Are you ready to take your summer up a notch on a sun-dappled winding road? This 1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate is here to assist!

A factory-trained Alfa tech recently overhauled this straight and original car, including rebuilding the engine and transmission. We have driven it 3,000 miles since finishing the projects, so it's road-tested and ready to enjoy.

As the photos show the car is handsome. It has fresh paint in its original "nero" black color, which many consider the best color on this generation of Spider as the distinctive rubber spoiler and other trim blend well. The paint shines, and reflects the clouds and trees going by. Brand new cloth top with a  clear rear window. The interior is nice driver quality. The seats have been upgraded to black leather ones with red stitching from a Veloce model. They feel great but the leather is 25 years old and has some seam splits and flaws. Another notable Veloce upgrade: the beautiful five-spoke alloy wheels (plus a fifth in the trunk!) Mounted on those wheels are new Pirelli tires -- new tires make such a difference in ensuring Alfas handle beautifully. A nice modern addition to the car is a Pioneer CD stereo with four speakers (the Graduate came with only two; rear 6X9s have been added).

The owner overhauled both the engine and transmission. This man is a genius with trannies -- he has rebuilt several for me and he always hits home runs. This Spider has no synchro issues. It downshifts exceptionally smoothly. The engine has new rings, rods, bearings and a valve job. Carfax shows a discrepancy so to be on the safe side, we're assuming the car has 92,000 miles rather than the 72,000 that show. With the engine and tranny just gone over, the car's mechanicals have effectively been reset recently so the condition, not the miles, are what matters most.

Additional recent work this year includes: Front brake calipers, front and rear brake pads, a tie rod end, lower ball joints, clutch master cylinder, and gas tank replaced along with main and tank fuel pumps too. Add that to things like the new top and tires and we are talking about thousands of dollars invested to make this car reliable and strong -- and ready for your driving pleasure!

One thing my friend did, since the car was for his own use, was remove the air conditioner. Why carry all that weight if it's not working, and in these cars, with the top down and vent windows open, a/c is sort of superfluous anyway. If the buyer desires it, the a/c unit, minus the compressor, would be made available at no charge. But it's in Maryland, not currently in or with the car. As shown in one of the photos, the A/C knob is not attached.

This Alfa looks sharp and runs well. It's a very decent representative of the marque. Remember just 10 or 15 years ago when you could buy a 1960s Alfa, a Duetto or GTV, in this sort of shape for under $10,000? Mm hm... Well those days are long gone. '60s Alfas in this kind of nice driver condition bring $25,000 and more while many 1970s Alfas are climbing toward that range. Plus the reintroduction of the Alfa Marque with a dealer network this summer after a 19 year-absence is going to bolster interest. A 1987 Spider like this one is a solid investment, never going to go down and all but certain to go up in value even as you enjoy the heck out of driving it!

I am including photos that give an honest view of this Alfa and I have more if you want to see anything or I can shoot video of it running. I've owned a dozen similar Spiders and as an Alfa Romeo Owners Club officer and concours judge, I am glad to share my insights. Alfas that have been sorted as this one has are not hard or expensive to keep happy. Our Club, www.aroc-usa.org, has chapters to keep you connected around the country and there are great sources for parts online. I've never had to wait more than a day or two for any part and they cost no more than VW parts from the same era. The car is garaged at my house in Alexandria, VA, convenient to National Airport (DCA) if you want to fly in and drive home, or I'm glad to meet a shipper. If you're local come by for a test drive. Thanks for your interest!