Alfa Romeo Alfasud
Encyclopedia
The Alfa Romeo Alfasud is a compact car made by Alfa Romeo
of Italy from 1971 to 1989. It was considered one of Alfa Romeo's most successful models, sold 893,719 examples from 1972 to 1983 plus 121,434 Sprint
versions from 1976 to 1989. A common nickname for the car is ’Sud. The car went through two facelifts, first in 1977 and the second one in 1980.
n Rudolf Hruska
.
January 18, 1968, saw the registration at Naples
of a new company named "Industria Napoletana Construzioni Autoveicoli Alfa Romeo-Alfasud S.p.A.". 90% of the share capital was subscribed by Alfa Romeo and 10% by Finmeccanica
, at that time the financial arm of the government controlled IRI
. Construction work on the company's new plant at nearby Pomigliano d'Arco began in April 1968, on the site of an aircraft engine factory used by Alfa Romeo during the war. Three years later the Alfasud was shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1971 and was immediately praised by journalists for its styling (by Giorgetto Giugiaro
of ItalDesign) and handling. It featured a 1186 cc flat-4
engine.
Despite its two-box shape, it did not initially have a hatchback
. The first production Alfasuds were four-door sedans, with a sporty two-door TI (Turismo Internazionale, or Touring International) model following at the end of 1973.
In 1974, Alfa Romeo launched a more luxurious model the Alfasud SE. The SE was replaced by the 'L' (Lusso) model in 1975. The Lusso model was produced until 1976, by then it was replaced with the new '5M' model, the first four-door Alfasud with a 5 speed gearbox. A three-door station wagon
model called the Giardinetta was introduced for the 1975 model year
.
In 1976, the Alfasud Sprint was launched. On the same platform, it was a lower, more angular sports model. The Sprint did feature a hatchback, a more powerful 1286 cc 75 PS (55 kW) engine and a five-speed gearbox. The engine was later fitted into the standard Alfasuds, creating the 1300 TI models, and the five-speed gearbox found its way into the basic Alfasud, creating the 5M (5 Marce) model.
A 1490 cc engine was soon made available to all body shapes, originally developing 85 PS (63 kW). By the end of the Alfasud's life, there was a tuned version of the engine developing 105 PS (77 kW) in the Quadrifoglio Verde (Green Cloverleaf) model.
Despite sophisticated engineering, Alfasuds (especially the early ones) had a strong reputation for suffering from rust
, possibly due to the storage conditions of the bodies at the plant.
All Alfasuds were upgraded in 1980 with plastic bumpers and other revisions.
A hatchback was added to the original shape in 1981. The Giardinetta was deleted from most markets around this time. By now, most of its competitors were producing a hatchback of this size, although many of them were producing a saloon alternative.
The Alfasud sedans were replaced by the Alfa Romeo Arna
and 33 models in 1983. The 33 was an evolution of the Alfasud's floorpan and running gear, including minor suspension changes and a change from four-wheel disc brakes to rear drum brakes in an effort to reduce costs. The Alfasud Sprint was renamed into Alfa Romeo Sprint
in 1983, this model was continued until 1989 by sharing the 33's running gear.
kit. Gerhard Berger
is probably best known driver who participated in the Alfasud Trofeo. An Alfasud also made an appearance at the Bathurst 1000
in the late 1970s/early 1980s.
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
of Italy from 1971 to 1989. It was considered one of Alfa Romeo's most successful models, sold 893,719 examples from 1972 to 1983 plus 121,434 Sprint
Alfa Romeo Sprint
The Alfa Romeo Sprint is a coupé version of the Alfa Romeo Alfasud, produced from 1976 to 1989 by Alfa Romeo. 116,552 examples of the Alfasud Sprint and Alfa Romeo Sprint were built in total. The Sprint was sold in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.-History:Until 1983, the car's name...
versions from 1976 to 1989. A common nickname for the car is ’Sud. The car went through two facelifts, first in 1977 and the second one in 1980.
History
The car was built at a new factory at Pomigliano d'Arco in southern Italy, hence the car's name, Alfa Sud (Alfa South). It was developed by AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Rudolf Hruska
Rudolf Hruska
Rudolf Hruska was an Austrian automobile designer and engineer, most famous for his design of various Alfa Romeo cars....
.
January 18, 1968, saw the registration at Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
of a new company named "Industria Napoletana Construzioni Autoveicoli Alfa Romeo-Alfasud S.p.A.". 90% of the share capital was subscribed by Alfa Romeo and 10% by Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica S.p.A. is an Italian conglomerate. Finmeccanica is the second largest industrial group and the largest of the hi-tech industrial groups based in Italy. It works in the fields of defence, aerospace, security, automation, transport and energy...
, at that time the financial arm of the government controlled IRI
Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale
The Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale was an Italian public company set up by the fascist government in 1933 to combat the effects of the global depression on the Italian economy...
. Construction work on the company's new plant at nearby Pomigliano d'Arco began in April 1968, on the site of an aircraft engine factory used by Alfa Romeo during the war. Three years later the Alfasud was shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1971 and was immediately praised by journalists for its styling (by Giorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro is an Italian automobile designer responsible equally for a stable of supercars and several of the most popular everyday vehicles driven today...
of ItalDesign) and handling. It featured a 1186 cc flat-4
Alfa Romeo Flat-4 engine
Alfa Romeo developed a water-cooled flat-4 engine for their new Alfasud, introduced in 1971 at the Turin Motor Show.-1200:The original engine displaced with an 80 mm bore and 59 mm stroke and produced between .Applications:...
engine.
