We won't know which way to look when we reach the Alfa Romeo stand in Geneva next month. Not only will the stylish new Alfa 159 Sportwagon get its first public airing, but the Italians will also reveal the gorgeous new Alfa Romeo Spider pictured here.

Way back in August last year we brought you spy shots of the new Alfa Spider, believing it would be called the Brera Spider after the coupe it was spawned from. Contrary to expectations, the Spider has not been shown to the public before now. I think you'll agree that it was worth waiting for, and is deserving of the illustrious Spider tag.

Though closely developed with the Brera, the new Alfa Spider is a pure two-seater where the coupe carries four. No doubt this is to accommodate the neat, small folding soft-top. There are no obvious styling differences between the Brera and Spider at the front, and though the rear lights are shared, the rear of the Spider has a distinctively sporting character of its own when viewed from behind. At first glance, the Spider is more conventional due to the lack of the Brera's unusual roofline, though the sculpting of the rear deck of the Spider harks back to the early Spiders from the '60s and helps the Spider appear more beautiful than its coupe sibling.

Engines and transmissions will be shared with the Brera when the new Spider goes on sale in Britain, though at present there is talk of only two options, both petrol: the 2.2-litre with 185bhp and the lovely 3.2-litre V6 motor that outputs 260bhp. The latter is allied with Alfa's Q4 four-wheel drive system, developed for keener drivers.

Shane O' Donoghue - 8 Feb 2006