SOTW: Alfasud Sprint

0-60mph in 11.2 seconds? No wonder they called it the Sprint...

You’re probably sitting there at the moment wondering what that blue shiny thing is above the wheels in the picture. I was too, but after doing some research and going through old cuttings I discovered that is what is known as the body of an Alfa. This is of course a rare sight and is usually where a pile of various iron oxides would sit, maybe with bits of glass and plastic half-buried within it.

This is the Alfasud Sprint which was the coupe brother of the Sud and shared its superb front-drive handling characteristics. The stylish bodywork was the work of Giugiaro (yes, him of the not-at-all-similar Scirocco and DeLorean fame) and the car was revealed to the world in 1976.

The car’s panels were all-new but the body was said to be slightly stiffer giving it arguably even sharper handling. The gearbox was fitted on the back of the engine and the car’s designer, Rudolf Hruska, went as far as to mount the shock absorbers upside down because this apparently reduced unsprung weight.

The Sud Sprint always got the best engines and later in its life it received a 1,490cc unit that brought power up to 95bhp, bringing with it a top speed of 112mph and 0-60mph took 11.2 seconds. But none of this matters in a way because it is so nice to look at. Small, well-proportioned and stylish – who wouldn’t want a Sprint? Production ran from 1976 all the way to 1989 and 121,434 were said to have been produced.

But as with a lot of old Alfas the bodywork was about as good in the wet as a paper hat, and most simply dissolved away. Or at least they did in places where it was cold and rained all the time. Perhaps not so much in places like South Africa, which is where this one we found on eBay came from.

Luckily the body has remained almost rust free (almost – well it is an Alfa) and there are just a few bubbles here and there. Not sure what is going on with the black wheels, they don’t do it justice, but nothing a lick of paint won't fix. The interior has apparently come out of a different Sud Sprint but who cares?

The seller even says the electrics work well which is almost unheard of. The car is for sale for £999 but the seller is open to offers so will probably let it go for a bit less. There’s almost a year’s MOT and even a bit of tax on the car. So go and buy this little Sud, stick on some chunky period alloys, and think of all the fun you can have watching it rust to pieces.

eBay ad reads: '1984 Alfasud Sprint, MoT until July 2009 and taxed until end December. Its on a Q plate as its an import from South Africa and at the time of import they couldn't determine the date of manufacture.Thanks to its South African ancestry and lengthy time in storage whilst in the UK the car is in remarkably solid condition for a 24year old Alfa!

The light blue colour is quite unusual for this make but really suits the car. Underneath is very sound (although it would benefit from some new underseal before the winter), the screen surround is fine, the tailgate is fine and the boot floor is in very good condition. There is some bubbling of the paint on the nearside front wing and very very slight bubbling on both rear wheel arches and the door bottoms.

Mechanically its ok. The carbs could do with balancing as its running slightly rough at low revs. I've refurbished the brakes and there are no signs of oil or water leaks. Tyres are all ok and all electrics work fine. But it is an old Alfa and they do need some tlc - but with that you get a fantastic drivers car thats great fun.

Interior is a bit of a mix and match. At some point its had a set of later black/green green cloverleaf seats and door cards put in.

Other points to note - the rear hatch struts need replacing, it needs a reversing light sender unit, and possibly a set of plugs.'

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mr_spock

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