Two venerable motoring manufacturers have announced that they are going to be working on a new project together, which could see the rebirth of a classic range.

Each of these firms has created a few famed models over the years, although perhaps their most memorable examples have been two seater roadsters.

The Alfa Romeo Spider, which began life in the mid 1960s and the Mazda MX-5 Miata, which was introduced in the late 1980s, have both defined an era and continued to be successful ever since.

Now both manufacturers are going to work together to share the underpinnings of their newest iterations of these two vehicles, which means things like the powertrain will be identical, even if the exterior styling is quite different.

This is perhaps a particularly good deal for Alfa Romeo, which is owned by Fiat, because the Miata range is famously reliable and a fun, affordable ride, that is already considered a classic by many enthusiasts.

If the Spider can be revived with a new model that adheres to the ethos of the classic, but updates it on a technical level, then most fans will be more than satisfied with the results.