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The Alfa Romeo Alfasud was a compact car made by Alfa Romeo of Italy from 1971 to 1989. It was considered one of Alfa Romeo's most successful models. A common nickname for the car is Sud.
It was built at a new factory at Pomigliano d'Arco in southern Italy, hence the car's name, Alfa Sud (Alfa South) and developed by Austrian Rudolf Hruschka.
It 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 1,186 cm³ engine.
Despite its two-box shape, it did not initially have a hatchback. The first Alfasuds were four-door sedans, with a sporty two-door TI (Turismo Internazionale, or Touring International) model following in 1972.
In 1974, Alfa Romeo launched a more luxurious Sud, the L model (Alfasud SE in the UK), produced until 1976.
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 1,286 cm³ 75 bhp 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 1,490 cm³ engine was soon made available to all body shapes, originally developing 85 bhp. By the end of the Alfasud's life, there was a tuned version of the engine developing 105 bhp in the Green Cloverleaf model.
Sadly, early Alfasuds did have a reputation for suffering from rust, possibly due to sub-standard steel traded with the Soviet Union.
All Alfasuds were upgraded in 1978 with plastic bumpers and other revisions.
A hatchback was added to the original shape in 1981, the year when the range received a makeover with plastic bumpers and rubbing strips. The Giardinetta was deleted from most markets around this time.
The Alfasud sedans were replaced by the Alfa Romeo Arna and 33 models in 1983. The Sprint continued into 1989.
Famous Alfasud conversions
Gian Franco Mantovani Wainer produced a one-off Bimotore version, with two 1,186 cm³ engines and four-wheel drive for rallying. Wainer also produced a turbocharged Turbowainer model in 1983.
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