On Thursday a new version of the Alfa Romeo Spider goes on sale in the UK, powered by the Italian sporting car company's 3.0 litre, V6 24v engine that already powers the Alfa 166 and GTV.

The Spider has a top speed of 145mph, a 0-62mph time of 6.8 seconds and combined fuel economy of 29.1mpg.

Alfa Spider is currently built in small numbers at Pininfarina's Grugliasco factory on the outskirts of Turin. Total Spider production since 1995 exceeds 30,000 units, with the UK market taking up around 10% of that with the 2.0 TS version.

The price of the new Alfa Spider 3.0 V6 24v is £26,043 on the road.

Standard equipment includes automatic climate control, electric hood, Momo leather trimmed upholstery, driver and passenger airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes.