Driving an Alfa Romeo is something everyone has to experience at least once. An Alfa Romeo is a perfect, unique blend of pure driving passion and mesmerizing beauty. In 1967, a movie called ‘The Graduate’ made its way to the theatres. The beauty of one particular enchantress stole the show in every scene which showcased her. The beautiful lead actress Anne Bancroft (who looked great in the movie) is not the one we are talking about though. It's the 1966 Alfa Romeo 1600 Spider Duetta that everyone glued their eyes to whenever it entered the scene. In the movie, Dustin Hoffman drives the 1600 Spider across a freeway to reach Katharine Ross’ character in the church with Simon & Garfunkel’s acoustic music playing in the background. It is one of those iconic scenes in cinema history that will always be remembered and talked about. The filmmaker made a great move to choose this particular classic car for this movie, besides the fact that Dustin Hoffman’s uncle was an importer of Alfa Romeos.

When launched in the US, Alfa Romeo organized a transatlantic luxury liner cruise from Genoa(Genova) to New York. They invited only celebrities like Vittorio Gassman, Rossella Falk, and the soprano Anna Moffo to enjoy the three 1600 Spiders displayed in Green, White, and Red colors.

Let’s talk about what makes this car so unique and what happened to the vehicle used in the film.

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How Good Was The Spider?

alfa romeo spider duetto
Via: classicandsportscar.com

One of the world’s most famous petrolheads, Hollywood legend Steve McQueen drove the 1600 Spider Duetto in the summer of 1966 and mentioned that this car is very forgiving while also praising its looks. After all, the legendary Ferrari designer Pininfarina group was in charge of the 1600 Spider. The cute little front grille squished by the symmetrical front bumpers just below the covered headlights make for such an innocent-looking car: how can anyone not love this cutie? There are more curves than straight edges, even in the rear end.

The 1600 Spider had some neat features like sensitive brakes, sharp steering, independent front suspension, and a well-balanced chassis. By no means would it be called a 'slowpoke'. The twin-cam 1.5-liter inline-4 engine made of aluminum delivered 108 HP. It might not be much today, but good enough back then for this lightweight beauty to be quick on the freeway. A five-speed manual transmission drove the Spider through the rear two wheels. When you see the scene mentioned above in ‘The Graduate’, you will notice that this car has one of the best sounding I4 engines of all time! The 1600 Spider belongs right up there with the Subaru WRX STi or the Lancer EVO. When developing the car, Alfa Romeo was confused between “Duetto” and “Cuttlefish.” They organized a competition in association with their European dealers. Duetto won, but Alfa had to use it as an unofficial name due to some legality issues.

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The Car(s) Used In The Movie

Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto
via Bring A Trailer

The movie that made the 1600 Spider famous in the US had three of these cars used. Quick research shows that there have been many speculations and rumors about what happened to those cars. After digging for a while, it seems that only two of those made it so far. It turns out that the prime 1600 Spider Duetto used in the movie was turned into an SCCA race car by Alfa Romeo! Alfa Romeo parts distribution center sponsored the car explaining the Orange and Black paint job. Alfa always wanted the car to participate in races, so they sold it for just 1$ with the condition that it become a racecar. Midgley/Griffith successfully campaigned it for a year or two, and then from late 1968-on, Alfa racing legend Dale McGowan campaigned it himself. The second 1600 Spider Duetto was found and restored as new. Unfortunately, the third one was destroyed.

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A Forgotten Star

Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto 1967
via Bring a Trailer

Alfa Romeo’s have a special place in the world of the automotive industry. They might not be the most reliable or the fastest cars and are not exactly cheap either. But what you get is the flamboyant Italian styling and such a visceral feeling when driving it. When you sit inside an Alfa Romeo, you know in an instant that you are inside an Alfa Romeo. They are just so unique and not to mention an absolute pleasure to look at. Legendary designer Pininfarina described it as “The Beautiful Young Lady.” Many people refer to Alfa Romeos as ‘Mini-Ferraris’ for a fraction of their price. When it comes to the driving experience, the 1600 Spider Duetto(and Alfa Romeos in general) are worth every penny from the get-go. Desired by everyone when it came out, the Duetto is a classic sports coupe with minimal features without any fancy bells and whistles that deliver a surefire joy to the driver’s face.

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