1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate

- Red over Tan
- 2.0L Inline 4
- 5 Speed Manual

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 145 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, and a link to Carfax history report, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“An Alfa Spider represents a very affordable way to get the classic roadster experience.” – Automobile Magazine, February 2011

Automobile writer, Jay Lorio, continued to provide more perspective on the third-generation Alfa roadsters: “The next iteration, the '83 to '90 Series 3 models, got a… black rubber ducktail rear spoiler, better-integrated bumpers, and (in '86) interior revisions. They enjoy more reliable Bosch fuel injection and available air-conditioning (both of which actually came on board in '82).”

“The Spider's DOHC four-cylinder engine makes 115 hp in stock trim, and it's generally criticized for being slow off the line, but it wakes up once you get moving. The Alfa engine is happiest in the upper rev ranges, generally from 3000 rpm to the redline at 5800. Zuniga's car, however, has been updated with period Alfa performance parts, which give it a loping idle but really enhance takeoff. This Spider has no problem keeping up with the aggressive action on New Jersey freeways. You'll hear the engine working, though. As (a current owner) puts it, 'When I got my first Spider, my friends could hear me coming from down the block.'"

"Hearing the engine sing is a part of the unfiltered experience of driving a Spider. So, too, is the unassisted steering, which provides great feel and reasonable effort even at parking speeds. The disc brakes have plenty of bite, and the suspension is lively yet doesn't crash over bumps. This is one fun-to-drive roadster that doesn't feel out of its element in modern traffic.”

Offered here is a 1987 Series 3 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate in red (with black soft top) over tan. The current odometer reading is 121,279 miles, or just under 3,600 miles per-year on average since new. The car has been well maintained and shows only a few signs of normal use over three decades.

The perfectly Italian, red exterior non-metallic paint is in overall good condition with light road rash on the forward-facing surfaces and some light patina elsewhere (including the door edges). There is no sign of body-impact damage; no dings or dents on the sheet metal. (To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) Black trim on the side mirrors, body-side trim, and front and rear bumpers is all free of damage. The tastefully limited chrome on the Pininfarina-designed body—including headlight trim, window surrounds, and unique Alfa door handles—is in very good condition with minimal patina. Factory badging is all properly in place: the front Alfa Romeo crest emblem, “Graduate” script on the front fenders, “Pininfarina” emblem forward of the rear wheels, a second Alfa Romeo crest on the rear deck, and both “Injection” and “Graduate” badges on the rear spoiler. Cabin glass and lighting lenses are clear and free of cracks. The black soft top is in excellent condition and fits properly. Factory 14-inch, 4-lug steel wheels (with Alfa-Romeo crest-embossed chrome center caps) are mounted with 185/70 Michelin® Destiny radial tires.

Inside, tan completes the “perfectly Italian” theme. Horizontally styled tan seat upholstery remains in very well-maintained condition free of flaws or excessive wear and only minor looseness. Brown carpeting (slightly faded in spots) covers the cabin floors with protective carpet mats in place. Stereo speakers are mounted behind the seats. Door trim in tan and black is in very good condition but with some looseness, particularly on the driver's door. The classic 3-spoke black sport steering wheel with Alfa Romeo crest center emblem frames similarly classic sports-car instrumentation: Jaeger Italia® 140-mph speedometer, 8,000-rpm tachometer, three engine-monitoring gauges and a fuel-level gauge. Lenses are clear and the dashboard overall is in very well-maintained condition. An Alpine® audio head unit is mounted in place of the factory radio. In trademark Alfa fashion, the shifter for the 5-speed manual transmission is located on the lower center stack, and topped with another Alfa Romeo crest emblem.

Under the front-hinged hood, the 2-liter, 115-horsepower, inline 4 commands a clean and original engine bay. All components are properly in place with no indication of added modifications. Surfaces—including the Alfa Romeo-embossed manifold and finned valve covers—show well. Nothing appears out of place. Viewed from below the distinctive chassis is straight and undamaged. All components are in place and free of damage. Expected light surface rust is present on some untreated metal.

The car's original identification and data tags remain as mounted at the factory. The sale includes the original owner's manual.

While the more than 145 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '87 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

Many enthusiasts believe that a life lived without the joys of open-air driving under the stars in a red Italian sports car, is a life not fully lived. Our advice: Carpe diem!