Ok story time. About 10 years ago I was in a quickfit waiting for tyres when I heard the guys talking about this Alfa that keeps failing it's MOT. The owner didn't know much about it but had the brakes rebuilt but it still showed no operation on the handbrake. So he pulls the Alfa out the bay and it was a very nice black Alfa sud. So I'm stood talking to the guy and said it's really nice and is this the one with the dodgy handbrake. He said yes..... And I said....... "You know..... The handbrake operates the front wheels not the back?......". Mot guy burst out laughing and drove it back on the rollers. Passed that time 🤣
Changing the front discs and pads on my 1.5Ti years ago, bonnet up, wheels on ground. Neighbour passed by and asked what the trouble is. Nothing, I'm just doing the discs and pads. They gave me a 'don't take the piss' look and walked on...
Lovely car, way ahead of contemporary, Fords, Vauxhalls etc in design and driving dynamics and Fords in particular of that time were just as rust prone. More built so more survive. Viva Alfa Romeo Alfa Sud
I remember my mate's mother had an alfa sprint , we used to use it alot way back in the 80s , my mate tried to do a handbrake slide in it round a corner , expecting the rear end to slide out, no, lost the front end.... That was the last time he tried that.....
Mine is still running and is turning 50 next year. This one looks a high spec version with a glove box and ashtrays. Luxury! It’s great to see another early 1.2 L still running.
Italian cars of that era were like this - I had a mate with a penchant for FIAT 128's - yes not a fast car but the soundtrack from even the 1100 cc it was a riot
I had one in the 80s and I loved it. I think Yugo made a sort of copy but let's face it, if I'd had enough money I'd have tried to find a rust free one. Hubnut really found a delightful well preserved example of the Alfa. Thanks for sharing it with us Hubnut!
128! When I was a kid I was bored with that square tile like a little 124, that was everywhere. Now I appreciate it: simple, comfortable, pleasant to drive, spacious. I now recognize her character.
i had a kind of 128 Gt with blue tinted windows and in egg shell white and in the back two round lights in each side all abarth equiped and sounded like a real car engine a 1.3L,yes it can be a coupé as it had only two doors and rpm counter that made it unique ,never saw other
What a glorious vehicle. I loved these as a kid, such a handsome design and the motoring press absolutely adored them. Of course rust killed them way too soon, but the wonderful Alfasud will always have a special place in my heart 😍
@Hatsross12 Funny that you should mention that. Mine was coming up to 3 years old when I got a puncture. I got the spare wheel out and started to jack the car up. When the jack was nearly all the way up I noticed that car had not gone up. Instead the jack had gone through the sill, through the carpet and into the footwell. I managed to change the wheel and drove to the supplying dealer. While I was busy negotiating a replacement Alfa Sud Sprint and compensation, my wife wandered onto their used car patch and fell in love with a black Mini Mayfair. I shook hands on the Sprint, but we came home in the Mini.
@@peterriggall8409 That was mainly due to the stupidity of whoever decided how to put the chrome strip around the rear window. They just hammed the supports in to place and of course that scratched the paint and led to the rusting. I caught mine very early and got the screen taken out and a new rear sill put in. We dispensed with the chrome strip and just filled the void with black Silastic which i though looked better. It certainly got the attention of an Alfa rep who visited the service centre i used. He thought it was brilliant. Mine lasted 12 years.
My favourite car too. I had a 1.3ti in silver and rust, the carb looked bigger than the engine. Those inboard discs still got wet but then took longer to dry out. It made a glorious noise, drove like a dream, and was falling apart around me…..superb fun for an impressionable young man. I loved it.
At the time this car was new, here in America, one couldn't understand why the British CAR magazine (year after year) lavished the Alfasud with praise and lamented it's cancelling as a huge mistake, especially for the NIssan Cherry/Alfa that followed it. Watching this video will help anyone learn why this car was just so fun and cool and why the Brits fell in love with it.
I owned a two door car in South Africa around 1976, base level spec and locally assembled. It was immense fun to drive. I had the best drive in my life with it on dirt roads in the back of beyond. I discovered it was possible to achieve astonishingly high average speeds because the handling was so, so good. You could just keep the engine way up in the power band and never drop out of it. Quite remarkable and exhilarating beyond belief. I remember it so clearly even though it was so long ago. The Sud did extremely well in saloon car racing too. It was a cheap car to race and took the other cars in its class of that time to the cleaners. Magnificent!
I own a South African Sud, one of the last built by Nissan in 1984. Very lucky to have spent 33 years in the Kalahari Desert. It has the Sprint Veloce engine, and an early close ratio box. It flies. Next on my wish list are the exhaust from that Sprint Veloce you tested. I am about to listen to that sound at the end. And trumpets. It’ll be loud but….😂
A very affectionate review of a very lovable car. In period, for the engine capacity, the Alfasud was a fast car. And it behaved on the road in a way that nothing else so small with four seats and a boot could dream of. I imagine that these days, some nostalgic types are inclined to recall various Quadrifoglio Verde models as "the norm". But the norm was stuff like this. For me, the remarkable thong in era was simply how tidy the design of the car was, particularly on the early 1100 four-speed cars. They could have been cut by a child from a block of cheese: No creases, no scallops or weird air intakes. No spoilers or arch extensions. Just the shape of a car. And what a tidy shape! An excellent review.
The red warning light came on when the engine was cold, or if it overheated. The handbook said something like 'drive gently when the light is on but when it's warm you can thrash it' In its day, performance was very good - I could out drag 2 litre Cortinas. I also liked that the exhaust 'farted' at pedestrians.😃
The too cold/too hot switch was bolted to the top rear of the RH cylinder head, and the garage that serviced my company one was most insistent that it should be mounted turned to 4 on a clock face (with 12 the front of the engine). No idea why but it just looked wrong.
I had one in exactly this colour combo! It would top 60mph in second gear and handled like a race car. Great Italian feature was if you pulled the column stalks towards you, it flashed main beam and sounded the horn at the same time. Vauxhall copied it's looks, and exhaust note, for the MK1 Astra .. if you have ever noticed.
You made my day Ian. I love the Alfasud as well, my dad drove a 1974 ti model, in the same glorious blue as the one you drove. The exhaust note alone brings me back. What a treat!
Other than a very nice car to drive and to see, big credit to the owner who's kept it in such a fantastic condition after so many years in service. These Alfas have some of the best engine tune
Had an '83 face-lift one in the late 80s. Surprisingly rust free at 5 years old. Still the most charismatic car I've owned to date. Incidentally Ian, struggling to restart the engine when it had cooled down a bit, the choke knob is hidden underneath the steering column, another Alfasud idiosyncrasy, along with the heater fan being operated by the wiper stalk 😉
Parents had one of these in the early 1970s. It was so unreliable and rotten my dad would leave it at the end of the drive with the doors unlocked and the key in the ignition hoping that someone would take it. Mum once saw the shopping go straight through the rotten boot floor. It put him off Italian cars for good however he always said it was the best car he’s ever driven. They eventually sold it at 3 years old for an end of production Renault 16. 10 years later, it was seen driving around the town as a taxi, new vinyl roof and probably a replacement boot floor.
Those of us of a certain vintage can remember when there were loads of Alfasuds on our roads. Alas they are all Iron oxide now, in fact on a warm summers night you could hear the sounds of Alfa Romeos' rusting on their drives and in their garages. Wonderful cars to drive and a very rare sight now. Thanks Ian.
Reminds me of my Renault 14TL WJG46T that had a 1.2L engine that you had to work hard, but was a nice drive. It took me and 3 friends to the Cote D'Azur and back again over 3 weeks, and drove from Menton to Dunkerque in a day. It was a truly brilliant car,
Thanks for the memory Ian. I had 2 of these in the early 1980's BAA157R a white 1.2 which sported a full cloth sun roof and PUW88R a black 1351cc with a few modifications including a pair of twin choke Dell'Orto carbs (mounted on a cut down inlet manifold) on both ends of the engine. I really miss the wonderful sound they made.
It’s the Alfasud that got me hooked on Alfa Romeo - a pea-green ‘Sud Ti used to scream down our road when I was a kid, and the sound, and the tremendous styling got me intrigued. A local car dealership stocked Alfa, alongside Vauxhall, and as I also loved 1970s Vauxhalls, I also used to regularly visit and look at the various Giuliettas, Alfettas and Suds. A seat inside a GTV6 when I was 13 cemented my fascination for these cars. I’m currently on my third Alfa, and will buy another. They offer so much in terms of character, driving involvement, fun and exclusivity - there’s nothing in my opinion (and I have had BMWs, Audis and Mercedes) to match them in terms of pure motoring joy!
I loved my 1.5Ti! The handling was amazing for the time and the sound was wonderful. Also it would pull the red line in top gear without any trouble, about 105 mph from memory.
You exactly said the tree points I wanted to talk about. Some good spark plugs (Lodge), air filter replaced by 4 carb trumpets and an empty muffler unchained this beauty. It was as performant as a good friend's Golf GTI (1.6l). Except for the corrosion issue, the 1.5ti let me an outstanding souvenir. Thanks for this nice review.
@@Graham_Langley The same applied to the Morris Marina 1.8 funnily enough in top - 4th gear (top speed 95 mph), and there the similarity ends. The Marina was BL's offering while the Alfasud was available although aimed at different markets of course.
@@Graham_Langley Depends on the car, for example the FWD Triumph 1300TC had a close ratio gearbox where 4th gear was hopelessly low geared to give good response. Not a good idea when mated to an old fashioned 3 bearing engine (dating back, I believe, to the Standard 8). The Maxi had an overdrive 5th gear, I think the top speed of the 1500 was attained in 4th, not sure about the 1750. Not sure it’s that common nowadays for 5th to be a true overdrive.
I remember walking to school in the late 80s as a car lover and watching all the interesting cars drive past. Alfas, Lancias, Triumphs, Rovers, Talbot Sunbeam Lotus etc The Alfasud was one of my favourites but even by then they were quite scarce and generally pretty rotten.
Lovely car, I could almost smell the petrol as I listened to you driving along there. I had an early 80's one & it was really at home on narrow, twisty Scottish mountain roads, working through that gear box...such fun. Once the rust got too unmanageable I switched it out for a Lotus Talbot Sunbeam. That was another car that was a pleasure to throw around & as most folk didn't know what it was they always got a surprise when you left them standing. Cheers for the memories & a thank you to the owner who let you drive it. Hope they continue to enjoy it for years to come.
Went to the classic Italian car show at Chesham a couple of weeks ago hoping to see an Alfasud and pleased to report that I did. Can't remember the last time I saw one before that.
A person I knew in Hobart, Tasmania bought an Alfasud, 1983, 1,5 hatchback, 5 speed, cream colour, in 1988. He didn't have a garage and used the Sud in the city and on bush dirt and gravel roads. The car was very reliable and cornered flat and handled rough roads with ease. Great fun to drive. He owned it for many years and it still had no rust. Did have problems with electric front windows motors and after a very large number of kilometres, the gearbox needed an overhaul. He later bought a five year old Peugeot 306, another great car to drive, but the Sud had more character than the Peugeot.
great little cars Alfasuds. A mate had one around 20 years ago and they were rare in the UK then. I at the time had a Peugeot 309 1.6 petrol. His 1.3 went like the wind and I couldnt keep up with it lol. Someone near to where I live has an absolutely gorgeous Sprint that is one of the last ones made. I always love seeing it out when the suns in the sky. I recently saw another on the road and blurted out 'wow an Alfasud' to which my wife reply'd 'a what???' after explaining she said I was sad but I already knew that 🙂 As always Ian a great informative video. Thanks ever so much for sharing!
Nice one Ian, this brings back memories. An old friend of mine had a hatchback version with the 4 round headlights if I recall back in the 80's and the engine was phenomenal for the capacity. I remember one occasion where a car of similar age from a certain brand with two letters (some years old for those days) tried to do the traffic light drag race and the little Sud just kept on revving without the need to change gear (and loose time) it was brilliant. Unfortunately that car caught the dreaded metal moth sickness that turned the body to lace so off it went to car heaven. I'd love to go back in time to relive those days. Many thanks for sharing. Hopefully I'll be at the social this weekend.
I had a four door and put the four headlights on it and I ran it for 12 years from new until i sent it to the wreckers. The rust got it where accident damage repairs hadn't been rust proofed. It was a brilliant car.
My mother had two consecutively and I learned to drive in the first one. Those lovely door pulls would only last a few years. Just beautiful to drive and the tuned exhaust made such a great noise.
Cut my teeth on the Alfa sud, sprint, 33 etc etc as an apprentice 30+ years ago beautiful cars sadly most have rusted away, good old days unlike a lot of the plastic junk that’s about today. Wonderful video bringing back great memories.Thank you 👍
very advanced car, looks great ,sounds great ,in UK we found them a bit too rusty probably why they didn't quite make it in terms of sales success,think how fantastic the Alfasud is compared to a Vauxhall Viva
I had a 1979 Alfetta GTV in the early 80s. The gearchange was catastrophic and the handling wasn't up to much but it sounded great and just felt special. It's hard to explain but there just seemed to be a sense of occasion getting in it and driving it. It felt mechanical and inspiring.
I owned a 1.3 super in Red. 5 speed close ratio gearbox. Lovely car to drive. Lovely soundtrack when driving; having the radio on interfered with that sound track of a raspy engine.
Had a Sud once. Magical and frustrating. With a hatch back and decent build quality, this would have been a world wide success. Roomy, good looking, fantastic handling for the era, good brakes (when not spoiled by leaking oil), good milage and really a refined drive despite a not too complex construction. But, we know the problems. It took too many years for Alfa to reach somewhat acceptable build quality and rust proofing. Meanwhile, the marked had moved on and the Sud struggled with an awful reputation. Still, a late 1.5 TI Quadrifoglio Verde is one of my all time dream cars!
Had a 3 door 1.5 ti back in the late 80s. It made a lovely noise, it was comfy to sit in all day on long trips, and very chuckable in the twisties. Only drawback was the two or three previous owners had thrashed it to the verge of extinction so it spent quite a lot of its time dumping various mechanical components on several parts of the local carriageways. Pity I didn't have the funds to really get it fettled. I'd probably still have it now.
Superb video... Back in 1975 (at the age of 15) i convinced my parents to buy a new Alfasud 1.2 ti, we all loved that car and my love for the Alfasud began, then in 1981 i got my 1st Alfasud, a 1978 1.5 ti and throughout the early 1980`s i had a few more, i don`t think there`ll ever be an "ordinary car" that`s so engaging to drive..
