Central Sussex section member’s car of the month

Stephen and Anne’s S2 Spider Junior

Oct is the 10th anniversary of our S2 Spider ownership. The car came to the UK from Germany in 1989, after changing hands between 3 owners and hardly turning a wheel, and never being registered, it finally found a home with an owner in Bristol. Peel’s Motorkraft in Bristol were given the job of a full bare metal respray in 2013. Sadly, the owner, a Mr Worle died, his nephew putting the car up for sale as part of the estate in 2014. It was at this point the car was bought and transferred to West Sussex. Whilst the bodywork had been beautifully restored, most of the mechanics still needed overhauling or replacing.

The Spider Junior is a ‘budget’ version of the more common Veloce Spider, they were made for the Italian market with either a 1300 or 1600 engine and more basic features for the purpose of keeping the cost of the car under the luxury goods rate of tax applied at the time. Our Junior left the factory with a 1600 engine in April 1972. At some stage whilst in Germany and shortly before shipping to the UK, it acquired a 2000 engine.

During our ownership I have restored, rebuilt or replaced every mechanical component in the car, other than the engine. The gearbox has been rebuilt using all original bearings and the back axle has been replaced with a LSD version to match the 2000 engine and improve cruising speed. Not just the mechanics, the interior of the car has been retrimmed, and I fitted a new hood in 2023.

In 2019 we joined Ken Carrington’s Andiamo Milano AROC tour to Milan and beyond. It was with trepidation we drove onto the ferry that morning, the newly rebuilt rear axle had only covered just over 100 miles, so little time to gain confidence in it! We need not worry though as the entire trip went without drama, only a broken weld on the air cleaner, fixed with gaffer tape and a duff sparking plug giving cause to liberate the tool kit.

During that trip we drove on the roof of the Fiat Lingotto building, did some circuits of the Balocco proving test track and visited the Blue Team private Alfa Romeo collection.

Part of the pleasure of owning an Alfa Romeo classic car, for me, is the involvement of the repairs, maintenance and improvements I have undertaken in the last 10 years. It’s not for everyone, admittedly, but getting into the soul of our classic Alfa Romeo with spanners gives me great pleasure.

Here our S2 Junior sits at the top of the Grande St Bernard Pass.