Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) 50 Years of Alfa Sud

At Italdesign the 50 Years of Alfa Sud have been celebrated.
50 Suds were presented and in proper condition...

Re you sure they aren't plastic replicas

The AlfaSd had such a bad (and deserved) reputation for rust that I am surprised that many still exist in good condition.

The factory was set up with Italian Govt money to give employment in the south, and the local steel that was used for the shells was of very poor quality , hence the rust.

Nice cars when new , but longevity was not good.

Lovely cars but they did rust faster than Marinas.

They rusted round the windscreen, which takes some doing.

Mine rusted everywhere. We lived in Switzerland at the time, and the salt on the roads in winter was what killed the car (photo is from December 1980). Shame because it went really well and was mechanically trouble-free (mind you I only had it 2 years). I can still smell the "new car" smell of the black cord upholstery.

I think there were a couple of years where cars did not have sufficient protection as I remember several around that period.

Lancia were the most famous for it.
Alfasud
Citroen GS
First generation Japanese cars were pretty bad as well. The famous Datsun 120Y was a rot bucket.

They went everywhere not just on the seams and sills. As you highlight the base of the windscreen was known for leaks and pools of water inside.

At least the Dolomite/Marina/1750 took a couple of years to develop rather than just perforate.

We used to refer to the Lancia's as tea-bags with all the holes opening up.

I met someone who bought a new Lancia Beta Coupe. Within a couple of weeks, the fuel tank vent blocked and the tank collapsed until he could only get one gallon in it.

A replacement tank took several weeks to arrive. That was in the late seventies.

Should have added - despite that they (Sud) were light years ahead of the British cars to drive and enjoy. I remember chasing a late Alfasud Sprint Coupe 1.7 around some very twisty back roads late one summer evening and enjoying every moment of it.

We had 3... great fun, but not durable.
Then an Alfa 33, same engines, made in the same factory but re-engineered. Bought as an ex demo car, 11 years on there was no visible rust.
Just wish the Sud had been made as well.