I bought one new in 1975. The Australian ones came with an external rear view mirror and I got carpets thrown in by the dealer and they also put the seat belt mechanism from a VW Superbug in to it and seeing how well it went they did that to all that they subsequently sold.. Mine was red with black interior and I got red cloth inserts put in to the seats. I found that running the tyre with higher pressure in the front ones made a world of difference to the handling especially when I put the English Pirelli CN36's tyres on it. I remember going to the Bathurst 1000 race and on the way back a friend of mines brother got a lift back with me and he drove part of the way - he was impressed with it as he was driving at 90mph and it was rock solid.
Drove one just the once, in '77... Very impressed indeed, with a great driving position and very responsive, such that I felt confident with its handling almost immediately. Was driving a Mini then so its handling was every bit as good, well balanced but with an extra element of refinement...
This car and the Sprint were my first exposure to Alfa Romeo when I was in my early teens, and obviously made an impression as I drive an Alfa today (my third). Nice review of a great little car.
Thank you for giving me a nostalgia fix. An Alfasud ( 1983 1.3SC in Brown ) was my first Alfa. If you try those early ones back to back with their contemporaries the sophisticated Alfa shines even more! They did everything better than their competitors. Unfortunately that includes corrosion. Thanks again. You need an Alfa in your fleet. A 147 perhaps, a base model 155 or 156 wagon??? Glorious with many tinkering opportunities 😊
When the first batch of Alfasuds was imported to Finland, it was winter time. They drove the cars out to the harbor storage flats from the ship. The wind blew snow and ice into the exposed timing chains and the next time the cars started, that caused carnage on many of them. I was told this story by a guy who worked for the organization back in the days.
Your video reminded me of an incident, it happened in 1983-84,I was at the university of Arkansas USA . My newly formed friendship with a Kuwaiti guy took me for a ride in his glorious looking Alfetta 1.8 or 2.0 litre . On an abandoned road he went berserk and was touching 120 mph. my heart rate at that point was racing even faster.Thankfully the car remained glued to the road, but the steering was shaking violently. Anyway , some months later I purchased a 280Z -1978 my dream car. This beauty could touch 120mph without even blinking..
I owned 2 Alfasuds in fairly short succession back in the early 80s. nothing else compared to the whole driving experience in the small family saloon class. the harder you pushed the 'Sud the more rewarding it became. superbly engineered chassis complete with that forward bulkhead acting as (amongst other things) a strut brace. not an easy car to work on compared to its piers (especially the front brakes) but a labour of love nevertheless. they had a strong tendency to split the exhaust pipe towards the front which was cured by fitting a short section of flexi-pipe, something most cars have as standard now. its such a shame they disolved so quickly in the British winters. so it has a little triangle of doom but a huge unswept area, oops lol
Thanks for the video which brought back old memories. In 1983 I bought one of the last Mark 1 Sprint Veloce 1.5 models to be made. Paid £5,500 new (after discount) and kept it for eight years. Two twin-choke carbs. Instant response from the throttle. Fantastic car but it needed careful attention from the dealer which it didn't always receive. The only car to rival the Alfasud for handling after that was a Focus 1.6 Mark 1 Zetec. Of course the Focus didn't have the same character but, for me, it was perfectly reliable after my Alfasud experience.
My father had a 1.5ti. I can still remember the reg nuh 976x . The journey to school on country roads was amazing. A neighbour had a Saab 900 turbo. The sud left it for dead!!
This very same Sud was owned by a friend of mine. English from birth, he picked this exciting Italian car and made heads turn here in Munich. i remember an Autobahn trip at a top speed of 170 km/h!!!!
Nice review, I liked the Sud back in the day, they went well for what they were. Just a thought, the Alfa was a boxer engine which is different to a horizontally opposed engine in that each piston has it's own crank pin rather than sharing the crank pin with it's opposite mate.
I had a 1980 one on a V plate in 1985 I paid the princely sum of £475 in orange unfortunately it's body was mostly P38 & P40 managed to get it through one MOT my dad thought I was a fool but I was only 18 and the co-op insurance was £109 TPFF but what a car it was and still missing it today
Some very good friends of my parents that lived in the UK had an Alfasud in the mid 70s. I remember seeing the car on a trip over there in 1975 in its metallic silver colour. What caught my eye first as I walked up to it was the rather big emblem on the trunk lid. The Alfa was his wife's car while he had a Jaguar XJ6, I personally found the Alfa's shape to be pleasant to look at then and even today its still wearing well on the eyes, although the Cloverleaf model is the one to own. After the Alfa his wife got a first gen Honda Quintet which she kept for many many years and loved it for its overall versatility. As far as I know the Quintet was the last car she drove before giving up driving, as the elderly years came creeping up on her.
I just love this car. My dad bought one which i took on as an MOT failure as a teenager i spent many months in the garage getting it back on the road. I think my car was an 1100cc 5M but i got a body kit and interior from a TI. All my friends had they trypical Ford Capris but my Alfa was way quicker as the handling was so much better. I had an Alfa 33 clover leaf as a compay car later in life but would love to drive an original SUD.
What a beautiful opening scene with the windmill in the background. A school friend's brother had a newer Sud, a 1300 or 1500, I can't remember, but it was ridden hard.
GYF 722N was the reg of our '74 1.2ti that we bought in 1994 and then registered in NL as JL-VZ-71. We owned the car until March 2010 and the car is supposedly still owned by the guy who bought it of us. It was a lovely car, but a bit down on power compared to the later MkII 1.5ti and 1.5ti QV that I owned before, bought new. I no longer move in Alfa circles, but apparently 'our' 1.2ti still does.
Brings back the memory of driving down to Bristol from Leeds in my boss' 1200 alfasud using the fosse way. Hell of a trip from memory and it never missed a beat all day.
Not many left now the last time I saw Alfasud was at the Pondarosa on the Horse shoe pass near Llangollen on Good Friday last year a black Ti on a 82 X plate it was mint Witch was unusual because most of the rusted a way . The Alfasud a nice looking car Great video
My late Dad who was in the motor trade in the 70s worked at an Alfa, BMW and Simca dealership maintained until he died that the Alfasud was his favourite car he ever drove. Whilst it wasn't fast he always said it was great fun, dynamically it was in a different league to it's competitors, Escort Mk1, Marina, Hillman Hunter, HC Viva etc. Sadly as everyone knows they were made of tissue paper, the white one he had the boot hinges rusted through in 6 months, the blue one (the same is in the video) had surface rust on the wings by about the same age. But fully independent suspension, inboard disc brakes all round the stuff of exotica not a family car. I was so hoping to hear the inique rorty exhaust note and the video didn't disappoint
Great memories of one I owned in 83-84 DRT 300T 1.3 Super. Learnt a lot about driving on the limit and body filler. Even suspension components had serious corrosion. Fab car.
I remember at university, someone had a white 'Sud with the weirdest electrical gremlin (being typically Italian). When you turned your lights on, it electrocuted you through the stalk. Still better overall than my mk2 Fiesta though...
My former boss had such a car. It ended up on its roof because the front wheel suspension broke off at the highway because of rust.... after only 4 years from new. He barely survived it.
