Not a lot of wedge…

Words and photos: Craig Cheetham

The Alfa 916 is turning 30 – buy one while they’re still cheap…

There aren’t many car manufacturers that hit the nail right on the head with every single one of their designs, but Alfa Romeo has a near-perfect track record. After all, the Italian firm is renowned as a brand for car enthusiasts rather than for run-of-the-mill hatchbacks and SUVs.

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The 916 GTV and Spider are celebrating their 30th birthday this year, and now is definitely the time to buy one, before the classic market really catches on. Indeed, the 916 is one of our top tips for investors, as you only need to look at previous GTVs and Spiders – or, indeed, any sporting Alfa, to see that once demand outstrips supply, prices can go a bit potty. The 916 isn’t there yet – you can still get one for under £2,000 in decent working order – but this won’t last. Mark our words…

The idea for the 916 came about as far back as the mid-1980s, with a need for Alfa to replace the ancient but still beautiful Spider sports car and at the same time revive a sporting coupé name from the past. The first clay styling bucks with its distinctive front end existed as far back as 1987, a whole six years before the Spider concept was shown at the 1993 Turin Motor Show, two years before it arrived in showrooms.

Black leather interior of an Alfa Romeo GTV

But it was worth the wait. Whether GTV or Spider, the 916 looked sensational. Styled by Pininfarina’s Enrico Fulmia, the ‘Tipo 916’ had a wedge-shaped profile with a distinctive styling crease that ran the full length of the body, with hidden door handles.

A delicate heart-shaped grille and beady headlights added a cheeky yet slightly mean-looking face. The rear lights, meanwhile, were part of a bigger styling feature, with a ribbon of red across the back of the car echoing the look of the iconic Alfa Romeo SZ.

Mechanically, it was very different to its rivals. It was built on a shortened and widened version of Fiat’s ‘Tipo Due’ compact car platform, which underpinned all sorts from the Fiat Tipo to the Alfa Romeo 155. This meant it was front-engined and front-wheel-drive, much to the dismay of some sports car purists, many of whom never got to experience one of the best front-driven platforms in the business purely out of spite. More fool them…

Nobody sniffed about what was under the bonnet, though, as the choice of two engines was sublime. There was a V6 for the premium market – the classic Alfa Romeo ‘Busso’ unit – but, for those on a tighter budget, there was also a 2.0-litre Twin Spark four-pot, which used two spark plugs per cylinder to aid responsiveness. The 150bhp unit also sounded fantastic, in the way that Italian engines often do. These engines delivered a driving experience that was as engaging as the car’s looks suggested, with spirited acceleration and a sonorous exhaust note that has become the stuff of legend among enthusiasts – a Twin Spark at full chat sounds almost as engaging as a Busso. Well, maybe…

The chassis was finely balanced, too, providing sharp handling, impressive grip and wonderful steering feel, albeit at the expense of a truly woeful turning circle – it’s almost as bad as a Land Rover Defender, and if you don’t plan your approach carefully, a tight car park can make you look like a terrible driver, albeit one with exceptional taste in cars.

Spider or GTV?

Deciding between the 916 Spider and the GTV is a bit of a conundrum, as both models capture the brand’s essence perfectly. Your choice hinges on the kind of motoring experience you desire – or if you’re looney tunes enough to buy both, which is the route we’d go down if money and space were no object (we’ll make do with just the one, which is the red Spider in the photos, if you’re interested…)

The Spider is certainly the most sensuous of the two. It’s a car that transforms even the shortest trip into an event, and we don’t just mean in the process of getting the roof to go down. There’s a sequence, a skill and knack, but once you’ve learned it you can stash the soft top away behind its plastic lid, and snigger at all the BMW Z3 owners with their fiddly tonneau covers. Roof down, you can very easily get sucked into the allure of those Alfa engines – it’s rare that you’ll bother to turn the radio on; trust us.

On the other hand, the GTV offers the poise of a classic coupé and extra rigidity. The Spider is lovely, but it’s prone to scuttle shake on bumpy roads and you can feel it flex if you drive it like an Italian, whereas the GTV is sharper, more eager and a far more polished driver’s car. The perfect two-car garage could almost be made up of a Twin Spark Spider for sunny days and a Busso-engined GTV for wet ones. It appeals to us, anyway.

Tan leather interior of an Alfa Romeo GTV

Should I buy one?

Don’t be silly; of course you should. It’s an Alfa Romeo and an agonisingly pretty one at that, whether served as a soft-top or with a tin lid. But please don’t do so with your eyes closed.

First of all, it’s an Alfa – and that means it can rust. The sills, rear arches, and suspension mounting points are the main points.

Mechanical reliability is generally strong, but only if the car has been properly maintained. Regular cam belt changes are essential, especially for the ‘Busso’ V6 engines, as failure can be catastrophic. The Twin Spark engines are robust but do require precise maintenance. They guzzle oil – they always have done – and if you’re lax with your checks and top-ups, they’ll hate you for it.

Electrical gremlins are not uncommon, either, so check all switches, windows, and roof mechanisms (for Spiders) operate as they should. Interior trim can become tired, particularly the seat bolsters and dashboard plastics, so factor in refurbishment costs if necessary.

But hey, just let your heart rule your head. You won’t regret it. Probably…

Do you own an Alfa Romeo 916 GTV or Spider? We’d love to hear its story in the comments below.