As you can see on the photo on the left, even a Sprint Targa
existed (for a very short time)! Unfortunately the car's
body was not stiff enough after a part of the roof was removed so that
the German TÜV which has to allow those kind of bodywork-modifications refused to
give it a road imatriculation. And so the Targa again received a metal-top
and became a usual coupé with an increased kerb weight - due to
its past.
But lets start with the begining. In the mid-seventies
there were rumors that Alfa Romeo in Italy planned to produce a convertible
on the bases of the Alfasud. The concept car of a
Sprint convertible already stood on the Salone di
Torino. Unfortunately it did not find its way into production. The Alfa-bosses feared that it could have competed
with the Alfa Spider. At a time where a certain Ralph
Nader had published
his book "Unsafe at any speed" which by the way mentioned the desastrous
effects of a roll-over crash in a roadster, this was maybe a wise decision.
But the German Alfa Romeo dealer and alloy-wheel-producer Zender dared to open a Sprint. A Targa was
much easier to realise than a real convertible. Such an open-top convertible
existed in France. Being not the stiffest car, the Sprint could not cope
with the missing stability of a roof.Aditional structure which was added to the bodywork could not egalize the
roof's stability. The only result was an increased kerb weight. The change of a front fender after a crash must
have been a real catastrophy....
Of course Zender would not be Zender if they only had made a Targa out
of a 
coupé. Some cosmetical efforts changed the car's appearance.
The first thing one notices are the Zender "Turbo" alloy wheels. Of course the
front and rear bumper, the rear spoiler and the sill covers are also made
by Zender. Those extras give the Sprint a much more modern look. It could
have survived the early nineties with that look.The interior was also trimmed in Zender-style. This means that the
seats and the doors received an upholstery in red and black Alcantara.
Electric windows were on board, too.
After the car had again received a solid (steel-) roof it was used in
the region of Colone before a serious crash destroyed the it. Unfortunately
the Sprint then found its way
to the scrapyard. The owner often changed
the alloy wheels. Besides the Zender wheels, the Sprint also ran on Ronal wheels for example.
But that is a different story...
Maybe Alfa Romeo should have added another convertible to its range. A possible variation of the Alfasud range? Today, the rare good Sprints are the most expensive Alfasuds. Sprints can be three times as expensive as a good Alfasud Berlina. What would a real Sprint convertible then cost today?
Last Update: January, 24th 2004 Created: July, 8th 2001
© Layout and text by Tim Rauen. Photos by Ella Numantia.