Alfa started to develop the Spider in 1956 10 years before it went on production. The first step was the “Super flow disco volante” prototype by Battista Pininfarina.
After this in 1961 Alfa introduced the second prototype, the Spider Speciale due posti aerodinamico. Its design was mainly the same, as the forthcoming Duettos. At the Geneva Motorshow in 1966 reveailed Alfa the new Spider 1600 Duetto. The name came from the engine which performed 103 HP. Beside this unit, a 1.3 litre and a 1750 cm3 engine mooved the 1 tonne chassis.
The Duetto name was given by a fanatic, cause before the reveal, Alfa made a contest about the new cars name. Guidobaldo Triomfi won the contest, his prize was the firts Duetto ever made. The car was very popular in the USA thank to the film “The Graduate” in 1968, wherein Dustin Hoffman drove a 1600 Duetto. A must have film for every Alfa fan.
In 1968 Alfa introduced the 1750 Veloce, so they left the Duetto name, and one year later the classic design was redesigned. More than 6500 Duettos were made under this 7 years. The Spider name proved to be the most durable name in Alfa’s history. They used it for 26 years and after a little pause, nowadays it’s the most popular name again.