Had a 1.5ti and 1.5tix back in the 80’s. A few idiosyncrasies on the earlier 1980 model, firstly that right hand wiper stalk pushes down to switch on the fan! When cold there was an orange warning light on the dash which went off when the engine is warm enough to boot! Inboard front discs were a pain as the handbrake was integrated, replacement pads were a fiddle. I always fitted original Alfa oil filters as I was told there was an integrated (not sure if it was a one way or a pressure?) valve to help with cold starts. The early ti was doing 4000 revs in fifth at 70 mph where the tix was at 3250 rpm in the same gear. The early one was also shod on 165 tyres which gave great ride quality and 185/60 on the tix. Both mine were rust free but as the 80’s continued they were out performed by the equivalent Escorts and Golfs.
I owned 2 of these , my 1st was a Red L 1186cc like this one , then a Pozzuoli Yellow 1286cc Super , Insects liked it as much as my Family did ! It wouldn't run on unleaded Petrol , so swapped Engine for a 1351cc unit from a Breakers. Drove it all over UK on Holidays with Family and never missed a beat.
My next door neighbour had a 1.5ti in black loved it sounded awsome..got nicked doing 90 with a trailer behind happily bobbing around😮😅great video thanks
Besides owning three SAAB one 95 and two 96 I have owned two Alfa Romeos. one Alfetta with a 1.8l four-cylinder inline engine. And one Alfa Romeo 166 with a 2,5l V6. Both cars were absolutely fantastic. I had no problems with them at all.
A mate of mine had an Alfasud Ti 1.5 back in the '809s. He was kind enough to lend it to me when I wrote off my Datsun 180B. What a fun little car! It went much harder than a 1.5 should, and introduced me to torque steer. and the handling! Bellissimo!
Brilliant little car. I got to drive a leter Ti some (many) years ago and completely fell in love with it. I think the Italian term for "accelerator pedal" is "switch". only on or off.
A small number of RHD Alfasuds were assembled in Malta alongside British Leyland cars and Hillman Hunters. When I was last there in 2017 there was still the odd one in use as a daily driver.
So in the early 2000's, we decided to build a house. I had a late model Holden Berlina, and needed something cheaper and more practical to drive around and get building supplies in. A local car yard had a later Alfasud, which I test drove. To say it was an automotive culture shock was an understatement, especially considering I was used to large torquey 6 cylinders. The pedals felt all wrong, I had no leg room, and my arms were at full reach to grab the wheel. Plus you had to rev 9 colours of crap out of it to make it do anything. Needless to say, my eventual choice of a V8 Holden Kingswood ute turned out to be a much more sensible, and fun decision.
My grandfather had an Alfasud in the 80s, but owing to his ill health I only ever saw it come out of the garage once before he died. Dad had a Fiat and a Lancia, but I wasn't born until after the Lancia arrived (a Beta coupe, as a new father Dad needed a "practical" car) so the only other Italian car I saw in the family was my sister's Punto which lasted about 2 years before braking down too much to keep. We've had plenty of other Japanese, British, French and German cars but I feel I've missed out not getting to drive any decent Italian ones.
Absolutely tremendous motor car. I can’t think of another FWD that blends the accurate steering feel, powerful brakes ( you’ve got to bear in mind the front disc brakes were bigger that a 3.0 litre Ford Capri , and the ones on the back were equal to, yet the Capri had drums on the back! ) , then there’s the flat cornering , the insulation from having a double bulkhead up front . This engine in this example sounded slightly off tune if you don’t mind me saying, but what a car. Steve Cropley from CAR magazine, drove 100 s miles across Australia on the cars launch just to wake a fellow motoring hack up to tell what a fabulous car it was! Some motoring scribes had the car on 3 wheels in corners , the road holding virtually wiping the floor of any car at any price, yet this on “little” 70 series tyres , quite incredible
The big brakes of the Sud are often an issue as they dont get used heavily enough. And you are right, it needed a tune up. Filming was planned just before.
External wing mirrors were made compulsory in Italy in 1977, that's why pre 77 cars are often fitted with aftermarket mirrors. Of course you could have an original spec mirror fitted at the dealership when you bought the car.
I remember the later models…but this early example proves that in 1970s Europe, you didn’t have to sacrifice style, fun, comfort, even in the poverty spec small family car from Alfa Romeo. So nice compared to what we had.
I am always reminded of our family holidays in our Austin 1300 to Como. You’d see these Alfas and other Italian wonders being gunned around the lake at ludicrous speed and volume. I say ludicrous speed, but they sound louder than they are fast. Fun is the word that comes to mind.
We're in a time when cars have every mod con you could want, and yet there's something so endearing about cars from this age, when everything was so utilitarian.
Lovely vehicles. There’s a slightly modernised version rallying in the woods this year in btrda events: 1400 boxer engine mated to a sequential gearbox and fancy triangulated and rosejointed suspension
What an interesting car. I haven't looked much into Alfa Romeos but this one seems surprisingly happy to rev high. Also when is the LHD Reliant Robin video coming?
Excellent! I had a Ti 105 Green Cloverleaf in black, my first brand new car in 1983, one of the best handling cars I've ever driven. Fitted Recaro seats and a Momo steering wheel, which I removed when I sold it and still have to his day! It was fitted with those horrible, metric rim Michelin TRX tyres! Pity suds have just dissolved into rust, otherwise I'd have one even today
Ok story time. About 10 years ago I was in a quickfit waiting for tyres when I heard the guys talking about this Alfa that keeps failing it's MOT. The owner didn't know much about it but had the brakes rebuilt but it still showed no operation on the handbrake. So he pulls the Alfa out the bay and it was a very nice black Alfa sud. So I'm stood talking to the guy and said it's really nice and is this the one with the dodgy handbrake. He said yes..... And I said....... "You know..... The handbrake operates the front wheels not the back?......". Mot guy burst out laughing and drove it back on the rollers. Passed that time 🤣
Knowledge is a wonderful thing. 😄
Changing the front discs and pads on my 1.5Ti years ago, bonnet up, wheels on ground. Neighbour passed by and asked what the trouble is. Nothing, I'm just doing the discs and pads. They gave me a 'don't take the piss' look and walked on...
Somehow doesn't surprise me from a "quickfit" place...
Lovely car, way ahead of contemporary, Fords, Vauxhalls etc in design and driving dynamics and Fords in particular of that time were just as rust prone. More built so more survive. Viva Alfa Romeo Alfa Sud
I remember my mate's mother had an alfa sprint , we used to use it alot way back in the 80s , my mate tried to do a handbrake slide in it round a corner , expecting the rear end to slide out, no, lost the front end.... That was the last time he tried that.....
Mine is still running and is turning 50 next year. This one looks a high spec version with a glove box and ashtrays. Luxury! It’s great to see another early 1.2 L still running.
Italian cars of that era were like this - I had a mate with a penchant for FIAT 128's - yes not a fast car but the soundtrack from even the 1100 cc it was a riot
My first car was a 1973 128 Sport Coupe SL. How I miss revving the 1290 c.c. with the twin carburettor Weber.
Yeah indeed, check Hubnuts test of the 127 Sport!
I had one in the 80s and I loved it. I think Yugo made a sort of copy but let's face it, if I'd had enough money I'd have tried to find a rust free one. Hubnut really found a delightful well preserved example of the Alfa. Thanks for sharing it with us Hubnut!
