As it is well known, The brief regulations of Group B attracted the interest of a large number of brands in rallying. in that golden era between the late seventies and mid-eighties. However, dozens of those projects would never succeed. in the stages of the World Cup, having to settle for appearing in a discreet background. Or, what was even worse, remain forever on the drawing board.
This was, among many others, the case of Alfa Romeo and its Autodelta trainer, who in his day managed to develop for the biscione brand a Group 4 FISA variant of its Alfetta GTV coupe, called Turbodelta. The relative success of that precursor led them to try to try your luck with Group B, this time transforming the small Alfasud Sprint into the Sprint 6Ca little monster which hid, in its bulging wheel arches, a Busso V6 in a central rear position with approximately 230 HP.
But unfortunately, economic times were not good for Alfa and, In view of the investment they had to make to make the Sprint 6C competitive, Autodelta abandoned the project when there was already a first prototype very close to completing its development. A prototype whose spirit is now reflected in Alma’s latest restomod, the Alma Sprint.
An ephemeral whim
Precisely, the only thing that the Alma Sprint does not rescue from its reference is its radical mechanical configuration. Nevertheless, The original 1.7 boxer engine of the Alfasud Sprint receives extensive modifications which include an increase in displacement to 1.8 liters, redesigned cylinder heads, forged pistons, improved camshafts and valves and a pair of Dell’Orto carburetors.
On the whole, These improvements raise the power to a respectable 158 HP, while the weight of the car remains at only 880 kg.. To finish exploiting its more mousey side, we have a gearbox with five speeds and short ratios, as well as a Torsen-type limited slip self-locking differential (LSD).
The aesthetics of the Alma Sprint are the best tribute that could ever be paid to this Group B unborn with front and rear bumpers, made in its image and likeness, more significantly widened side fins that cover, in turn, an adjustable suspension and generous brakes with ventilated discs, among other high-performance components. The double headlights are modern and are signed by Hella while, inside, Sabelt provides its harnesses for spirited driving and a discreet Bluetooth speaker represents that essential point of modern connectivity.
From Alma they announce that they will only build 20 copies of their Sprint, each of them personalized to the taste of its owner thanks to an extensive catalog of options. Its price is unknown at the moment, although we have no doubt that there will already be a long line of Alfistas waiting to get their hands on it. The best way to avoid whims is to fall into them, or so they say. No?
Specialized enthusiast in motors, competition, history and automotive technology. Eternal learner, also, in the new sector of sustainable mobility. Graduate in Journalism with several years of experience in talking about four wheels.
