Alfa Romeo · 1993–2005

Alfa Romeo GTV and Spider

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. 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–English: Fast Grand Touring) 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 and was listed at number 29 in Top 100 Cars in 2001.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Alfa Romeo Giulia · Successor: Alfa Romeo Brera

All Alfa Romeo GTV and Spider data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Design

The GTV and Spider were designed by Enrico Fumia at Pininfarina. 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. 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) – 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 saloon. The Alfa Romeo grille with dual round headlights was a motif later used on the Proteo concept car. The car has a wedge-shaped design with a low nose. The back of the car is "cut-off" with a "Kamm tail" resulting in improved aerodynamics. The Spider shares these traits with the GTV except that the rear is rounded in order to fit the retractable roof. The Spider features a folding soft-top with a five-hoop frame, which folds under a flush fitting cover behind the seats. An electric folding mechanism was also an option. Other design details included a rear lamp/fog lamp/indicator strip across the rear of the body and instruments in the centre console being angled towards the driver. At the car's launch, many journalists remarked that Alfa had improved its overall build quality considerably as co

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. The GTV and Spider were officially launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1995 and sales began in the same year. 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. GTV models equipped with this new engine also had a new 16-inch 5 hole 'teledial' wheel design to provide extra clearance for the larger, 305 mm (12.0 in) brakes and red four-piston calipers from Brembo. Further exterior changes included new rear badging (V6 24) denoting the fitment of the new engine, and V6 Turbo-sourced front bumper lip with just one intake on the right side to allow for air flow to the front mounted oil cooler. Some models had a different front bumper mesh to bring the wind noise down to 74 dBA. On the interior, pleated leather seats from MOMO were offered in White, Red or Tan colours. These seats came with their respect

Characteristics

=== Engines === The engine range included of the GTV and Spider included the following range of the Inline-4 engine: 1.8-litre 16-valve (144 PS (106 kW; 142 hp)) 2.0-litre 16-valve Twin Spark (150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp)) The V6 engine range included: 2.0-litre 12-valve turbocharged (200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp)) 3.0-litre 12-valve (192 PS (141 kW; 189 hp)) 3.0-litre 24-valve (220 PS (162 kW; 217 hp)) 3.2-litre 24-valve (240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp)). 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 (158 mph). The last restyle of the GTV i

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. 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.

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Specifications

name: Alfa Romeo GTV, Alfa Romeo Spider
Manufacturer: Alfa Romeo
Production: 1993–2006 (Spider), 1994–2005 (GTV)
Model years: 1995–2006
Assembly: Italy:, Arese, Milan (Alfa Romeo), San Giorgio Canavese, Turin (Pininfarina, from 2000)
Designer: Enrico Fumia at Pininfarina, Centro Stile Alfa Romeo under Walter de Silva (Interior), Pininfarina (Phase 3)
Class: Sports car (S)
Platform: Modified Type Two
Body style: 2-door 2+2 coupé (GTV), 2-door roadster (Spider)
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Engine: 1.8 L Twin Spark 16V I4, 2.0 L Twin Spark 16V I4, 2.0 L JTS 16V I4, 2.0 L Busso 12V turbo V6, 3.0 L Busso 12V V6, 3.0 L Busso 24V V6, 3.2 L Busso 24V V6
Transmission: 5/6-speed manual
Wheelbase: 2540 mm
Length: 4285 mm, 4299 mm (Phase 3)
Width: 1780 mm, 1776 mm (Phase 3)
Height: 1318 mm, 1315 mm (Spider)
Kerb weight: 1350 –
Predecessor: Alfa Romeo GTV and GTV6 (116), Alfa Romeo Spider (105/115)
Successor: Alfa Romeo Brera and Spider (939)
sp: uk
Related: Fiat Coupé, Alfa Romeo Vola