I am only quoting what the Alfasud owners club say. They have many experts in these cars. The number which VOSA quote will also include Alfasud Sprints which are totally different cars and the run of Alfasuds across 3 series runs. Series 1 - the classic shape, the Series 2 - more modern shape with oblong headlights - then the series 3 - modern shape with twin headlights again. |For the Sprint the Series 1 and Series 2, which then led onto the Alfa 33 - for which there is approximately 100 or so road worthy cars left. Amazingly another car I own a few years back a Renault Gordini Turbo there are also less than 100 left in the UK - and the experts also rekon the Renault 5 in all it's guises is the rarest car "In the world today."
As for the rusting away and manufacture, they were no different to British Leylands manufacturing process. Them comunist in the midlands gave as much love in building them as the Italians, which was very little. There used to be airfields full of Rover SD1's and Princesses, and Montego's, before they were sold most of the cars had to be resprayed again because they were rusting away and new and unregistered. They rekon most Alfasud were rotten beyond repair within 3 years from being new - the same thing happened the Lancia Betas - which killed the company off.
The Alfasud plant in the south of Italy which is where "sud" comes from was a Government social rejuvenation programme to get people working and off their equivelent of the dole. Of course the people didn't give a flying cluck about the quality. The metal was not the only problem back then, but must have been a major factor. The other problems back then were the technology we take for granted now was not invented. When we look back in 30 years from now, we will think the cars we drive now were shoddy I'm sure. They did not galvanize the metal in the same way and the processes of assembly was far different and corners were cut in quality inspection. The paint technology was also much less advance to todays chemical makeup.
