WHETHER it's in chic clothes or chic cars there is little to touch the flair of Italian design.
And nowhere is that highlighted more aptly than in the latest Spider from Alfa Romeo.
The Spider name is synonymous with Alfa convertibles and over the years there have been some beautiful examples. The newest generation Spider carries on that tradition with an eye-caching flair that could only have come from Italy. Viewed from the front or the rear there is no doubt about it. This car has style.
With its six headlights and prominent Alfa shield grille at the front and eight rear lights, four exhaust tailpipes and a sensually curvy rear reminiscent of the Giulietta Spider of the 1950s this is certainly a car to get noticed in.
And once the double layer hood is down the car is even more noticeable thanks to the brushed aluminium covered racing pods set behind the chrome rollover bars.
The brushed aluminium theme also features on the centre console, into which are set the heating vents and subsidiary dials - the latter being deep set and angled towards the driver in true Alfa style. Also in the centre console is the racing style start/stop button, while immediately in front of the driver the large speedometer and tachometer are housed in a heavily hooded binnacle.
As with most modern cars in this price range the hood is operated electronically and it takes less than 25 seconds for the Spider to go topless.
The hood is neatly folded into its own storage compartment and so, unlike on some convertibles, doesn't infringe on the boot space when it is packed away.
Talking of boot space the Spider's is very deep and amply spacious enough to take two decent sized suitcases. With this convertible you don't have to settle for the smallest of soft bags when you want a weekend away.
Behind the seats there is a wide shelf housing two lockable compartments for extra storage and - as I discovered on returning from holiday - the shelf is large enough to accommodate another large suitcase without touching the backrests of the seats.
Driving the Spider with the hood down is impressively wind free. A transparent wind deflector which fits between the rear rollover hoops helps to ensure that you don't arrive at your destination looking like Ken Dodd.
On the road the Spider gives a beautiful throaty sound from its sporty tailpipes even when you are just driving slowly. Depress the accelerator hard and that sound is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
My test car was powered by the largest engine in the range, the 3.2-litre JTS V6 which, combined with a six-speed manual gearbox is incredibly flexible, allowing you to change into fifth and six gears at very low revs and speeds.
This unit is also mated to Alfa's Q4 permanent four-wheel-drive system making it strong competition for quattro versions of Audi's TT.
But despite the sound and the stunning appearance I felt the Spider didn't have as much magic as previous generations had. That sparkle, that X-factor wasn't as pronounced.
There is nothing wrong with the appearance, the build or the performance of the car, far from it. But inexplicably the charisma wasn't there for me.
FAST FACTS
Alfa Romeo Spider 3.2 JTS V6 Q4
Price: £31,250
Mechanical: 260bhp, 3,195cc, 6cyl petrol engine driving all wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 149mph
0-62mph: 7 secs
Combined mpg: 24.6
Insurance group: 19
CO2 emissions: 273g/km
BiK rating: 35%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 8yrs anti-rust