INTERESTING FACTS

The Alfasud and Sprint designs were up there with the best, with excellent packaging, styling, ride and perhaps the best handling of any frontwheel-drive car of the time. Unfortunately, the Alfasud reputation was ruined by political interference. Poor workmanship and inferior-quality steel imported from Russia meant the car suffered terribly from rust. The plant was set up in the south of Italy where unemployment was high – a well-intended initiative – but a lack of skills and labour strikes, coupled with the lack of proper steel preparation, started a rust problem that would harm the brand for years. With Italian design and styling plus an ex-porsche engine designer, it had the potential for brilliance. Instead, the VW Golf received all the plaudits.