The Alfasud Register

The well known propensity of Suds to rust away prematurely, whilst often disastrous for their owners, had some interesting consequences.  Firstly, there were no lack of spares for would-be renovators, in the 80's the breakers' yards always had some.  I built up several cars from wrecks in the early days and my daughters were the beneficiaries. The picture is of one such car which our eldest daughter, Louise, ran for a couple of years.  It was a 1.2 Ti, originally yellow, and rusty, with panels and gearbox from a crashed 1.3 greenTi which had been 'botched' but suffered from a twisted shell ( quote from Nigel Cottee -'never driven a Sud which handled so ******* badly') and with a motor from a 1.2 Alfasud 'L'.  It did not survive a fracas with a pallet on the M1, the impact and underlying corrosion caused a crack straight across the front suspension mountings. Almost broke in half! The insurance company compromised and paid half, which financed a silver 1.5 Ti ........But I digress

Secondly, the excellent running gear which frequentlyremained after the bodywork disintegrated after a modest mileage on our salt drenched roads, was ready made for specials and kit cars.  The Minari is a prime example and there are others, less well known and sometimes 'one-offs'.

We have recently opened the Register to such cars, the only criterion being a minimum of a documented Sud engine. This page is devoted to these cars and the first described here is the Nova, and specifically Lauren Proctor's 'Green Machine', which has been prominent at Alfa events this year.

  On first production in 1972, the charismatic Nova was designed to use a VW Beetle floorpan, but the use of a Sud boxer and transaxle located at the rear gives a true mid-engined configuration reminiscent of the Fiat/Bertone X/19.  Lauren's 'Green Machine' has a Nova shell from 1978, most mechanicals from a 1.5Ti of the same year and a new 1.5 Green Cloverleaf motor.  It has been 16 years in development and has a bespoke tubular steel chassis using fully adjustable rose jointed double wishbone suspension front and rear. The Sud radiator is fitted in the nose and the fuel tank is also up-front. The signature canopy/door is operated by hydraulic rams and the unusual arrangement does address the entry problem caused by limmited cockpit space and deeply raked screen, albeit needing a degree of agility!  Lauren's unique T33 designation is a tribute to the tubulare chassis of the legendary Alfa T33 and to the Sud's boxer engined successor.  Weight distribution is 45% Front and 55% rear and the light weight and aerodynamics obviously contribute to the top speed of 119mph in fifth - 10mph more than a similar engined Sprint.   And what a looker - shades of the Sud concept car in the Alfa Museo Storica and more than a hint of Miura!