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49-819: The Alfasud Sprint was presented to the press in September 1976 in Baia Domizia ( Caserta ), and shown at the Turin Motor Show in November. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro like the Alfasud , whose mechanicals it was based on, it had a lower, more angular design, featuring a hatchback (although no folding rear seats). The Alfasud Sprint was assembled together with the Alfasud in the Pomigliano d'Arco plant, located in southern Italy—hence

98-547: A carbon fiber variant found its way into Formula One when it was used by Scuderia Ferrari whom BBS supply its wheels to. At the Turkish Grand Prix , the rear shrouds were also adopted by Toyota and Toro Rosso and thus their use became widespread for all teams. Prior to being banned from the 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series , wheel shrouds were popular on superspeedways until Team Penske revealed that those covers could reduce drag by 2.5%. Another type of wheel cover,

147-564: A 2003 BMW Z3 had 23 different wheel options. Often a hubcap will bear the trademark or symbol of the maker of the automobile or the maker of the hubcap. Early hubcaps were often chrome-plated, and many had decorative, non-functional spokes . Hubcaps were immortalized in the Art Deco styling near the top of one rung of setbacks (ornamental frieze ) incorporates a band of hubcaps on the Chrysler Building in midtown Manhattan . Part of

196-660: A Mclaren F1. In total, 15 Giocattolo Group B cars were built from 1986 to 1989, including 3 prototypes. 14 of these cars remain, while one - Build No. 007 - was destroyed in a high-speed crash at the Eastern Creek Raceway in February 2001, killing the driver, 29-year-old Todd Wilkes. Fabrica Italiana, LDA in Portugal built a road version of their race cars in 2011 to commemorate the 35th anniversary named Sprint Evoluzione 35. The car debuted at Autoclassico Oporto salon. One chassis

245-451: A capacity of 425 litres (15 cubic feet), largely due to the high-profile at the rear, and it has a leather cover to conceal items from view. Initially the Sprint had disc brakes all around, the front ones being the inboard brake type. At the front there is independent MacPherson strut suspension, and at the rear a rigid axle with trailing beams and a Panhard rod . From 1984 all Sprints got

294-459: A customer went to buy the wire wheels, the make of the vehicle would be stamped in the center. During 1927 and 1928, the first snap-on center caps were being made on the wire wheels. After 1932, almost every car had a snap-on style center cap on the middle of their wire, steel, or wood wheels. Wire wheel center caps in the 1930s had a spring-loaded retention clip system that has been used on many hubcaps and center caps on every style of car and truck to

343-482: A new steering wheel and changes to elements of the dashboard and door panels. Sprint 1.3 and 1.5 came with steel wheels with black hubcaps from the Alfasud ti . The newly introduced 1.5 Quadrifoglio Verde sport variant was shown at the March 1983 Geneva Motor Show . Its engine was the 1,490 cc carburated boxer, revised to put out 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp) at 6,000 rpm; front brake discs were vented and

392-616: A possible race car. The prototype was given a mid-mounted, rear-wheel-drive, 2.5 L V6 engine from the GTV6 that made 158 hp (118 kW) at 5600 rpm. The 6C also received new bumpers, a rear spoiler, widened wheel arches, and wider 205/50VR15 wheels. Autodelta built a second car with a reinforced chassis for the purpose of rallying, but neither car resulted in production. Giocattolo Motori Pty. Ltd. in Caloundra in Queensland , Australia, produced

441-486: A sports car using the Sprint as a base donor car for their Group B model. The Giocattolo Group B was developed by entrepreneur and car fanatic Paul Halstead along with Formula One engineer Barry Lock. The chassis and body along with parts of the front suspension and door handles, glass etc. was kept from the Sprint. The use of a donor car allowed Giocattolo to focus on the design and engineering as door hinges, locks and other items where already done for them. The original idea

490-450: A wheel nut work its way off. During the 1960s and 1970s, automakers also offered stainless steel spoke full wheel covers that simulated the look of traditional, and more costly, wire-spoke wheels. Specialty wheels of magnesium or aluminum alloy had come onto the market, and wheel covers were a cheap means of imitating their styling. Plastic wheel covers (known in the UK as wheel trims) appeared in

539-562: Is a seaside resort in the Region of Campania , Italy, at the border with Latium, a natural border marked by the Garigliano River. The name of the resort comes from its geographical position, since the village was founded mid-way along the bay of Gaeta, i.e., along the Domitian coast, which extends from Pozzuoli to Baia, following the modern Via Domiziana (SS7 quarter). The beach was created by

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588-607: Is associated with the German wheelmaking brand BBS since the 1970s. These are attached to the wheel first, then bolted on as if the driver or mechanic is bolting the wheel to his car in the manner of changing their wheel. Commonly made from aluminum, they are designed to distribute airflow to the brakes, thereby generating downforce depending on the shape. Thus, these wheel covers are functional rather than merely decorative. From 2006 , to get around FIA technical regulations that all wheels must be made from an homogeneous metallic material ,

637-725: Is known, numbered #019. It had a full roll cage, road trimmed interior, race derived suspensions, 4 piston outboard vented brakes, LSD and 8 valve 1800cc engine with 180 hp at 7000rpm and 210Nm at 3800rpm. A production series was planned but no other cars are known. The Alfa Sprint used to be a very popular racing car in the late 70s until 1983. Sprint Trofeo was a well known European GT competition in those years. Still, Alfa Sprints are being used in significant numbers as racing cars, mostly in historic cups or hill climbing races, its popularity mainly due to its good handling capabilities. [REDACTED] Media related to Alfa Romeo Sprint at Wikimedia Commons Baia Domizia Baia Domizia

