100 Cars That Changed History

“Alfa Romeo 8c Spider red” by The Car Spy – Flickr: Alfa Romeo 8c Spider. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

6. Alfa Romeo Spider 1966-1994 Italy

The iconic two-seater Italian roadster known as the Spider was produced by Alfa Romeo for nearly three decades with only minor aesthetic changes. The company produced Spiders from 1966-1993, however a limit 1994 line was made available in the United States. The name “Spider” originates from the English word “speeder,” an open-horse two person carriage. The Spider was produced in four series, all being designed by Pininfarina. The car became forever tied to American pop culture history when Dustin Hoffman’s character drove one in the movie The Graduate. In 2012, Fiat made an agreement with Mazda to co-develop a new Spider based on the Mazda MX-5 platform. That car is expected to hit the market next year, signaling a new generation of Spider lovers.