128! When I was a kid I was bored with that square tile like a little 124, that was everywhere. Now I appreciate it: simple, comfortable, pleasant to drive, spacious. I now recognize her character.
i had a kind of 128 Gt with blue tinted windows and in egg shell white and in the back two round lights in each side all abarth equiped and sounded like a real car engine a 1.3L,yes it can be a coupé as it had only two doors and rpm counter that made it unique ,never saw other
What a glorious vehicle. I loved these as a kid, such a handsome design and the motoring press absolutely adored them. Of course rust killed them way too soon, but the wonderful Alfasud will always have a special place in my heart 😍
@Hatsross12 Funny that you should mention that. Mine was coming up to 3 years old when I got a puncture. I got the spare wheel out and started to jack the car up. When the jack was nearly all the way up I noticed that car had not gone up. Instead the jack had gone through the sill, through the carpet and into the footwell. I managed to change the wheel and drove to the supplying dealer. While I was busy negotiating a replacement Alfa Sud Sprint and compensation, my wife wandered onto their used car patch and fell in love with a black Mini Mayfair. I shook hands on the Sprint, but we came home in the Mini.
Just love these cars. Why oh why did my dad insist on having an Escort when these things were available?
My doors had dropped so much due to corrosion in the pillars that they did not lock.
@@paulkingham7571
Sadly they even rusted in Australia where we dont have salted roads.
@@peterriggall8409 That was mainly due to the stupidity of whoever decided how to put the chrome strip around the rear window. They just hammed the supports in to place and of course that scratched the paint and led to the rusting. I caught mine very early and got the screen taken out and a new rear sill put in. We dispensed with the chrome strip and just filled the void with black Silastic which i though looked better. It certainly got the attention of an Alfa rep who visited the service centre i used. He thought it was brilliant. Mine lasted 12 years.
My favourite car too. I had a 1.3ti in silver and rust, the carb looked bigger than the engine. Those inboard discs still got wet but then took longer to dry out. It made a glorious noise, drove like a dream, and was falling apart around me…..superb fun for an impressionable young man. I loved it.
At the time this car was new, here in America, one couldn't understand why the British CAR magazine (year after year) lavished the Alfasud with praise and lamented it's cancelling as a huge mistake, especially for the NIssan Cherry/Alfa that followed it. Watching this video will help anyone learn why this car was just so fun and cool and why the Brits fell in love with it.
" Family motoring, with Soul " you ought to copyright that statement ! Top job as so often, Ian !!
I owned a two door car in South Africa around 1976, base level spec and locally assembled. It was immense fun to drive. I had the best drive in my life with it on dirt roads in the back of beyond. I discovered it was possible to achieve astonishingly high average speeds because the handling was so, so good. You could just keep the engine way up in the power band and never drop out of it. Quite remarkable and exhilarating beyond belief. I remember it so clearly even though it was so long ago.
The Sud did extremely well in saloon car racing too. It was a cheap car to race and took the other cars in its class of that time to the cleaners.
Magnificent!
I own a South African Sud, one of the last built by Nissan in 1984. Very lucky to have spent 33 years in the Kalahari Desert. It has the Sprint Veloce engine, and an early close ratio box. It flies. Next on my wish list are the exhaust from that Sprint Veloce you tested. I am about to listen to that sound at the end. And trumpets. It’ll be loud but….😂
Exact car I drove in 1984, the single most entertaining car I have ever driven.
A very affectionate review of a very lovable car.
In period, for the engine capacity, the Alfasud was a fast car. And it behaved on the road in a way that nothing else so small with four seats and a boot could dream of.
I imagine that these days, some nostalgic types are inclined to recall various Quadrifoglio Verde models as "the norm". But the norm was stuff like this.
For me, the remarkable thong in era was simply how tidy the design of the car was, particularly on the early 1100 four-speed cars. They could have been cut by a child from a block of cheese: No creases, no scallops or weird air intakes. No spoilers or arch extensions. Just the shape of a car. And what a tidy shape!
An excellent review.
I know someone who had one of these back in the late 1970's. it was a lovely car to look at with a great engine sound.
The red warning light came on when the engine was cold, or if it overheated. The handbook said something like 'drive gently when the light is on but when it's warm you can thrash it' In its day, performance was very good - I could out drag 2 litre Cortinas. I also liked that the exhaust 'farted' at pedestrians.😃
😁
The too cold/too hot switch was bolted to the top rear of the RH cylinder head, and the garage that serviced my company one was most insistent that it should be mounted turned to 4 on a clock face (with 12 the front of the engine). No idea why but it just looked wrong.
I had one in exactly this colour combo! It would top 60mph in second gear and handled like a race car. Great Italian feature was if you pulled the column stalks towards you, it flashed main beam and sounded the horn at the same time. Vauxhall copied it's looks, and exhaust note, for the MK1 Astra .. if you have ever noticed.
You made my day Ian. I love the Alfasud as well, my dad drove a 1974 ti model, in the same glorious blue as the one you drove. The exhaust note alone brings me back. What a treat!
Other than a very nice car to drive and to see, big credit to the owner who's kept it in such a fantastic condition after so many years in service. These Alfas have some of the best engine tune
Had an '83 face-lift one in the late 80s. Surprisingly rust free at 5 years old. Still the most charismatic car I've owned to date. Incidentally Ian, struggling to restart the engine when it had cooled down a bit, the choke knob is hidden underneath the steering column, another Alfasud idiosyncrasy, along with the heater fan being operated by the wiper stalk 😉
After the dramatic start, they solved the problem with the second series, but at that point it was done
The choke came in handy for me when I broke a throttle cable. I made the choke a hand throttle so I could take it to get fixed.
With my 1500 Sprint Veloce, if you even thought about the choke, it flooded
Alfa Romeo solved the problems made by rust at the end of the ‘70s
Parents had one of these in the early 1970s. It was so unreliable and rotten my dad would leave it at the end of the drive with the doors unlocked and the key in the ignition hoping that someone would take it. Mum once saw the shopping go straight through the rotten boot floor. It put him off Italian cars for good however he always said it was the best car he’s ever driven. They eventually sold it at 3 years old for an end of production Renault 16. 10 years later, it was seen driving around the town as a taxi, new vinyl roof and probably a replacement boot floor.
Those of us of a certain vintage can remember when there were loads of Alfasuds on our roads. Alas they are all Iron oxide now, in fact on a warm summers night you could hear the sounds of Alfa Romeos' rusting on their drives and in their garages. Wonderful cars to drive and a very rare sight now. Thanks Ian.
Great little car and I'm old enough to remember seeing them when there were some on the roads.
Reminds me of my Renault 14TL WJG46T that had a 1.2L engine that you had to work hard, but was a nice drive. It took me and 3 friends to the Cote D'Azur and back again over 3 weeks, and drove from Menton to Dunkerque in a day. It was a truly brilliant car,
Thanks for the memory Ian. I had 2 of these in the early 1980's BAA157R a white 1.2 which sported a full cloth sun roof and PUW88R a black 1351cc with a few modifications including a pair of twin choke Dell'Orto carbs (mounted on a cut down inlet manifold) on both ends of the engine. I really miss the wonderful sound they made.
