European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 27, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Poge 10 the stars and stripes monday june 27, 1977 Corner to most car buffs know the world famous Alfa Romeo firm of Milan established a subsidiary factory in the South of Italy Momigliano near Naples a few years ago to help bring Industry to Anarea much in need of it. The result of this venture was the first front wheel drive car from Alfa Romeo and it was also the firm s first fling at the Small car Market. As the car was manufactured in the South of Italy Alfa Rome named it the Alf Sud. The Sud made its debut in 1973, audit s been going Strong Ever since the two door and four door family Type cars quickly followed by a sporty to version and now he latest the sprint Coupe. The sprint came onto the Market just a few months ago. The Early Normal version Alfa sods received rave notices on their handling Vir lures but were criticized for Lack of Engin performance. When the to came out immediately after the Normal cars various modifications had been made on the engines and performance was much improved. In fact the to was so Good that some motor Magazine experts non italian press please not rated it As the bes Small car in the world  Low Hood line All of the Alf Sud models Are powered by engines of four cylinders horizontally opposed in design Flat fours or boxers with the configuration allowing for a very Low Hood line and a lowering of the Roll Center. The to and Normal Alf Sud ver Sions have engines of 1200cc capacity while the new sprint Model features a a Tooch unit. The Alfa Romeo company plans to put the Little cars tin the . Market Early next year with entrant being the two and four door Alf Sud models and the sprint All equipped with he in Rocc motors. For impressions on the sprint Coupe which differs sharply from the Normal Al of suds in Bodywork design 1 was most kindly offered a test car from Auto Stein Metz in nauheim. Germany near Gross Gertil. The Steinmetz firm an official dealer for Ferrari. Alfa Romeo and Saab is Well known fur its work on High perform Manre automobiles. The experts there criticised the sprint Only for its Lack of torque m Tho Low and Middle ranges but. After working with Ferrari cars anything else must appear quite lame. 1 did t find Lack of torque All that upset Ting mainly because it was so much fun using the splendid five Speed Gearbox anime must use it constantly to get the most jut of the sprint on the other hand a Craith such a substantial construction and design could easily accept a stronger3ngine and Benefit from it. Spoilers featured in that As it May. Let s Lake a look at them Sud sprint Coupe As it is aerodynamic ally. The car is Crisp and clean with a Rait spoiler positioned below the bumper and the rear spoiler rising neatly jus behind the Hatchback deck. This design contributes materially to the sprint s performance which is unusually Quick for a car of 1300ccsthe handling can t be faulted and there is so Little under steer one might think he driving a Quality rear wheel drive sports i a. The sprint is exceptional in its Road holding and cornering abilities and it s an exhilarating experience to toss it Aroun Dun twisting Back roads. The brakes disc All around i. Were impressive with no fade encountered. The sprint remained steady at High speeds and its handling in very wet weather and High winds was equally steady and always predictable the test car had More than 6,000 Mileson it. The body was taut with no rattles from anywhere there was never a hint of vibration and noise level was minimal even at High speeds. Although the engine did Lack torque in the Low ranges Power came on at 3500 revs and Upit was always smooth and it ran happily at High revs with autobahn cruising speeds in the90-100 mile per hour Range. At 93 Mph the engine was pulling 5000 revs exactly 1000below the Tach s yellow line Start. Inside and under Hood selection easy the Gearbox As mentioned previously was a Delight to use. And it would take an idiot to select the wrong gear at the wrong time. The ratios Are close but practically perfect while the final fifth gear is usable one and not just there for overdrive purposes. Although Alfa Romeo puts the top Speed of the sprint at 103 Mph i re corded 106 and i know the car could have gone faster. Yellow line on the Tach is 6000, and red is set at 6500. Shifting at the 6000 Mark one gets 28 Mph in first gear. 50 in second 70 in third,90 in fourth and 106 in fifth. Gas mileage on average was in the 22 to 24 mile per Gallo Range. One could get More but the fun of running the car at High revs makes Gas mileage secondary. It gels enough anyway. Interior details the sprint s Interior appointments Arcin tune with the Over All body design. Instruments Are Clear and easy to read wit two touches i especially liked 1 equipped with a hand choke a Light on the dash Cluster glows until the choke is fully closed 2 although the sprint has a water temperature gauge another Light glows until the engine is at the required tempera Ture and hard acceleration can begin. The ventilation system is first rate the two defroster units highly effective with a 2 Speed Blower whose turn on Knob is incorporated at the end of a stalk on the steering column. The same Stock also serves for the Windshield wiper  left hand stalk controls the lights. The padded steering wheel is a three spoke the fully instrumented sprint coup has a three spoke dished steering wheel that is adjustable. Below the hat four in Rocc engine configuration allow for a Low Hood line and lowering of Roll is photos enter. Dish design and it is also  position is exact and especially Good if you like the italian arms out driving style and the backs of the two front seats come Forward at the touch of levers for passenger entry at rear. Al though listed As a five passenger Coupe the car is a 2 2 in my opinion with Ade quate room for two adult passengers in Back. Grab bars Are provided for the front seat passenger and those in the rear. Big trunk the Hood Latch is located beneath the dash while the Latch to the Hatchback door is located on the floor left of the Driver s scat. At the pull of the Latch the Hatchback rises on Gas struts. A huge trunk is located directly below while a rolling leather Flap conceals whatever one May have stored in the trunk. Instead of Zipper the Flap employs a Quick pull away material As used on racing and rally Jack ets. Although no Price has been established for the Alf Sud sprint Coupe when it goes on Sale in the states next year it will prob ably fall in the $6,000 Range. Randy Barnett Dean and Crisp lines with emphasis on aerodynamic function Art among the the Alf Sud sprint coup features of the sprint Coupe. The car with a top Speed of Over 100 Mph has a live Speed Gearbox and is of front wheel drive design. Is photo