Alfa Romeo GTV & Spider

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Alfa Romeo GTV & Spider
Manufacturer	Alfa Romeo
Parent company	Fiat Group
Also called	916-series GTV and Spider
Production	1995-2005 (Spider to 2006)
Assembly	Arese, Milan, Italy (Alfa Romeo) Turin, Italy (Pininfarina from 2000)[1]
Predecessor	Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT, GTV & GTV6
Successor	Alfa Romeo Brera & Spider
Class	Sports car
Body style(s)	Coupé Cabriolet
Layout	FF layout
Engine(s)	1.8 L 16V TS 2.0 L 16V TS 2.0 L JTS 2.0 L V6 turbo 3.0 L V6 12V 3.0 L V6 24V 3.2 L V6 24V
Transmission(s)	5 and 6-speed manual
Wheelbase	2540 mm (100 in)
Length	4285 mm (168.7 in)
Width	1780 mm (70.1 in)
Height	1318 mm (51.9 in) 1315 mm (51.8 in) Spider
Curb weight	1370-1470 kg (3020-3240 lb)
Designer	Pininfarina

The Alfa Romeo GTV (Gran Turismo Veloce) (English: Fast Grand Tourer) and Alfa Romeo Spider are two sports cars produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1995 to 2006. The GTV is a 2+2 coupé, and the Spider is a a two-seater cabriolet version of the GTV. The rear seats on the GTV can be optionally deleted to increase the small boot space. The Spider has no rear seats, only a storage trunk.

Known by the internal Alfa Romeo designation 916, the GTV and Spider were lauded in the automotive industry for their unique and timeless design. The pair were launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1995. The GTV's name placed it as the successor to the long-discontinued Alfetta GTV coupe, whereas the Spider was effectively the replacement for the then 30-year-old Giulia Spider.

Contents 1 Design 2 Characteristics 3 1998/2003 facelifts 3.1 Engines 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Design

Both cars were designed by Pininfarina.^[2] It is a typical Italian design, with the Alfa Romeo grill with the pair of lights on each side recalling the 1750 GTV of the late 1960s and 1970s. It has a wedge shape which is in keeping with traditional Alfa Sports design. The back is "cut-off", creating a sharp, aggressive look. The car is very low slung and entering and exiting the car is very similar to that of a Ferrari: difficult. The design has been rebuked by tall drivers that the windscreen is too low. The Spider shares all of these traits with the GTV except for the cut-off back, here the rear is rounded, reminiscent of Lamborghini rear design.

The Spider featured a folding soft-top with five hoop frame, which completely disappears from sight under a flush fitting cover. An electric folding mechanism is fitted on some versions. As would be expected the GTV has a much more rigid chassis, although considerable work was done to ensure that the Spider does not suffer from the traditional convertible chassis problems.

In addition the stock choice of wheels and tires are considered by some to be too small for the chassis design. A stock configuration of 16 inch wheels and 205 sized tires lie too deep in the mudsills, appearing mismatched to the width of the car. A factory option of 17 inch wheels with 225 tires is an improvement, as are aftermarket 18 inch wheels with wider tires and spacers still.

[edit] Characteristics

The Spider and GTV were based on a Fiat platform called Tipo (Italian for 'type') 2,^[2]in this case a heavily modified version with an all new multilink rear suspension which allowed passive rear steering to help reduce understeer.^[3] 1.8 16V (144 PS (142 hp/105.9 kW)) and 2.0 16v Twin Spark (150 PS (147.9 hp/110.3 kW)) were available along with a turbocharged 2.0 V6 that produced 202 PS (199.2 hp/148.6 kW) or a 3.0 V6 in either 12 (192 PS (189.4 hp/141.2 kW)) (only on Spider) or 24 valves (220 PS (217 hp/161.8 kW)) (only on Gtv.)

The 2.0 V6, called V6 TB, was developed because of an Italian law that put an extra tax on cars with engines larger than two litres. It is basically a smaller version of the three litre V6. The turbo was added for extra power while avoiding the tax. When new the 3.0 V6 24V was the fastest production Alfa Romeo. The 3.2 V6 24V GTV 240 PS (236.7 hp/176.5 kW) is currently fastest Stradale Alfa Romeo (introduced on the 2003 GTVs), capable of 0-60 mph in just over six seconds. Autodelta (UK) has bored out the 3.2 engine to 3.7, with supercar performance on demand (0-60 mph in less than 4.0 seconds).

The 2.0 16v Twin Spark engine is noted to have the best ratio of fuel economy to performance. The 2003 and last restyle to the Gtv also introduced the 2.0 JTS (165 PS (162.7 hp/121.4 kW)) engine. To save in weight the bonnet of these cars was made from composite material called KMC.^[4] At the time, the largest single composite mould on a production car.

