to be home for dinner every night.
Alfa has a rich vein of heritage that many rivals would dearly love to tap. Its rivals can build better cars - that's not in question these days - but Alfa stirs the soul in a way that many of its German rivals can't manage.
While Alfa still needs its bread and butter models like the new 159 to succeed in the mainstream market - and restore faith among 156 owners let down by poor resale values and technical problems - the brand has been expanding out into the more emotive sections of the market, where heart plays as big a part as head.
At the pinnacle of this is the introduction of the 8C Competizione, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous supercar. At the other end are models like the Spider and Brera.
This new Spider has been given the blessing of the marketing team, who want to play up the heritage of this particular name, appealing to those with romantic notions of the 1960s, when the original Spider made its entrance.
References to The Graduate, where a hormonal Dustin Hoffman spent his summer double-dating Mrs Robinson and her daughter in his Alfa Spider are never far from the lips of Alfa representatives.
Yet there are substantial differences between the affordable little Alfa of that age - powered by a 1.6-litre engine - and this 2.2-litre roadster.
The original Spiders were sparsely fitted inside and the aim was to make the cute little soft-top an Italian answer to the equally affordable MG.
That's a long way from this version, which comes complete with leather interior, a brushed chrome cockpit and - most important of all - a price tag of €52,000. There are very few students with that kind of cash to spend on a two-seater runaround.
While it carries the spindly lettering on the back, this is a Spider only in name; in reality it's a soft-top version of the recently launched Brera hatchback. That's not a criticism in any way, for the Brera is arguably the best-looking Alfa to be launched in several years.
The 2.2-litre JTS petrol engine puts out 185bhp, which is below the rule-of-thumb 200bhp limit for front-wheel-drive cars and as such there's no problem with torque steer, on dry roads at least.
There's a nice rasping engine note, courtesy of the twin exhausts and even in fifth or sixth gear it still manages to pull away smoothly without spluttering. Pitted against more powerful rivals like the BMW Z4 or Audi TT roadster, it doesn't pack the same punch.
However, despite the large engine and its roadster format, the Spider comes across as more of a cruiser than a sports car.
Despite the limited seating in the cabin and restricted headroom, it still feels more spacious than its rivals.
Switchgear is the same as in the rest of the Alfa range and that also helps, but the lasting impression is that with this car you don't sit on the floor as you would in the likes of the Z4. That said, luggage space is restrictive, with only 200 litres on offer if you opt for a spare tyre and the space is not well matched with a decent suitcase. Golfers should bring their clubs to the dealership before signing on the dotted line.
While the glories of a spring afternoon run warmed our heart, it has to be said that the ride quality is quite harsh on Irish roads and while the Spider remains agile even on country routes, it does have a tendency to get rather skittish if you push the throttle over uneven surfaces. In those instances we would also have preferred if the brakes were a little more aggressive.
The Spider felt most at home on the open road, cruising on the motorway or on national roads where it could stretch its legs without too many extreme corners to cope with or too many potholes and undulations.
On motorways in particular the Spider settled into its stride, offering up a gentle rumble from the JTS engine and munching at the miles. That's when you appreciate the comfort of the cabin and the decent job Alfa engineers have done in sound-proofing the roof.
Alfa could have opted for a folding metal roof for this Spider but instead it stuck to the cloth option. It was the right choice and adds a great deal of character to the car.
Given the price, however, it now faces stiff competition from the Germans, in particular the Audi TT roadster, BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK.
Of these three, the Spider offers more fun than the SLK 200 Kompressor, but is hard pushed to beat either the Audi or BMW. While the heart may flutter at the Italian, the head will direct you towards the Germans.
There is also one rival that espouses the traditional ethos of the Spider of the 1960s that is worth consideration: the Mazda MX-5.
It's slower, smaller and lacks the premium presence of the Spider; but, at €20,000 less, it's more in keeping with the sort of car a modern-day Benjamin Braddock would drive. The Spider, meanwhile, has become a car for Mrs Robinson.
ENGINE: A 2198cc JTS twin shaft four in-line transverse petrol engine putting out 185bhp @ 6,500rpm and 230Nm of torque @ 4,500rpm
SPECIFICATION: Standard features include: full electric folding canvas roof; 17" light alloy wheels; dual-zone climate control; cruise control; start button; leather seats; front airbags for driver and passenger; front side airbags; driver kneebag; passenger front bag deactivation key; ASR/VDC cut-out control; fog lights; halogen headlights; rear parking sensors; VDC with Hill Holder (ABS + ASR + EBD + brake assistant); electrically folding, electrical, heated wing mirrors; tinted windows; radio control on steering wheel; radio with CD player (six speakers)
Factfile
L/100km (MPG):
URBAN: 13.0 (21.7)
EXTRA-URBAN: 7.3 (38.7)
COMBINED: 9.4 (30.1)
CO2 EMISSIONS:
221 g/km
ANNUAL MOTOR TAX:
€539
PRICE: €52,000