1961 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider Type 102

If you ask anyone who is serious about cars what the most unreliable marquee in the world is, you’re probably going to get the same answer–Alfa Romeo. Every time we talk about Alfa we’re always reminded of a stint on everyone’s former favorite car show when Jeremy Clarkson said “Alfa builds a car to be as good as a car can be. Briefly.” And yet, here we are talking about a 1961 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider Type 102 that’s up for sale on Bring a Trailer. Despite their mechanical foibles, there’s just something inherently classy and stylish about old school Alfas that hits you right in the feelings. Yes, it only has a 2.0L twin-cam inline-four paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. Yes, you have to manually put the top up and down. Yes, it was repainted and refurbished, so it’s not bone stock. But there were only 3,443 examples of this car built between 1958 and 1961, and have you seen these pictures? This isn’t the kind of car you expect to drive at Autobahn speeds or take to Bonneville. This is the kind of car you cruise down the PCH or through the Italian countryside in. This is a classic car that defines cool.