Rigid axle, coil springs, a triangle and several trailing arms
Brakes f/r
Discs, servo
Steering
Worm/roll
Wheels
155 HR 14
Length
4.250 mm
Width
1.630 mm
Height
1.290 mm
Design
Pininfarina
Tank capacity
46 litres
Payload
Approx. 230 kg
Kerb weight dry
940 kg +driver
Maximum speed
Approx. 185 km/h
Manufactured
From 1966
Purchase price
12,990 DM
Electric system
12 V/ 40 Ah/ 300 W
Predecessor
Giulietta Spider
Work-sharing at its best: Bertone makes the coupés and Pininfarina, the convertibles. In this case, the latter hits the bulls-eye, although in the beginning, this completely different shape wasn't liked by all. Perhaps this is how it is with all the great achievements in this field, maybe with the exception of the E-Type Jaguar. The Alfa is just a little bit similar to the E-Type, without attempting to get too near to the master.
After all, taking its lifespan into consideration, this Alfa has outlived all the other convertibles, and this, despite the fact that over the years, it has undergone some nasty surgery. The wonderful rear-end disappeared as early as 1969. The expression 'Fastback' covers up a multitude of sins. The workers on the production line gave it the nickname of 'Cuttlefish' and allegedly, the name 'Duetto' came from a competition to find a name. Honestly, this all cannot compete with the first creation of this body.
One has to wonder, how this engine, which at that time was very modern, could fit into the front-end. By the way, one of its attributes was not necessarily it's performance and willingness for high revs, which were comparatively high for a 1600 cc engine, but the elasticity was very unusual in a sports car engine. All this was possible, even though the valve-control was in no way adjustable. Mind you, Alfas are very rarely thriftily set up.
Even the boot didn't suffer from the low, down-sloping rear end, it was probably somewhat level, with the tank and the spare-wheel arranged in the flooring. The seating was good, although in Italian cars of that time, taller people nearly always had problems, in this case with the upper edge of the windscreen. The view to the extreme left and right of the rear end was also difficult, unless one had also ordered the hard-top. The impression given from the outside was continued through to the interior, e.g., with the painted dashboard.
The 80 kW (109 HP) engine only had to manage with the weight of 1050 kg (car and driver). Apart from the performance per litre, have you also calculated the performance to weight ratio of the car? On top of that, it had a five-speed gearbox, very seldom at that time and in that price range and no, it wasn't just an overdrive. It appeared to be nothing special, to overrev this engine on downhill motorways, with the speedometer showing over 200 km/h. Apparently the wind also favoured the shape of the car body.
Now, don't be deceived. The rigid axle used in this Alfa, is one of the finest in this type of construction. Much more effort was put into it than into any other random component. Certainly, a coupé with a short wheelbase must be sprung somewhat harder than e.g., a saloon, although it can also tend to oversteer when slightly inclining. What would the outcome then be, if one were to come up against a great shape like this at an adventurous incline e.g., in a tight curve? 05/15