About Alfa Romeo Sprint
After the introduction of the Alfa Sprint in 1976, in 1983 the Italian car-maker tried to improve the car. The German car-makers started to recover and increase its market share in the sport-compact segment.
In 1983 the Alfa Romeo Alfasud was out of the assembly line and it was replaced by the Alfa 33. Due to that, the Sprint, which relied on the Alfasud platform, had to be adapted for the evolved Alfa 33 one and that led to some modifications such as moving the front disc-brakes from inboard to the wheels, just like most of the cars on the market. The only downside was that the rear brakes were replaced with drums instead of the discs installed on the pre-facelifted model.
The shape remained the same one designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro but updated with plastic bumpers extended with an apron for the front one. There was a new grille design, with a smaller badge on the front. The rear-view mirrors were changed to improve visibility.
On the inside, the Recaro bucket-seats were standard-fit for the Quadrifoglio Verde (Cloverleaf). There was a new instrument cluster with new dials, but the information was the same: speedometer on the left, tachometer on the right, and in the upper-middle position the coolant temperature and the fuel level. Six more warning lights were placed between the two gauges.
From the technical point of view, the biggest improvement was for the engines, where the 105 hp QV version was introduced. The boxer engine led to a low center of gravity that ensured a good cornering speed. The former four-speed manual was ditched for a 5-speed. A 1.7-liter unit that offered 118 hp was introduced in 1987, replacing the 105 hp unit.