Win the new Alfa Romeo Spider

Your chance to own this exciting Italian classic sports car

If you would enjoy owning an Alfa Romeo Spider, the year's most exciting Italian classic car - the Independent is offering you that chance.

Worth at least £25,000, this range-topping model is the prize in our latest competition. Elegant and powerful, the car made its first appearance at the Paris Mondial de l'Automobile last October.

The left-hand-drive version is due to be launched in the major European markets early this year. The right-hand-drive version will be launched in 1996. Our winner will be able to choose either version and be among the first to own it.

The power unit in the Independent's prize car is a specially developed sports version of Alfa's classic 2959cc V6 engine with a maximum output of 192bhp, a top speed of 138mph and an acceleration of 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds. The exclusive design and outstanding looks are the result of the skill and experience of the experts at Alfa's Style Centre in Arese.

Whereas the original Spider had sculpted sides, today's variation on that theme is the bold `crease line', which runs from the top of the integrated front bumper to the foldaway hood's flush-fitting cover.

Inside, modern convenience and safety features share the comfortable cockpit with instruments whose design recalls the original Spider.

The switch to front-wheel- drive, in tune with the rest of the current Alfa Romeo range, is the biggest conceptual differ-ence between yesterday's and today's Spiders.

The sleek bonnet is designed to conceal a choice of engines. According to Alfa Romeo, the 2.0-litre, 16-valve Twin Spark's 150bhp spurs the newcomer from 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds and gives a top speed of 133mph. This is expected to be the most popular choice when the Spider makes its long-awaited debut in Britain.

But the prize offered by the Independent is the range-topping model powered by Alfa's wonderfully smooth, refined, responsive and in-spirational 3.0-litre V6, which develops 192bhp. It is one of the finest engines available any-where in the world, regardless of price. This modern variation on the Spider theme combines a 0-62 mph time of 7.5 seconds with a 138mph maximum. Superb brakes and a sporty suspension system, which includes a multi-link set-up for the rear axle, complements the standard-setting engine.

These ingredients, together with the Spider's sensational styling, create the cocktail of excitement that has been very typical of Italy's finest per-formance cars since the 1920s.

If you are late on the scene and haven't been following our comp-etition, you can still take part. To enter you need to collect 12 separate tokens, including one from the Independent on Sunday, and complete a tie-breaker. Full entry details will be published later and in tomorrow's Independent on Sunday.