Despite its two-box shape, it did not initially have a hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
. The first production Alfasuds were four-door sedans, with a sporty two-door TI (Turismo Internazionale, or Touring International) model following at the end of 1973.
In 1974, Alfa Romeo launched a more luxurious model the Alfasud SE. The SE was replaced by the 'L' (Lusso) model in 1975. The Lusso model was produced until 1976, by then it was replaced with the new '5M' model, the first four-door Alfasud with a 5 speed gearbox. A three-door station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
model called the Giardinetta was introduced for the 1975 model year
Model year
The model year of a product is a number used worldwide, but with a high level of prominence in North America, to describe approximately when a product was produced, and indicates the coinciding base specification of that product....
.
A 1490 cc engine was soon made available to all body shapes, originally developing 85 PS (63 kW). By the end of the Alfasud's life, there was a tuned version of the engine developing 105 PS (77 kW) in the Quadrifoglio Verde (Green Cloverleaf) model.
Despite sophisticated engineering, Alfasuds (especially the early ones) had a strong reputation for suffering from rust
Rust
Rust is a general term for a series of iron oxides. In colloquial usage, the term is applied to red oxides, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture...
, possibly due to the storage conditions of the bodies at the plant.
All Alfasuds were upgraded in 1980 with plastic bumpers and other revisions.
A hatchback was added to the original shape in 1981. The Giardinetta was deleted from most markets around this time. By now, most of its competitors were producing a hatchback of this size, although many of them were producing a saloon alternative.
The Alfasud sedans were replaced by the Alfa Romeo Arna
Alfa Romeo Arna
The Alfa Romeo Arna is a subcompact automobile produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo between 1983 and 1987.Launched at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Arna was a product of a short-lived partnership between Alfa Romeo and Japanese manufacturer Nissan; the car's name was an acronym...
and 33 models in 1983. The 33 was an evolution of the Alfasud's floorpan and running gear, including minor suspension changes and a change from four-wheel disc brakes to rear drum brakes in an effort to reduce costs. The Alfasud Sprint was renamed into Alfa Romeo Sprint
Alfa Romeo Sprint
The Alfa Romeo Sprint is a coupé version of the Alfa Romeo Alfasud, produced from 1976 to 1989 by Alfa Romeo. 116,552 examples of the Alfasud Sprint and Alfa Romeo Sprint were built in total. The Sprint was sold in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.-History:Until 1983, the car's name...
in 1983, this model was continued until 1989 by sharing the 33's running gear.
Engines
- 1971-1983 1.2 L (1186 cc) AlfaAlfa Romeo Flat-4 engineAlfa Romeo developed a water-cooled flat-4 engine for their new Alfasud, introduced in 1971 at the Turin Motor Show.-1200:The original engine displaced with an 80 mm bore and 59 mm stroke and produced between .Applications:...
H4Flat-4A flat-4 or horizontally opposed-4 is a flat engine with four cylinders arranged horizontally in two banks of two cylinders on each side of a central crankcase...
, 63–68 hp - 1977-1983 1.3 L (1286 cc) Alfa H4, 75 hp (56 kW)
- 1978-1983 1.4 L (1350 cc) Alfa H4, 79 hp
- 1978-1983 1.5 L (1490 cc) Alfa H4, 85–105 hp (63–78 kW)
- 1987-1989 1.7 L (1712 cc) Alfa H4, 118 hp
Alfasud in motorsport
From 1975, a one-car racing series for Alfasuds was organised. One year later, the Alfasud trophy began in Italy and Austria, and later France and Germany got their own competitions. In 1977 the "Trofeo Europa Alfasud" was set up, in which the best drivers from each country competed. The Trofeo Alfasud was equipped with the 1,286 cc engine with an AutodeltaAutodelta
Autodelta SpA was the name of Alfa Romeo's competition department. Established in 1961 as Auto-Delta, the company was started by Carlo Chiti, a former Alfa Romeo and Ferrari engineer, and Ludovico Chizzola, an official Alfa Romeo dealer. The team was officially made a department of Alfa Romeo on...
kit. Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger, is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver, who previously owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team until he sold his share back to energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2008....
is probably best known driver who participated in the Alfasud Trofeo. An Alfasud also made an appearance at the Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
in the late 1970s/early 1980s.
Famous Alfasud conversions
- Gian Franco Mantovani Wainer produced a one-off Bimotore version, with two 1186 cc engines and four-wheel drive for rallying. Wainer also produced a turbochargedTurbochargerA turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
Turbowainer model in 1983. - The Alfasud was the basis of the Minari kit car designed by Andy Borrowman and Sean Prendergast. Approximately 120 cars were sold throughout the 1990s.
External links
- Evo, Birth of an Icon: 1972 Alfa Romeo Alfasud, November 2009
- Rody's Alfasud collecting website
- Alfasud bibliography, which usefully gives a model list
- The World Wide Alfasud Register, also with a comprehensive model list
- Alfasud web site
- Alfa Romeo Alfasud (and Sprint) parts catalogs downloads site