(Alfa Romeo)
Where’s Mrs. Robinson when you need her?
Fiat has announced that it will jointly develop a spiritual successor to the classic Alfa Romeo Spider with Mazda, and have it on the road by 2015.
The two-door convertible will be share a rear-wheel-drive platform with the next generation Mazda MX-5/Miata, and will be built by Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan.
While they will use common underpinnings, each car will have its own unique style and be powered by an engine from its parent company.
The Miata is the best selling two-seat car of all time, but the Spider is likely the more famous of the pair. An icon of the “La Dolce Vita” lifestyle, it was etched into the psyche of American fans after Dustin Hoffman’s lovelorn character drove one in the 1967 film, “The Graduate.”
Alfa Romeo left the United States market in 1995, but Fiat is plotting the return of the brand for 2013, led by a sexy high-performance coupe called the 4C that is expected to be priced around $60,000. The yet to be named Spider successor should cost quite a few lira less than that.