Forty years ago, Alfa introduced the lovely Spider Veloce, brought to fame in the U.S. when Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) drove one in "The Graduate." The new 2007 Alfa Romeo Spider shown here at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show is a good-looking car, based on the Brera coupe, but it's no Spider Veloce. It's a bit bigger, at 173.1 inches long and 53.8 inches high. And unlike the bullet-tailed Veloce, the elegance of its front end concludes in a rather chunky tail (another homage to BMW's Bangle). Most importantly, its dash-to-axle ratio betrays the Spider's front-drive underpinnings. All-wheel-drive is standard with the optional 260-horsepower 3.2-liter V-6. A 185-horsepower 2.2-liter four is standard. Both engines come with a six-speed manual, and an automatic will be optional on the V-6. This could be one of the first Alfas to be imported to the U.S. if the automaker ever gets its act together here. Don't hold your breath.