It’s the Alfasud that got me hooked on Alfa Romeo - a pea-green ‘Sud Ti used to scream down our road when I was a kid, and the sound, and the tremendous styling got me intrigued. A local car dealership stocked Alfa, alongside Vauxhall, and as I also loved 1970s Vauxhalls, I also used to regularly visit and look at the various Giuliettas, Alfettas and Suds. A seat inside a GTV6 when I was 13 cemented my fascination for these cars. I’m currently on my third Alfa, and will buy another. They offer so much in terms of character, driving involvement, fun and exclusivity - there’s nothing in my opinion (and I have had BMWs, Audis and Mercedes) to match them in terms of pure motoring joy!
I loved my 1.5Ti! The handling was amazing for the time and the sound was wonderful. Also it would pull the red line in top gear without any trouble, about 105 mph from memory.
You exactly said the tree points I wanted to talk about.
Some good spark plugs (Lodge), air filter replaced by 4 carb trumpets and an empty muffler unchained this beauty.
It was as performant as a good friend's Golf GTI (1.6l).
Except for the corrosion issue, the 1.5ti let me an outstanding souvenir.
Thanks for this nice review.
IIRC the 1.5TI was geared such that it would hit peak power RPM in fifth and would then stop accelerating.
@@Graham_Langley The same applied to the Morris Marina 1.8 funnily enough in top - 4th gear (top speed 95 mph), and there the similarity ends.
The Marina was BL's offering while the Alfasud was available although aimed at different markets of course.
@@Martindyna To be expected on a four-speed box, but usually fifth on a five-speed was geared as an overdrive.
@@Graham_Langley Depends on the car, for example the FWD Triumph 1300TC had a close ratio gearbox where 4th gear was hopelessly low geared to give good response. Not a good idea when mated to an old fashioned 3 bearing engine (dating back, I believe, to the Standard 8).
The Maxi had an overdrive 5th gear, I think the top speed of the 1500 was attained in 4th, not sure about the 1750.
Not sure it’s that common nowadays for 5th to be a true overdrive.
I remember walking to school in the late 80s as a car lover and watching all the interesting cars drive past. Alfas, Lancias, Triumphs, Rovers, Talbot Sunbeam Lotus etc The Alfasud was one of my favourites but even by then they were quite scarce and generally pretty rotten.
Lovely car, I could almost smell the petrol as I listened to you driving along there. I had an early 80's one & it was really at home on narrow, twisty Scottish mountain roads, working through that gear box...such fun. Once the rust got too unmanageable I switched it out for a Lotus Talbot Sunbeam. That was another car that was a pleasure to throw around & as most folk didn't know what it was they always got a surprise when you left them standing.
Cheers for the memories & a thank you to the owner who let you drive it. Hope they continue to enjoy it for years to come.
I had a 33 loan car while my Spider was having its’ roof fixed by Lombardo in Ladbroke Grove. Same engine as the Alfasud and a pure delight.
Went to the classic Italian car show at Chesham a couple of weeks ago hoping to see an Alfasud and pleased to report that I did.
Can't remember the last time I saw one before that.
A person I knew in Hobart, Tasmania bought an Alfasud, 1983, 1,5 hatchback, 5 speed, cream colour, in 1988. He didn't have a garage and used the Sud in the city and on bush dirt and gravel roads. The car was very reliable and cornered flat and handled rough roads with ease. Great fun to drive. He owned it for many years and it still had no rust. Did have problems with electric front windows motors and after a very large number of kilometres, the gearbox needed an overhaul. He later bought a five year old Peugeot 306, another great car to drive, but the Sud had more character than the Peugeot.
that was a beast with a 1.5 engine, mine was only 1.3
great little cars Alfasuds. A mate had one around 20 years ago and they were rare in the UK then. I at the time had a Peugeot 309 1.6 petrol. His 1.3 went like the wind and I couldnt keep up with it lol. Someone near to where I live has an absolutely gorgeous Sprint that is one of the last ones made. I always love seeing it out when the suns in the sky. I recently saw another on the road and blurted out 'wow an Alfasud' to which my wife reply'd 'a what???' after explaining she said I was sad but I already knew that 🙂 As always Ian a great informative video. Thanks ever so much for sharing!
Nice one Ian, this brings back memories. An old friend of mine had a hatchback version with the 4 round headlights if I recall back in the 80's and the engine was phenomenal for the capacity. I remember one occasion where a car of similar age from a certain brand with two letters (some years old for those days) tried to do the traffic light drag race and the little Sud just kept on revving without the need to change gear (and loose time) it was brilliant. Unfortunately that car caught the dreaded metal moth sickness that turned the body to lace so off it went to car heaven. I'd love to go back in time to relive those days. Many thanks for sharing. Hopefully I'll be at the social this weekend.
I had a four door and put the four headlights on it and I ran it for 12 years from new until i sent it to the wreckers. The rust got it where accident damage repairs hadn't been rust proofed. It was a brilliant car.
My mother had two consecutively and I learned to drive in the first one. Those lovely door pulls would only last a few years. Just beautiful to drive and the tuned exhaust made such a great noise.
Cut my teeth on the Alfa sud, sprint, 33 etc etc as an apprentice 30+ years ago beautiful cars sadly most have rusted away, good old days unlike a lot of the plastic junk that’s about today. Wonderful video bringing back great memories.Thank you 👍
very advanced car, looks great ,sounds great ,in UK we found them a bit too rusty probably why they didn't quite make it in terms of sales success,think how fantastic the Alfasud is compared to a Vauxhall Viva
I had a 1979 Alfetta GTV in the early 80s. The gearchange was catastrophic and the handling wasn't up to much but it sounded great and just felt special. It's hard to explain but there just seemed to be a sense of occasion getting in it and driving it. It felt mechanical and inspiring.
not a million miles away from the fiat 128 3p we had when I was vey little in the styling department. Got to love it.
128 3P: an excellent car which was declared the best in class at the time in the USA
@@studiocalder818 I want to get one again one day. They have suffered quite alot from the metal moth though.
A survivor of a car is that sud . Built in the year I was born. Thanks Hubnut enjoyed that
Probably it only survived because it spent most of its life in the sud.
I owned a 1.3 super in Red. 5 speed close ratio gearbox. Lovely car to drive. Lovely soundtrack when driving; having the radio on interfered with that sound track of a raspy engine.
Had a Sud once. Magical and frustrating. With a hatch back and decent build quality, this would have been a world wide success. Roomy, good looking, fantastic handling for the era, good brakes (when not spoiled by leaking oil), good milage and really a refined drive despite a not too complex construction. But, we know the problems. It took too many years for Alfa to reach somewhat acceptable build quality and rust proofing. Meanwhile, the marked had moved on and the Sud struggled with an awful reputation. Still, a late 1.5 TI Quadrifoglio Verde is one of my all time dream cars!
Had a 3 door 1.5 ti back in the late 80s. It made a lovely noise, it was comfy to sit in all day on long trips, and very chuckable in the twisties. Only drawback was the two or three previous owners had thrashed it to the verge of extinction so it spent quite a lot of its time dumping various mechanical components on several parts of the local carriageways. Pity I didn't have the funds to really get it fettled. I'd probably still have it now.
Superb video... Back in 1975 (at the age of 15) i convinced my parents to buy a new Alfasud 1.2 ti, we all loved that car and my love for the Alfasud began, then in 1981 i got my 1st Alfasud, a 1978 1.5 ti and throughout the early 1980`s i had a few more, i don`t think there`ll ever be an "ordinary car" that`s so engaging to drive..
