This rather pretty Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider is the first of its' kind we've had here in the shop, quite unusual for us to have a first these days so we're as giddy as kids at Christmas

She comes out of a collection of some really fine motorcars and has been fastidiously looked after by the last owner for the last 13 years

Over that period she's been cared for by Hofmanns of Henley who provided storage for when the gentleman was at his home in the Bahamas and attended to all maintenance requirements

Today she runs and drives beautifully, with supple steering, a smooth comfortable ride accompanied by the strong pull & wonderful tonnes provided by the engine and gearbox, as well as starting on the button having recently had a new gear reduction starter motor fitted

Purchased new by Lord Rayne, we have a complete and full history file detailing every owner from new, his Lordship the most notable but there are some very good addresses beside

There is a charming letter in the history folder from Lord Rayne, dated February 1990, in which he responds to the 5th owner, who had her from 1980 - 2003, waxing lyrical about his time with the car and how he purchased her in lieu of a Ferrari Spider and enjoyed her mainly in the South of France

Furthermore, there is a period road test in the history folder from May 1965 testing this very car wearing the original registration 189 HLE still in situ today

Naturally with a history this rich we have MoT's dating back to 1972 (the year of the first MoT unless we're mistaken)

The first line of the article reads “The name Alfa Romeo means something”, which of course is still true today and the feeling of being in something special can't be avoided when at the helm of this spider

She is very unusually a UK factory right hand drive example, we haven't seen any other RHD examples offered anywhere….

The car itself pulls the chord of a sunny Sunday drive type machine, you know, blue skies, wind in the hair stuff

And should the weather interrupt your journey, the hood which is in immaculate condition, operates with such ease folding neatly away behind the rear seats

There are some really lovely design cues provided by the Touring body; the thin windscreen frame likable to the bezel one might find on an elegant dress watch, the front light cluster almost personifying the car and the simple single exit exhaust, although sonorous, sumptuously subtle

The interior is completely original and all the better for that, whilst the paint, originally white from the factory, is now Silver Birch (yes the Aston colour) as chosen by the most recent owner

Painting an Alfa in an Aston colour takes someone very strong in their convictions - boy does it look good for it!

As purchased by Lord Rayne when new this really does represent an excellent choice, especially when compared to a Ferrari Spider of the period, in value, style (the Alfa must be cooler) & design