On Apr 19, 2005, at 5:40 AM, frank theriault wrote:
No, a "spider" is a body style. A lightweight convertible sporting vehicle.
See Pinin Farina who designed the first one for Alfa in the Guilietta
series startiing in 1955.
Many others make one today, not the least of which is Ferrari...
Yes. You're right. I was talking of the pronunciation and etymology of the word, not the meaning, which I've always taken to be a two seat topless sports car (but maybe they don't have to be two-seaters).
I recall a long discussion of the etymology of the term "spider" on the Alfa Romeo Digest some years ago. I think the conclusion they came to was that it was a post-WWII term coined for the open sporting roadster, derivative from the Auburn Speedster in the immediate post-war era ... supposedly Max Hoffman, the US importer, named the Porsche 356 roadster the "Speedster" in 1953 after the Auburn Speedster which he admired, and the name "Spider" was picked up by Alfa for the Guilietta roadster with that influence in mind (Max Hoffman was also the most prominent US importer of Alfa Romeos).
This is all hearsay to me as I haven't any documentation to reference. The designation "Spider" for the open, two-seat roadster body type starts in the Alfa Romeo production cars with the Guilietta Spider in 1954, and does not appear in any pre-war records, according to Luigi Fusi.
Godfrey