I bought one new in 1975. The Australian ones came with an external rear view mirror and I got carpets thrown in by the dealer and they also put the seat belt mechanism from a VW Superbug in to it and seeing how well it went they did that to all that they subsequently sold.. Mine was red with black interior and I got red cloth inserts put in to the seats. I found that running the tyre with higher pressure in the front ones made a world of difference to the handling especially when I put the English Pirelli CN36's tyres on it. I remember going to the Bathurst 1000 race and on the way back a friend of mines brother got a lift back with me and he drove part of the way - he was impressed with it as he was driving at 90mph and it was rock solid.
In this video, Ian meets 1 of his hero's and isn't disappointed
Drove one just the once, in '77... Very impressed indeed, with a great driving position and very responsive, such that I felt confident with its handling almost immediately. Was driving a Mini then so its handling was every bit as good, well balanced but with an extra element of refinement...
This car and the Sprint were my first exposure to Alfa Romeo when I was in my early teens, and obviously made an impression as I drive an Alfa today (my third). Nice review of a great little car.
Thank you for giving me a nostalgia fix. An Alfasud ( 1983 1.3SC in Brown ) was my first Alfa. If you try those early ones back to back with their contemporaries the sophisticated Alfa shines even more! They did everything better than their competitors. Unfortunately that includes corrosion. Thanks again. You need an Alfa in your fleet. A 147 perhaps, a base model 155 or 156 wagon??? Glorious with many tinkering opportunities 😊
When the first batch of Alfasuds was imported to Finland, it was winter time. They drove the cars out to the harbor storage flats from the ship. The wind blew snow and ice into the exposed timing chains and the next time the cars started, that caused carnage on many of them. I was told this story by a guy who worked for the organization back in the days.
Weird because the boxer engine had cambelts.
I meant belts, my bad.@@cjmillsnun
That little bastard barked! And in release he breathed like a racehorse
The Alfasud is one of my favourite small cars of all time. Pity that there are so few left in the UK these days.
as a kid i remember my neighbour had a orange one, beautiful cars!
Your video reminded me of an incident, it happened in 1983-84,I was at the university of Arkansas USA . My newly formed friendship with a Kuwaiti guy took me for a ride in his glorious looking Alfetta 1.8 or 2.0 litre . On an abandoned road he went berserk and was touching 120 mph. my heart rate at that point was racing even faster.Thankfully the car remained glued to the road, but the steering was shaking violently. Anyway , some months later I purchased a 280Z -1978 my dream car. This beauty could touch 120mph without even blinking..
What an amazing car. Although I've driven plenty of non Italian cars, I always missed that feeling of the controls compared to Italian cars.
Had one as a student and love it. Perfect road holding like a go cart. Had the brake version. Sadly rust ended the adventures sooner as expected.
I owned 2 Alfasuds in fairly short succession back in the early 80s. nothing else compared to the whole driving experience in the small family saloon class. the harder you pushed the 'Sud the more rewarding it became. superbly engineered chassis complete with that forward bulkhead acting as (amongst other things) a strut brace.
not an easy car to work on compared to its piers (especially the front brakes) but a labour of love nevertheless. they had a strong tendency to split the exhaust pipe towards the front which was cured by fitting a short section of flexi-pipe, something most cars have as standard now. its such a shame they disolved so quickly in the British winters.
so it has a little triangle of doom but a huge unswept area, oops lol
Thanks for the video which brought back old memories. In 1983 I bought one of the last Mark 1 Sprint Veloce 1.5 models to be made. Paid £5,500 new (after discount) and kept it for eight years. Two twin-choke carbs. Instant response from the throttle. Fantastic car but it needed careful attention from the dealer which it didn't always receive. The only car to rival the Alfasud for handling after that was a Focus 1.6 Mark 1 Zetec. Of course the Focus didn't have the same character but, for me, it was perfectly reliable after my Alfasud experience.
My father had a 1.5ti. I can still remember the reg nuh 976x . The journey to school on country roads was amazing. A neighbour had a Saab 900 turbo. The sud left it for dead!!
This very same Sud was owned by a friend of mine. English from birth, he picked this exciting Italian car and made heads turn here in Munich. i remember an Autobahn trip at a top speed of 170 km/h!!!!
Nice review, I liked the Sud back in the day, they went well for what they were. Just a thought, the Alfa was a boxer engine which is different to a horizontally opposed engine in that each piston has it's own crank pin rather than sharing the crank pin with it's opposite mate.
I had a 1980 one on a V plate in 1985 I paid the princely sum of £475 in orange unfortunately it's body was mostly P38 & P40 managed to get it through one MOT my dad thought I was a fool but I was only 18 and the co-op insurance was £109 TPFF but what a car it was and still missing it today
I do wish Alfa Romeo still made hatchbacks with boxer engines. Love the styling of this car, the original looked the best I think.
Some very good friends of my parents that lived in the UK had an Alfasud in the mid 70s. I remember seeing the car on a trip over there in 1975 in its metallic silver colour. What caught my eye first as I walked up to it was the rather big emblem on the trunk lid. The Alfa was his wife's car while he had a Jaguar XJ6, I personally found the Alfa's shape to be pleasant to look at then and even today its still wearing well on the eyes, although the Cloverleaf model is the one to own. After the Alfa his wife got a first gen Honda Quintet which she kept for many many years and loved it for its overall versatility. As far as I know the Quintet was the last car she drove before giving up driving, as the elderly years came creeping up on her.
Brilliant video, again your ability to convert a driving experience into words is second to none.
I just love this car. My dad bought one which i took on as an MOT failure as a teenager i spent many months in the garage getting it back on the road. I think my car was an 1100cc 5M but i got a body kit and interior from a TI. All my friends had they trypical Ford Capris but my Alfa was way quicker as the handling was so much better. I had an Alfa 33 clover leaf as a compay car later in life but would love to drive an original SUD.
What a beautiful opening scene with the windmill in the background.
A school friend's brother had a newer Sud, a 1300 or 1500, I can't remember, but it was ridden hard.
GYF 722N was the reg of our '74 1.2ti that we bought in 1994 and then registered in NL as JL-VZ-71. We owned the car until March 2010 and the car is supposedly still owned by the guy who bought it of us. It was a lovely car, but a bit down on power compared to the later MkII 1.5ti and 1.5ti QV that I owned before, bought new. I no longer move in Alfa circles, but apparently 'our' 1.2ti still does.
The dutch license plate does not show in the register. Could just be that it has been inactive too long.
Brings back the memory of driving down to Bristol from Leeds in my boss' 1200 alfasud using the fosse way. Hell of a trip from memory and it never missed a beat all day.
When I was at college over 40 years ago a lecturer had an Alfasud. The engine note got my attention
Not many left now the last time I saw Alfasud was at the Pondarosa on the Horse shoe pass near Llangollen on Good Friday last year a black Ti on a 82 X plate it was mint Witch was unusual because most of the rusted a way . The Alfasud a nice looking car Great video
My late Dad who was in the motor trade in the 70s worked at an Alfa, BMW and Simca dealership maintained until he died that the Alfasud was his favourite car he ever drove. Whilst it wasn't fast he always said it was great fun, dynamically it was in a different league to it's competitors, Escort Mk1, Marina, Hillman Hunter, HC Viva etc. Sadly as everyone knows they were made of tissue paper, the white one he had the boot hinges rusted through in 6 months, the blue one (the same is in the video) had surface rust on the wings by about the same age. But fully independent suspension, inboard disc brakes all round the stuff of exotica not a family car. I was so hoping to hear the inique rorty exhaust note and the video didn't disappoint
Great memories of one I owned in 83-84 DRT 300T 1.3 Super.
