1971-81 Alfa Romeo Spider

Two ways to view the Spica fuel injection system: “diabolical” or “misunderstood”

by Rob Sass

1979 Spider

Universally regarded as two of the best open sports cars of all time, Alfa Romeo’s 750-series Giulietta Spider and 101-series Giulia Spider of the late 1950s and early ’60s were a tough act to follow. To remain the perennial darling of the enthusiast press, Alfa’s new convertible would need to be nothing short of an improvement on perfection. Of course, Alfa failed at such an impossible task—or at least it seemed so when the 105-series Duetto debuted in 1966. Whereas the Giulietta was regarded as a stylistic tour de force, critics panned the Duetto as contrived, heaping scorn upon its boat-tail rear and pronounced side scallop. That the car disappointed many onlookers when new may be hard to believe today, as the Duetto has since been elevated to iconic status, partly as a result of its appearance in “The Graduate,” but more because its lines have simply aged well. That hadn’t yet happened in 1970, so Alfa tried to remedy things by lopping off about six...