Beschreibung:

2,300cc DOHC Inline 4-Cylinder Engine Dual Weber 40DCOE2 131bhp at 3,500rpm 5-Speed Manual Transmission Independent Front Suspension – Live Rear Axle 4-Wheel Drum Brakes *Superbly restored example of the desirable Touring-bodied 2000 Spider *Best of Marque Award winning Alfa Romeo *Striking color combination *Offered with Alfa Romeo Classiche Certificate THE ALFA ROMEO 2000 SPIDER Although Alfa Romeo returned to automobile manufacture fairly quickly after World War II, it was not until 1950 that a new design became available. This was the 1900, a unit body sedan with a twin overhead cam 1,884cc four-cylinder engine. It was the first Alfa built on a real production line – all previous cars had been largely hand-built –and also the first with left-hand drive. Until 1950, Alfa production had hovered around 400 units annually. With the 1900, this increased almost tenfold. A 1900C Sprint coupe was introduced with body by Touring and a Spider cabriolet by Pinin Farina, both built in much smaller quantities. In 1958, Alfa came out with a new sedan, which, with its larger 1,975cc engine, was called the 2000. There was, not surprisingly, a 2000 Spider, designed and built by Touring, and a 2000 Sprint Coupe done by Bertone, the latter introduced in 1960. Spider and Sprint production comprised nearly half of all 2000 sales – 3,443 examples of the Spider were produced, and 700 of the more expensive Sprint Coupe. The 2000 sedan had the uncommon feature of a column-mounted shifter for its five-speed transmission, while the Spider and Sprint retained the more sporting-oriented floor-mounted gear shift. Built between 1958 and 1962, the 2000 Spider was far rarer than its junior counterpart, the Giulietta Spider (of which about 17,000 were produced), and at $5,365 POE, its price was much greater than that of the smaller car. The 1,975cc four-cylinder engine, with duplex-chain driven twin overhead camshafts, hemispherical combustion chambers, and a pair of side-draft Solex carburetors, was tuned to deliver 131 horsepower, allowing the Touring-bodied roadster to easily exceed 100 mph. Its fully-synchronized five-speed transmission allowed fairly relaxed high-speed touring, and its large Alfin drum brakes were very effective for their day. The handsome unibody styled by Carrozzeria Touring on a 98-inch wheelbase presaged what would become the six-cylinder 2600 convertible in 1962. THE MOTORCAR OFFERED Keenly taking advantage of the European market's automotive offerings, J.W. Persohn, an American living in Europe, was possibly encouraged to 'do as the Romans do' when he had made the decision to purchase this little, sporty Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider from a Belgian dealership and whisk his wife away on continental tours. Individualized with a number of unique specifications, the Alfa was said to have been 'special ordered' at the time. Featuring complete red wool carpet and a front seat mounting allowing for increased rear legroom, the exterior features several idiosyncrasies in its inconsistent adherence to U.S. trim details. The hood features the narrow scoops and single stainless trim strip commonly found on federal models but retains its metric instrumentation, three color tail lamps, and over-rider-free bumper. However, the lack of documentation from the factory makes it difficult to definitively conclude how the car was originally finished within this special order. In 1964, the car entered the United States when Mr. Persohn moved to Texas to work for NASA. Proving that no good dead should go unpunished, the Alfa Romeo experienced a clutch failure several years later when one of his sons reportedly took the car drag racing. The vehicle was subsequently moth-balled unrepaired in dry storage until 1994 when it was purchased by Bob Fernald, an Alfa Romeo Dealer in Austin, Texas. The Alfa would again sit in storage for a number of years before Bob offered the car to the consignor in December of 2017. Soon after, a comprehensive restoration project co