Brand: Amstrad Consumer Electronics Plc.
Model: ZX Spectrum +2
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Made in: Taiwan (also United Kingdom)
First year of production: 1986
Price: £149
Dimensions: 439 × 174 × 38-56 mm (feet adds 2 mm)
Weight: 1693 g
The first of the Amstrad-made Spectrums in a non-Sinclair fasion grey case 🫤. Technically still a ZX Spectrum 128 at heart but with a better keyboard and therefore by many regarded as the best Spectrum to use.
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Although the machine has a distinct “Amstrad” look with its typewriter style keys and Datacorder bolted on to the right hand side similar to the Amstrad CPC464, technically it was very similar to the ZX Spectrum 128. CEO Alan Sugar of Amstrad was so confident of closing the Sinclair takeover deal that he had his Hong Kong team redesign the 128 into the +2 even before the deal was signed so the machines would be ready for Christmas of 1986.
The 48K mode ROM (‘ROM 1’) got its Sinclair copyright replaced by that of Amstrad (which caused compatibility issues with a few program titles), the 128K mode ROM (‘ROM 0’) was stripped from the Tape Tester option since the tape recorder was now built-in and apparently didn’t need any more testing. The ULA was rebranded as AMSTRAD 40056 but was otherwise identical.
Two joystick ports were added using the decoder chip from ZX Interface 2 (‘MT62001 MCE 8344’, now branded as AMSTRAD 40057) but were not wired according to the de facto ATARI standard, thus requiring Amstrad-made joysticks (the notoriously bad “Sinclair SJS1”), third party adapters or joysticks with dual plugs (usually a black connector for Atari and a grey connector for the +2).
UK suppliers still had parts for the original 128, thus a number of machines were manufactured in the UK to use up stock and fulfill the agreements Sinclair had made with these suppliers.