The 1980 Alfasud TI was the final upgrade for the front-wheel-drive sporty Alfa Romeo.
It was the only hatchback that could handle better than the already famed VW Golf GTI.

Alfa Romeo’s most successful story was close to an end. Its TI version was improved and received a new design, a reworked engine, and, they said, better anti-rust treatment. The latter was much needed since it was the Achille’s heel for the sporty, three-door hatchback.

The chromed metallic bumper trend was already gone since the late ’70s, but Alfa didn’t care too much. Even though it revamped the car in 1978, it didn’t change them until the 1980 refresh. Then, it applied the wrapped-around plastic bumpers both front and rear. For the 1.5-liter version, the carmaker installed a small wing on the tailgate.

Inside, plastic and rubber were clearly arranged to create an ergonomic cockpit. Its tachometer featured a yellow and a red-zone so the driver could know when to change the gears for maximum effect, and that’s was between 5500 and 6500 rpm. In the back, the folding seatback was good to expand the trunk area.

Under the hood, Alfa Romeo used the same 1.3- and 1.5-liter engines from its predecessor, but the base version was enhanced, and it produced more power than before. Unfortunately, the 1.5-liter unit was outpowered by the Golf GTI by almost 20 hp, and that made the Italian hatchback slower by more than 1.5 seconds than the German hot-hatch. Its only advantage was the lower center of gravity due to the flat-four engine, and that made the TI better on cornering.