The Innocenti Spider was an underrated sports car from Innocenti. It was an Italian roadster with great styling and specifications. The production lasted between 1961 to 1970. As Innocenti faced financial issues, the model was stopped. Let us see about the evergreen 1966 Innocenti Spider.
Engine
The 66′ Innocenti Spider was equipped with a powerful inline-4 engine. This vehicle had a decent speed around 90mph. It was a front-engine vehicle with rear-wheel drive. This was not a performance package as Innocenti focused on luxury and comfort apart from smooth driving experience. That’s how the vehicle’s engineering was made. The engine components were made from the British Austin-Healey Sprite.
Technology
Speaking about the mechanical features, the Innocenti Spider was built around 4-speed manual transmission with disc and drum brakes. With these features, the vehicle’s acceleration and stability were good. The rear part had a revised suspension. It was another lightweight sports car with monocoque construction. The internal components of the vehicle were a single carburetor system, water-cooled system, and overhead valves.
Cool Features
The vehicle had upscale interior features for its time. Innocenti incorporated bucket seats with upholstery. The other features like courtesy interior lights, Italian Marelli electrical equipment, roll-up side windows, and lockable glovebox were new for its time. It was more of Comfortable than luxury. The interior’s dashboard featured equipment like oil pressure gauge, fuel gauge, tachometer, and speedometer. The entire interior trim was of the highest quality.
A New Version of Austin-Healey Sprite
When the Innocenti Spider arrived, people thought it was akin to the iconic British car, Austin-Healey Sprite. The mechanical parts of the vehicle were based on this model. The vehicle had the engineering of British vehicles. This was the reason people compared it with the legendary Austin-Healey Sprite. It was an advantage for Innocenti Spider as the brand was able to maximize the sales. The vehicle was also the first big project for legendary designer, Tom Tjaarda.
Racing Appearances
The Innocenti Spider was launched as a roadster. It was a sports car that made its way to small motorsport events. Because of its lightweight components, Innocenti Spider was able to explore the racing events. The car was widely seen in Italian road races, hill climb racing, and club racing. As it was not a racing homologous, Innocenti didn’t make it a race car.
Low Units
The Innocenti Spider was marketed as a limited-edition car. The overall production units were not more than 7k. This included both the 950 and 1100 Spider S models. It was sold at $2,500 USD in the USA. In Italy, the price of Innocenti Spider was sold for around 1.3 million Italian lire. Although it was more costly than the Austin-Healey Sprite, it was never an expensive vehicle. Today, it is available in collector markets. The price has increased as it has a huge value.