Benjamin Braddock: ’67 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider
It seems like every Alfa Spider between 1966 and 1993 is referred to as The Graduate car driven by Ben Braddock played by Dusty Hoffman. Even Alfa tried to capitalize on the film’s notoriety by naming a special cheapy edition in 1985 called The Graduate. Perhaps the thinking was that young graduates couldn’t afford the expensive Quadrafogilio model with alloy wheels and power windows at their paltry starting salaries. The next time you are at a car show where there are a bevy of Alfa Spiders and your friends say “oh that’s the car that was in The Graduate”, you can correct them. Unless of course, it is a 1966 or 67, then they would be correct. The name Duetto was given to the new Pininfarina designed Spider through a write-in contest. By late ’67 probably as a 1968, they were called 1750 Spider Veloces. Many Alfisti (Alfa lovers) refer to these elegant Series 1 cars as Boattails. Today’s featured car looks pretty nice judging from the few pictures in the Craigslist ad. Alfa Spiders are supposed to sit a little high in the front. Many owners lower their cars and eliminate this characteristic. They look better slammed a bit and we don’t know how that affects the handling. It is said to be a fully restored car Stephens Alfa in Pompano Beach, Florida. They are still around so you can probably call them (click the link). This restoration is now 16 years old. The current owner has all of the records for the rebuild. The asking price is $22,500 and that is a pretty good jumping off point. Hagerty has them between $32 and $46,000 for exceptional cars. You can see the ad by clicking here. The car is in Seattle now.