A default 916 configuration is also known for being uncharacteristically quiet for a sportscar. Notably the top of the range (3.0-3.2L) versions produce limited engine noise. This is mainly due to the 3 mufflers and 4 catalytic converters installed at the factory on the CF3 engine and upwards (2001-), the CF2 engine compares better. Common aftermarket alterations to the exhaust system are straight pipe replacements for the mufflers and replacing the standard cats with racecats. Modifications such as these completely change the sound produced by the Arese V6 and are said by some to rival or surpass the tonal engine note of Italian V8 engines.

[edit] 1998/2003 facelifts

The Spider and GTV were revamped in 1998; the post-revamp models (Phase II) are recognisable by the addition of a chrome rim around the Alfa shield in the bonnet, color coded side skirts, and bumpers. Also, the interior was redesigned with the most noticeable difference being that the center console was now silver. A six-speed gearbox was made available as an option for the 3.0 24V. A second, more comprehensive facelift occurred in 2003, with the revamped cars (Phase III) being unveiled at that year's Geneva Motor Show. The most notable difference was the restyling of the front end to include a much deeper 147-style front grille, a frontplate-holder moving from the centre to the right and a change of interior instrumentation lighting colour from green to red.

The GTV finished production in 2005 on the launch of the Brera, while the Spider lasted another year until the launch of its Brera-based successor.

The 916 GTV and Spider are considered by some to be the last model line true to the Alfa Romeo heritage in terms of design and sound. The reasons given that the successor lineup (159, Brera, Spider) have higher ride height, larger frames, and the V6 models use engines made by GM which use Alfa Romeo designed heads (and are tuned as opposed to being designed, by Alfa Romeo).

[edit] Engines

Model	Engine	Volume	Power	Torque	0-100 km/h,s	Top speed	Years	Note
1.8 TS	I4	1747 cc	106 kW (144 PS) @6500 rpm	169 N·m (125 ft·lbf) @3500 rpm	9.2	210 km/h (130 mph)	1998-2000
2.0 TS	I4	1970 cc	114 kW (155 PS) @6400 rpm	187 N·m (138 ft·lbf) @3500 rpm	8.4	216 km/h (134 mph)	1998-2000
2.0 TS	I4	1970 cc	110 kW (150 PS) @6200 rpm	186 N·m (137 ft·lbf) @4000 rpm	8.4	216 km/h (134 mph)	1995-1997/2001-	Euro2/Euro3
2.0 JTS	I4	1970 cc	121 kW (165 PS) @6400 rpm	206 N·m (152 ft·lbf) @3250 rpm	8.4	220 km/h (137 mph)	2003-2006	Euro 4
2.0 V6 TB	V6	1996 cc	148 kW (202 PS) +overboost @6000 rpm	285 N·m (210 ft·lbf) @2400 rpm	7.0	240 km/h (149 mph)	1995-1998/2001	Euro2
3.0 V6 12V	V6	2959 cc	141 kW (192 PS) @5600 rpm	260 N·m (192 ft·lbf) @4400 rpm	7.3	225 km/h (140 mph)	1995-1998	Euro2 Spider
3.0 V6 24V	V6	2959 cc	162 kW (220 PS) @6300 rpm	270 N·m (199 ft·lbf) @5000 rpm	6.7	240 km/h (149 mph)[5][6]	1997-1998	Euro2
3.0 V6 24V	V6	2959 cc	160 kW (218 PS) @6300 rpm	265 N·m (195 ft·lbf) @5000 rpm	6.8	248 km/h (154 mph)aerokit	1998-2003	Euro3
3.2 V6 24V	V6	3179 cc	176 kW (240 PS) @6200 rpm	289 N·m (213 ft·lbf) @4800 rpm	6.3	255 km/h (158 mph)	2003-2006	Euro3

*performance values for GTV, unless otherwise stated

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• GTV and Spider owners forum

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Type	1980s										1990s										2000s										2010s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1
Supermini	…Alfasud																													MiTo
Small family car					33										145 / 146							147									149
					Arna
Compact executive car	…Alfetta					75 / Milano							155						156								159
	…Nuova Giulietta
Executive car	…Alfa 6								164										166													169
						90
Coupé	…Sprint																								GT
	…Alfetta GT/GTV and GTV6															GTV (916)										Brera
Cabriolet																Spider (916)											Spider (939)
Sportscar										SZ		RZ																	8C Competizione
Roadster	Spider
Racing car	179 / 182 / 183T / 184T / 185T														155 V6 TI