The Alfasud Ti 1.5 QV you
can see on this page is propably the dream of every Alfasud enthusiast and
collector. It was sold new in 1984 by Yorke Motors Alfa Romeo in Adelaide,
Australia. Alfa Romeo Australia
imported 250 units of the Alfasud Ti QV into Australia, and this was one of the
very last which was sold. It was bought by an Italian immigrant an registered as
UBF 006. In 1984, one had to pay $13,990 Australian Dollars
(plus
government and dealer costs) to get one. The Italian owned the car for 17 years. He maintained the car himself,
documenting all the work he performed in a notebook, written in his native
tongue - Italian. This notebook remains with the car till today... The car was
perfectly preserved under his ownership. It even had its original Pirelli
P6 tyres. It was always garaged in the warm,
dry Adelaide climate, no modifications were made, and it was driven with care -
the tyres it wears today are the original ones fitted at the factory.
It turned out UBF 006 would be his
last car, and the car was put up for sale as part of his deceased estate
in the year 2000. Till then the Alfasud had only run
about 39.000 km.
Marc, its new owner lives
in Sydney which is a 90 minutes flight away from
Adelaide. When Marc got to know from this Alfasud he sent a friend who lives in
Adelaide - also an Alfa fanatic - to look at the
Alfasud for him. It was the find of the century and
Marc bought it at once. The car was shipped in a
sealed container to Sydney, and was taken to Spencer Rice Engineering in
Artarmon, a suburb in inner-Sydney. Spencer - an Englishman - is an Alfa Romeo
specialist. Spencer was briefed to survey the entire car and to replace
anything that needed replacing. But there was a challenge - Marc only wanted
him to use genuine Alfa Romeo parts,
which are becoming more and more scarce.
Spencer accepted, and two months and $ 4000 Australian Dollars later the car came back to Marc. The
paint was cleaned, polished and waxed. New coats of
wax are applied regularly. Silicon spray keeps the black exterior trim
protected. The car is driven regularly, but sparingly. It is kept
under a car cover in an underground garage and serviced every six months. Marc
does not need the Alfasud as daily driver because he also owns a Sterling Grey
Alfa 147 GTA.
After the car was made ready for use by
Spencer, Marc searched for an insurance for the car. The insurance company wanted
to value it because they didn't think it was worth what Marc said. The average
Alfasud in Australia is worth between $500 and $1500 Australian Dollars. When
they valued it, they said UBF 006 was worth even more than Marc thought, and
valued the car at more than its original purchase price in 1984 of $13,990
Australian Dollars.
Marc is aware that the original tyres should now be replaced, but they
are part of the charm of the car. Instead,
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Marc wants to buy a second set of
wheels, have them restored, and put some new tyres on them so he can keep the
original ones for when he shows the car. Being a member
of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia Marc showed the car during the annual
Concours event in 2003, called the "Concorso d'Eleganza" (remember the Villa
d'Este in Cernobbio...). He put it in the 'Show and Shine' category for
Suds, Sprints and 33s. It won! That's the only time the car has been shown till
2005. It turned out people thought the car was so good that it should have been
in the actual Concours, not just the Show and Shine. Marc will probably put it
in that category when he will show the car again, probably in 2006.
Marc worked as the National Marketing
Manager of Alfa Romeo a couple of years ago - "I'm really passionate about them
and want more people to discover how good they are... ", Marc tells.
Alfasuds have become rare in Australia. Alfa Romeo has a small but strong
following in Australia. Like in Germany they have a reputation for being a risky
purchase - unreliable and prone to rust. The brand pulled out of Australia in
the early 90s, returning about 10 years later. They now sell about 2000 cars a
year, selling the 147, 147 GTA, 156, (159 from mid 2006 on), GT and 166.
Last Update: December, 22nd 2005 Created: December, 22nd 2005
© Layout and text by Tim Rauen. Photos by Marc Burns.