A sports car for the cognoscenti. A baby Ferrari. A car that people who really know their cars will delight in driving, because this Spider has the glorious and rare in this model, 3.0 litre Busso V6, with a manual gearbox. Stylish, exciting, and exclusive, drive La Dolce Vita cosseted in leather seats and a power soft top. This Italian 2 seater Alfa Romeo Spider V6 convertible epitomises all that’s best in open sports car rental, powered by an engine CAR UK magazine quoted as “…one of the most charismatic in the world…”

Whisper it, but this is the car I’d currently pick from our range for the most exciting and engaging top down driving experience, (only just beaten by the John Cooper Works Mini for the title outright). From $190 per day, something sensuous, taut, responsive and nimble, a precise drivers car. Also perfectly docile and light for just cruising around in, this Italian beauty is always in fashion. You’ll want to continually let the revs rise just to hear that glorious 3 litre V6 growl, and it’s worth driving way down south just to find some road tunnels to hear it in. Out on the open road, you’ll have a wonderful sense of freedom with a real feelgood drive. Or you could just park up and look at the work of engine art within or the work of design art without – and you won’t be the only one appreciating this premium sports car rental experience.

Getting noticed – this car is not for shrinking violets! If you haven’t driven a convertible before, the sports suspension can make the ride feel somewhat ‘jiggly’ at times but in no way uncomfortable, as you’re cosseted in leather seats. If you’re much over 6 feet though you’ll likely find your head up in the soft roof and might experience a fair bit of buffeting with it down. Like many of our cars it’s manual transmission for a real driving experience, and the clutch is firm but light. Nelson Tasman is ideal convertible weather with over 2000 sunshine hours a year, but the sun is surprisingly strong – between November and March, a hat and sunblock are essential top down accessories, even on cloudy days.

Well Alfas do have a reputation for a bit of a question mark on reliability don’t they? Except this one’s been very well looked after so you can be a lot more confident. In all the days hired out above she has had just one failure to proceed down to a failed water pump, for which we substituted another car. Otherwise this Alfa has done many kilometers of trouble free motoring and in the unlikely event of issues you have full roadside assistance included in your hire charge. She’s regularly serviced and has to pass the Certificate of Fitness (CoF) test required every 6 months. Safety wise there are driver and passenger airbags, ABS, and uprated high quality Brembo brakes.

Seriously good inside and out, the owners really looked after this one, it’s not far off showroom condition. Everything electrical is in full working order, the leather is unmarked and the power soft top keeps you snug and dry even in serious New Zealand deluges, (we can vouch for that). There’s a CD multi-changer or you can hire our high quality portable Bluetooth speaker to accompany the exhaust and engine symphony.

That’s the only small downer on this car. The boot is roughly 100x25x35cm (LWH) and there’s another semi circular shaped 50x30x40 (LWH) storage area behind the seats, but it’s best you put soft bags in both. Do check with us first but to minimise hassle further ask about our luggage repack service, where for a small daily charge you can use our luggage to maximise space utilisation.

Into the new millennium with 3 tracks with very different feels behind the wheel – but all about the drive. For 2001 the best driving tracks are:

• American Dream – Jakarta
• Drive – Bic Runga
• Oranges & Lemons Again – Suggs & The Jools Holland Rhythm Band

Now we acknowledge driving music is a very subjective thing, but clearly here, we’re right. So download, hire our Portable Bluetooth Speaker & enjoy!

You’ll reach legal road limits very quickly indeed if you wish to……but of course, you’ll have a lot of fun getting there….

“One of the only cabrios men can buy, (just)…..”

“When the moon hits your eye, like-a big-ga pizza pie….that’s Alfa Romeo-ore …or may be you really are too tall to fit in with the roof down…..”

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