1978 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 S2

Our example is a desirable Series 2 Spider. For some the Series 1’s sharp "osso di seppia" (Italian for cuttlebone) rear end was a jarring facet of the otherwise sleek and attractive design. The Series 2 model replaced this with a more contemporary Kamm tail or “coda tronca”, improving the cars universal appeal as well as significantly increasing boot capacity. For the Series 2 an enlarged 2-litre version of the legendary “Nord” twin-cam engine was introduced for the first time. It is that esteemed two-litre version that can be found here.

This bright looking example is notable for being a UK specified and supplied right hand drive model and first registered in March 1978. Between 1978 and 2000 this Spider passed through the hands of four registered keepers. In intervening 25 years, this bright blue Alfa Romeo has been in the stewardship of just two further keepers. Our current owner, acquired the Spider in 2017 and has added around 5,000 miles under his stewardship. Today the Jaeger Italia odometer stands at a shade over 81,000 miles.

The world of Alfa Romeo paint colours is an mysterious, twisted world devoid of system or clarity, so it seems. The bright blue shade of this fine example is sometime referred to a “Dutch Blue,” “French Blue,” “Le Mans Blue” or “Mid-Blue.” What we can report with absolute certainty is that it is... indeed blue.

What’s more it suits the sculpted shape of the S2 Spider rather well and seems to exude a pleasing overall shine. That said a number of imperfections were noted upon close inspection.

These include some areas of overspray in places, hinting at a more contemporary respray. Other minor issues include paint swirls and scratches to most panels, some stone chips on the bonnet and leading edge of the doors. Please study our photographic package at your leisure or arrange a viewing to assess the Spider’s overall condition. A moderate tally of chromed brightwork is present, mainly embellishing the slimline bumpers, windscreen surround and exhaust tail pipe.

The vibrant paintwork is complemented perfectly by the blue, fabric hood. This fits taughtly, appears free from major stains or blemished and features a clear and crack-free rear window. A small tear in the foam and fabric near the passenger door is noted and is photographed for your review. The 14-hole steel wheels are 14-inch items and finished in silver. The original, period chromed finishing centre caps are fitted and feature the iconic Alfa Romeo shield in black. The wheels are in a good overall condition with some minor bubbling and surface corrosion in evidence. A matching set of 165 configuration Hankook tyres are fitted.

The S2 Spider’s cabin is as stylish as it is admirably analogue and tantalisingly tactile. The seats are finished in burgundy Alfatex. These are finished in vertical, padded box pleats for additional support and comfort. The S2 even features some vestigial rear seats but they are decidedly on the... snug... side, best suited to luggage or small dogs. The condition of the upholstery is generally good, and the burgundy shade works well with the blue exterior livery. There are some small splits noted to the seat backs. The door cards are finished with numerous chrome trim pieces atop matching burgundy, pleated Alfatex. There are a few marks and scuffs reported to these.

The S2 features an oversized pair of Jaeger Italia, white on black main gauges which each enjoy their own deeply hooded binnacle. These sit directly behind a deeply dished, three spoke Alfa Romeo alloy steering wheel with a varnished wooden rim. The centre console is home to a trio of driver facing ancillary Jaeger gauges. These sit above a period faithful Sharp ANSS radio cassette player. The Alfa Romeo embossed rubber mats, bottom hinged clutch and brake pedal, and signature high mounted gear lever round off this most Alfa of cabins perfectly.

The well sized boot is trimmed with an original, fitted vinyl mat. Lifting this reveals the spare wheel and tyres together with an original looking pillar jack.

Alfa Romeo’s hugely admired Twin Cam engine is an all-alloy inline-four unit, produced between 1954 and 1994. Known to Italians as the "bialbero" ("twin-shaft"), this unit is also known as the "Nord" (North) engine in reference to its being originally built in Portello, Milan in the North of Italy. This fabled unit was an original design by the legendary Giuseppe Busso. In this application the Nord engine was rated at around 130bhp and, in this case, is fitted with a pair of 40 DCOE Weber carburettors. This Spider features a five speed manual gearbox in transaxle guise.

Lifting the bonnet reveals the Nord engine to be a fine looking unit by today’s heavily fared in standards. The Alfa Romeo debossed rocker covers catch the eye first. The clutch servo, brake servo and quality Bosch battery are all clearly recently fitted. The inner panels appear to be in good shape as do the various ancillaries and electrical components. A minor oil leak was noted during our photo shoot. The underside of the Spider looks to be well protected by underseal with just the peripheries of the body panels looking a little corroded in places. The suspension components look well preserved but our consignment team note that the Spider pulls to the right a little.

There’s an interesting and instructive archive of paperwork included with the Spider. This includes the current V5 Registration Document in the name of the current owner. This classifies the Alfa Romeo as an Historic Vehicle and, hence, MoT exempt and zero rated for vehicle excise duty. Numerous earlier MoTs are present helping to support the Spider’s mileage progression to date.

The bulk of the remainder of the paperwork consists of plenty of invoices from throughout the car’s history. In the current ownership the Alfa Romeo has consistently been maintained by Alfa specialists Bianco Auto Developments in Surrey. Over £9,000 has been spent since 2017 covering a range of routine and one off maintenance and repair activities. Plenty of earlier invoices are also on hand as is a Spider specific workshop manual.

The Alfa Romeo Spider seemed to really hits its stride in Series 2 guise and has remained enduringly popular since. Although the S2 two-litre iteration of the Spider is by far the most numerously produced, the numbers were still quite modest with just 3,868 built in 1978. With the passing years having taken a figurative wrecking ball to these numbers, good examples of the S2 are becoming increasingly scarce.

This example appears admirably original and benefits from a less common and appealing colourway. With an eminently sensible mileage, thought to be original, and a moderate number of former keepers this Spider boasts a very solid provenance indeed. Much has been spent keeping this Spider in such a useable condition, too. With the supply of honest UK cars become increasingly constrained this Spider should represent not only a sound investment but a highly enjoyable one, too.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £15,000 - £20,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.