Book Review: Alfa Romeo Alfasud — The Complete Story
Crowood Press’s latest motoring title covers one of Italy’s most important and controversial motoring tales, the Alfa Romeo Alfasud. Does it justice, though?
Full disclosure: as an Alfa Romeo historian myself, I was contacted by the book’s author during his work and now by Crowood itself, which kindly lent me a copy of the finished product for me to review. However, I have no affiliation with the company and no personal gain from its activities. The purpose of this article simply is to share with you my honest opinion, and I hope you’ll enjoy it.
The importance of the Alfasud in Alfa Romeo’s history cannot be overestimated. For better or worse, it changed the Milanese company’s trajectory forever and, to this day, still is Alfa’s greatest commercial success, selling just over a million units.
Yet, the Alfasud’s convoluted tale has rarely been appropriately told outside Italy, as English-speaking authors have generally stuck with a nauseating mix of unsubstantiated rumors and cheap jokes.
Thankfully, author Chris Martin proves to be an exception and a very welcome one at that. The depth of his research on the topic is evident throughout the 176 pages of his book, which…