The car

There are sounds, smells and tastes that can kick you back in time and make you relive souvenirs of your youth, like those candies you used to eat as a kid, which one day make their way back into your hands to relive the good old days. Some others, even if you have never smelled or touched before have the same properties to bring you back in the past. This gorgeous 1967 Alfa Romeo Spider, also called “Duetto” is one of these wonders.

On first sight, the red beauty charms the eye with her long smooth lines, and already gives you a hint on how popular she was back in the days. Apart from a few inevitable scratches, the sexy Italian is in mint condition and looks nothing close to being 42 years old. The secret behind this Alfa Romeo’s timeless looks is stated by the badge she harbours on the lower part of her rear fenders, near the door: Battista “Pinin” Farina’s stamp. Indeed, she was designed and built by the great Italian designer and builder in Grugliasco in Italy. Only 500 of these were built as right hand drive, and the stories that follow each of these classic cars are often lost in time. This one in particular was imported in Singapore not long after its independence, switched hands many times and was left abandoned for a few years, before being bought back and restored to become racing machine, but was abandoned again on a car park on Orchard. It travelled from owner to owner this way for 42 years, before falling in the hands of her current owner, who restored her into a perfect mechanical state.

Sitting inside the Spider, the smell of the old leather, the feel of the thin and wide steering wheel, of the seats, and the old dials peering at you will take you back to the 60s. Better still, bring the top down in a smooth motion and fire the engine. Under the hood the bi-carburettor 1.6 litre engine waits patiently for its next ride. Well maintained, it runs smoothly, and the sound of the exhaust deepens your immersion in the times when this beauty was the queen of the roads. And then you hit first gear and release the clutch. Not a creaking or squeaking sound give out that the Alfa is 42 years old, and as you drive off, you can feel on your tongue the taste of those candies you used to eat as a kid.

The Duetto’s name is actually very rarely used, and when the car first rolled out of Pininfarina’s factory it was only known as the Alfa Romeo Spider with no other particular name, and Alfa Romeo organized a write in contest to find a name for the model. The name Duetto came out, but it was contested by Volvo since one of their models was already carrying this name. In the end, the spider was named Duetto, but none of them ever carried it officially, and when this model was replaced end of 1967, this name was dropped.

Back at the wheel, with the wind blowing your hair, the lady handling like a dream and the sun shining, life seems the sweetest and that feeling suddenly submerges you, the same feeling that you had when you silently sneaked out of your bedroom window, at night when your parents were asleep, to meet your girlfriend for a date under the moonlight. That’s what taking such a classic beauty feels like. All you need now are those candies from where you were a kid. And even better: you can drive to go get them.

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