Alfa Romeo Alfasud and Sprint (1971 to 1989)

Why people buy one

• Giugiaro styling and a low, keen flat-four give the Alfasud handling that set it apart from other small family cars of the 1970s; the Alfa Romeo Owners Club calls it, for many, the first "hot hatch".
• Disc brakes on all four wheels from the start, MacPherson strut front suspension and a well-located rear beam axle.
• The flat-four is simple to work on, and Classic & Sports Car says many mechanical parts were carried over to the Alfa 33 and the 145 and 146, which helps supply.
• Later ti models (from 1980), the Sprint Veloce (from 1979) and the Green Cloverleaf (Quadrifoglio Verde) have twin carburettors, and the Cloverleaf makes about 105bhp from 1.5 litres.
• Survivors are now rare, and the AROC Alfasud Register is collecting data on every Alfasud, Sprint and Giardinetta in the UK and Ireland.

What to weigh up

• Rust is the overriding problem. Classic & Sports Car says early shells could be beyond economic repair within about three years, and only the 1980-on Series III cars had barely acceptable rust resistance.
• Parts supply is patchy: Classic & Sports Car says Alfasud-specific items are getting harder to source, and Classics World says some Alfasud-only gearchange bushes are no longer available.
• The front disc brakes sit inboard next to the gearbox, so pad changes are awkward and engine or gearbox oil leaks can contaminate them.
• Clutch replacement means lowering the engine and gearbox out of the car.
• Badges are easy to add, so ti, Veloce and Cloverleaf claims need checking against the papers and the engine. The Giardinetta was never sold in the UK (Classic & Sports Car, Classics World), so any here is a private import.
• This profile does not cover the Alfa 33, which replaced the Alfasud, or the Arna.

Where they rust

• The windscreen surround, which Classics World singles out as especially serious, and the rear window surround on early saloons.
• Front wings (particularly at the rear edge), doors, bonnet, boot lid, roof and valances.
• The bulkhead, front door hinge areas, sill fronts and front floors.
• Engine bay chassis legs, inner wings near the strut tops and the steering rack mounts.
• The scuttle "bathtub" pressing around the heater box, battery and brake master cylinder.
• Sills, floors and the rear spring and axle location link mounts.
• Boot floor and spare wheel well.
• C-pillars and rear quarter window surrounds on two and three-door cars and the Sprint.
• Suspension arms, which Classic & Sports Car says should be checked for rot.

Mechanical weak spots

• Twin cambelts (one per bank) should be changed every 36,000 miles or three years; look for bills.
• Blue smoke on start-up or overrun usually means worn valve guides or seals; worn rings and bottom-end wear are more serious. Classics World quotes about 20psi of oil pressure at hot idle.
• Overheating can come from blocked coolant passages or a corroded radiator, and a rumble from low on the engine can be a worn water pump.
• Rough running is often down to twin carburettors that have been badly adjusted, or to worn HT leads.
• Second-gear synchromesh is usually first to wear; a rattle in neutral at idle is normally harmless, but a grumble may mean differential wear. A sloppy gearchange usually means worn linkage bushes.
• A click-clack on tight turns points to worn driveshaft joints. Stiff steering suggests failed strut-top bearings.
• Rear discs and calipers seize through lack of use. From September 1984 the Sprint has outboard front discs, rear drums and a different rear axle (Classic & Sports Car).
• Column stalks and switches are fragile, and corroded earths cause many electrical faults.

At a Mathewsons viewing

• Check the chassis number and type plate in the engine bay against the V5C, and see whether the V5C describes the car as a ti, Sprint, Veloce or Cloverleaf. Alfa Romeo's heritage service can issue a Certificate of Origin from the chassis number, and the AROC Alfasud Register may help.
• Open the bonnet: a Sprint Veloce, a 1980-on ti 1.5 or a Cloverleaf should have twin carburettors, and an engine number or capacity that does not match the V5C suggests a replacement or an Alfa 33 engine.
• With a torch, look closely at the windscreen corners, the scuttle area under the bonnet, the strut tops, sills and the floors and rear axle mounts from underneath. Fresh underseal or thick paint here deserves suspicion.
• Lift the boot floor covering and the front carpets and look for rot, damp or patched repairs in the spare wheel well and footwells.
• Look at the inboard front brakes and gearbox for oil leaks, and if staff start the engine, watch for blue smoke and listen for a rumble; do not assume it will be started.

Parts, specialists and clubs

Seen on Bangers & Cash

• Alfa Romeo Alfasud (Bangers & Cash series 6, episode 14, First shown December 2022)

Sources

• Alfa Romeo Alfasud buyer's guide (Classics World), 28 March 2023
• Buyer's guide: Alfa Romeo Alfasud (Classic & Sports Car), 27 March 2019
• Alfasud Register (Alfa Romeo Owners Club UK), accessed 14 October 2026
• Alfasud data gathering project launched (Alfa Romeo Owners Club UK), 31 July 2020
• Classic car services: Certificate of Origin (Stellantis Heritage), accessed 14 October 2026
• Alfa Romeo Alfasud (Wikipedia), accessed 14 October 2026
• Alfa Romeo Sprint (Wikipedia), accessed 14 October 2026