Learnt a lot about driving on the limit and body filler.
Even suspension components had serious corrosion.
Fab car.
I remember at university, someone had a white 'Sud with the weirdest electrical gremlin (being typically Italian). When you turned your lights on, it electrocuted you through the stalk. Still better overall than my mk2 Fiesta though...
Happy happy owner of one these in 1974. Absolutely outstanding.
I bought an alfa sud when they first came out. Pity it rotted away after18 months. Apart f4om 5hat, loved it
My former boss had such a car. It ended up on its roof because the front wheel suspension broke off at the highway because of rust.... after only 4 years from new. He barely survived it.
Eesh...
😮
Had a 1.5ti and 1.5tix back in the 80’s. A few idiosyncrasies on the earlier 1980 model, firstly that right hand wiper stalk pushes down to switch on the fan! When cold there was an orange warning light on the dash which went off when the engine is warm enough to boot! Inboard front discs were a pain as the handbrake was integrated, replacement pads were a fiddle.
I always fitted original Alfa oil filters as I was told there was an integrated (not sure if it was a one way or a pressure?) valve to help with cold starts.
The early ti was doing 4000 revs in fifth at 70 mph where the tix was at 3250 rpm in the same gear.
The early one was also shod on 165 tyres which gave great ride quality and 185/60 on the tix. Both mine were rust free but as the 80’s continued they were out performed by the equivalent Escorts and Golfs.
I owned 2 of these , my 1st was a Red L 1186cc like this one , then a Pozzuoli Yellow 1286cc Super , Insects liked it as much as my Family did ! It wouldn't run on unleaded Petrol , so swapped Engine for a 1351cc unit from a Breakers. Drove it all over UK on Holidays with Family and never missed a beat.
Absaloutly brilliant video Ian ❤👍 only the Italians know how to build perfection absaloutly amazing little car brilliant
My next door neighbour had a 1.5ti in black loved it sounded awsome..got nicked doing 90 with a trailer behind happily bobbing around😮😅great video thanks
My brother-in-law had one for a time - he went from an aged Anglia in need of restoration to a Sud which was dissolving by the minute - he loved it
The little masterpiece of Hruska and Giugiaro.
When the difference was beautiful mechanics and not sparkling electronics
Besides owning three SAAB one 95 and two 96 I have owned two Alfa Romeos. one Alfetta with a 1.8l four-cylinder inline engine. And one Alfa Romeo 166 with a 2,5l V6. Both cars were absolutely fantastic. I had no problems with them at all.
A mate of mine had an Alfasud Ti 1.5 back in the '809s. He was kind enough to lend it to me when I wrote off my Datsun 180B. What a fun little car! It went much harder than a 1.5 should, and introduced me to torque steer. and the handling! Bellissimo!
Brilliant little car. I got to drive a leter Ti some (many) years ago and completely fell in love with it. I think the Italian term for "accelerator pedal" is "switch". only on or off.
A small number of RHD Alfasuds were assembled in Malta alongside British Leyland cars and Hillman Hunters. When I was last there in 2017 there was still the odd one in use as a daily driver.
Absolutrly interesting, thank you. I didn't know it
So in the early 2000's, we decided to build a house. I had a late model Holden Berlina, and needed something cheaper and more practical to drive around and get building supplies in. A local car yard had a later Alfasud, which I test drove. To say it was an automotive culture shock was an understatement, especially considering I was used to large torquey 6 cylinders. The pedals felt all wrong, I had no leg room, and my arms were at full reach to grab the wheel. Plus you had to rev 9 colours of crap out of it to make it do anything.
Needless to say, my eventual choice of a V8 Holden Kingswood ute turned out to be a much more sensible, and fun decision.
Nothing more beautiful than an Alfa Romeo 🥰😍
Owned 2, a 1300 and a 1500. Amazing little car that was brilliant to drive.
My grandfather had an Alfasud in the 80s, but owing to his ill health I only ever saw it come out of the garage once before he died.
Dad had a Fiat and a Lancia, but I wasn't born until after the Lancia arrived (a Beta coupe, as a new father Dad needed a "practical" car) so the only other Italian car I saw in the family was my sister's Punto which lasted about 2 years before braking down too much to keep.
We've had plenty of other Japanese, British, French and German cars but I feel I've missed out not getting to drive any decent Italian ones.
Now that’s interesting ❤ The little Alfasud was so advanced and ahead of its time!
I can't stand how pretty this car is.
Absolutely tremendous motor car. I can’t think of another FWD that blends the accurate steering feel, powerful brakes ( you’ve got to bear in mind the front disc brakes were bigger that a 3.0 litre Ford Capri , and the ones on the back were equal to, yet the Capri had drums on the back! ) , then there’s the flat cornering , the insulation from having a double bulkhead up front . This engine in this example sounded slightly off tune if you don’t mind me saying, but what a car. Steve Cropley from CAR magazine, drove 100 s miles across Australia on the cars launch just to wake a fellow motoring hack up to tell what a fabulous car it was! Some motoring scribes had the car on 3 wheels in corners , the road holding virtually wiping the floor of any car at any price, yet this on “little” 70 series tyres , quite incredible
The big brakes of the Sud are often an issue as they dont get used heavily enough. And you are right, it needed a tune up. Filming was planned just before.
External wing mirrors were made compulsory in Italy in 1977, that's why pre 77 cars are often fitted with aftermarket mirrors. Of course you could have an original spec mirror fitted at the dealership when you bought the car.
This is what the Allegro was supposed to compete against. Like Scunthorpe vs Juventus...
I remember the later models…but this early example proves that in 1970s Europe, you didn’t have to sacrifice style, fun, comfort, even in the poverty spec small family car from Alfa Romeo.
So nice compared to what we had.
I am always reminded of our family holidays in our Austin 1300 to Como. You’d see these Alfas and other Italian wonders being gunned around the lake at ludicrous speed and volume. I say ludicrous speed, but they sound louder than they are fast. Fun is the word that comes to mind.
We're in a time when cars have every mod con you could want, and yet there's something so endearing about cars from this age, when everything was so utilitarian.
Lovely vehicles. There’s a slightly modernised version rallying in the woods this year in btrda events: 1400 boxer engine mated to a sequential gearbox and fancy triangulated and rosejointed suspension
What an interesting car. I haven't looked much into Alfa Romeos but this one seems surprisingly happy to rev high. Also when is the LHD Reliant Robin video coming?
Great stuff, Ian. I always wondered if these Italian cars with odd driving positions in RHD were better in LHD. The answer: slightly! 😃
Excellent! I had a Ti 105 Green Cloverleaf in black, my first brand new car in 1983, one of the best handling cars I've ever driven. Fitted Recaro seats and a Momo steering wheel, which I removed when I sold it and still have to his day! It was fitted with those horrible, metric rim Michelin TRX tyres! Pity suds have just dissolved into rust, otherwise I'd have one even today
Brings back memories, I had one back in the 80's. Absolutely loved it.