Story by Dimitar Tenov // Photos by Dimitar Tenov and Kaci
It all began in my early childhood, with couple of Datsun 240Z and Mercedes SL diecast models. The obsession developed into a game that me and my neighbour played every day, guessing what car was coming round the corner, judging solely by its sound. Strangely, those sounds turned into a permanent Italian car craze.
My Alfasud Sprint is actually a present from a close friend ,who decided to give his rotten and tired daily driver to someone instead to put it a price tag and sell it for pocket change.
I’ve spent almost three years restoring it, with the purpose of using it as a handsome daily driver. Along the way, I have sacrificed the original 1.5-litre, dual-carbureted boxer engine for the biggest production Alfa boxer, a 1.7-litre 16 valve unit with 128 horsepower. This made the little Sprint a true Veloce, and a very civilized car that could handle a 500 mile vacation and home again. A big boot to store your travel bags, too.
Driving through the numerous mountain passes in Bulgaria makes me really happy. There I can take advantage of the revvy engine and its sporty suspension.
Because these cars are notorious for their rust issues and being abused and neglected by owners, most of them ended in scrapyards. Parts are so scarce in my country that I had to buy a whole parts car just to get the front grille. On the other hand, I have found a complete set of Carello front lights at the flea market—for just $5. With Alfas, you sometimes have luck!
