Alfa plus rusty Alfasud? This 1980s Glassfibre replacement body package was one solution. Story by Richard Heseltine OBSCURATI CURIOSITIES FROM THE AMAZING WORLD OF ITALIAN CARS Body conversions now comprise a significant sector of the British specialist car industry. Some are produced by kit car outfits, others by more highfalutin, cough, ‘coachbuilders’. Such reimagining is nothing new, though. Among the earliest such makeovers was the Alfa Plus which emerged in 1984.
All the same. Evans wonders what the future will bring, given the homogenised state of the new-vehicle market… When I was a kid, cars always seemed to be more than just four-wheeled conveyances. Even the most mundane family four-door seemed to have style and substance. By the time I was eight I could identify almost every car on the road.
Looking at these pictures you could be forgiven for thinking that this G-Wagen is something of a stealth machine, with its gunmetal paint, sharp edges and slab-sided panels. But the briefest of encounters with this unfeasibly cool 4x4 would soon make it clear that if there’s one thing that it cannot do, it’s stealth, on account of its ear-splitting soundtrack. If only there was some way for us to bring you moving pictures complete with sound.
Evans debates the merits of keeping your classic in factory condition or adding upgrades to make it more suitable for today’s roads In the world of classic cars and, I’ll wager, particularly on this side of the pond, the age old argument of factory stock versus modified continues. Most of us, no doubt, are drawn to classic cars and trucks due to the way they look, both their exterior styling and interior features.