686-730: Is representative of late 70s and 80s Italian car design. A year earlier than the Sprint but from the same drawing board, although with slightly different proportions, another classic 70s design was created - the Volkswagen Golf . Until 1983 the Alfasud Sprint had stainless steel bumpers, restyling in 1983 brought plastic and lower bumpers, a different grille, and some other upgrades like 14-inch (360 mm) Italspeed wheels with 8 circles and nonstandard Michelin 340 mm tyres. Depending on equipment, some Sprints had plastic side bumpers and rear spoiler (mainly Quadrifoglio Verde). The most common

735-425: Is used to cover the wheel hub and the wheel fasteners to reduce the accumulation of dirt and moisture. It also has the function of decorating the car. A hubcap is technically a small cover over the center of the wheel, while a wheel cover is a decorative metal or plastic disk that snaps or bolts onto and covers the entire face of the wheel. Cars with stamped steel wheels often use a full-wheel cover that conceals

784-525: The static wheel fairing , was introduced by BBS for Ferrari at the British Grand Prix to act as a brake cooling aid for front wheels while remaining stationary the wheel itself with one part being cut out at a 27° angle to enable hot air to escape and thus became adopted by every team. The wheel covers were banned from use in F1 from the 2010 season after incidents where they broke loose in races. To get around

833-442: The "knock-off" spinners found on some racing cars and cars equipped with true wire wheels. While the knock-off spinner resembles an early hubcap, its threads also retain the wheel itself, in lieu of lug nuts. When pressed steel wheels became common by the 1940s, these were often painted the same color as the car body. Hubcaps expanded in size to cover the lug nuts that were used to mount these steel wheels. They then serve to protect

882-536: The 1.3 and 1.5. In February 1983 Alfa Romeo updated all of its sports cars; the Sprint received a major facelift . Thereafter the Alfasud prefix and Veloce suffix were abandoned, and the car was known as Alfa Romeo Sprint ; this also in view of the release of the Alfa Romeo 33 , which a few months later replaced the Alfasud family hatchback. The Sprint initially kept the platform of the earlier Sprint with inboard brakes, but updated body details described below. This model

931-439: The 1950 Cadillac (called the " Sombrero ") and that of the 1953 to 1955 Oldsmobile , which resembled a huge, three-tined spinner. Aftermarket suppliers included the "Mooneyes" brand (named after the firm's founder Dean Moon ) hubcaps and wheel covers that were some of the first independently offered for hot rods and custom cars. Another variant of the wheel cover, known also as wheel shrouds , rim blanking or turbofans ,

980-473: The 1970s and became mainstream in the 1980s. The first domestic automobile to use a full plastic wheel cover was the Chevy Monza which featured a "wind blade" design and came in several colors. The variety and number of hubcaps available as original equipment have increased. Plastic has now largely replaced steel as the primary material for manufacturing hubcaps and trims, and where steel wheels are still used,

1029-509: The Alfa Romeo 33 floorpan and modified front suspension and front brakes (no longer of the inboard type). The rear end now had drum brakes. This means that the Alfa 33 (1st generation) and Sprint 83-89 practically share the same mechanics. This is helpful when finding parts for 2nd generation Sprints, since 10 times more Alfa 33s were produced. In 1982, Autodelta built the Sprint 6C as a prototype for

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1078-516: The Alfasud Sprint Veloce, and the new 1.5 Quadrifoglio Verde —1.5 Cloverleaf in the UK. The Australian market received the green striped 105 BHP model at the end of 1984 and the 95 BHP model was dropped. A multitude of changes were involved in the stylistic refresh; there were a new grille , headlamps, wing mirrors, window surrounds and C-pillar ornaments. Bumpers went from chrome to plastic, and large plastic protective strips were added to

1127-486: The ban, Ferrari used a detachable integral aero device made from the same magnesium material as the wheel itself, which consisted of double concentric rings of different diameters. As parts of cars now have to be homologated, its rivals were unable to copy this device. Its use became eliminated when the FIA revised the regulations for 2011 season to prohibit wheel materials in certain exclusion zones. A non-rotating hubcap retains

1176-517: The basis of the Australian -built Giocattolo sports car, which used a mid-mounted Holden 5.0 group A V8 engine. The Sprint had no direct predecessor or successor. In more recent times it found an heir in the Alfa Romeo GT , a coupé derived from the Alfa Romeo 156 and 147 - three generations newer than the Alfasud and Alfetta. The 4.02 metres (158.3 in) long coupe has a very low profile and

1225-402: The body sides; both sported coloured piping, which was grey for 1.3 cars, red for the 1.5 and green for the 1.5 Quadrifoglio. At the rear new trapezoidal tail light assemblies were pieced together with the license plate holder by a black plastic fascia, topped by an Alfa Romeo badge—never present on the Alfasud Sprint. In the cabin there were new seats with cloth seating surfaces and Texalfa backs,

1274-568: The cabin the seats had more pronounced bolsters and were upholstered in a new camel-coloured fabric. Just one year later, in June 1979, another engine update arrived and the Alfasud Sprint became the Alfasud Sprint Veloce . Thanks to double twin-choke carburetors (each choke feeding a single cylinder) and a higher compression ratio engine output increased to 86 PS (63 kW; 85 hp) and 95 PS (70 kW; 94 hp), respectively for

1323-443: The case of plastic hubcaps) engages a groove in the wheel, or bolt-on retention, where a threaded fastener retains the hubcap, or a plastic washer attached to the lugnut itself holds the hubcap on. Clip-on hubcaps tend to pop off suddenly when the wheel impacts a pothole or curbstone, while bolt-on hubcaps are more likely to vibrate loose over time, and tend to rattle and squeak. To prevent the loss, owners attach plastic wheel trims to

1372-405: The center hub on the wood, steel, or wire wheel . These were made from the beginning of car manufacturing to 1932. Pre-1915 hubcaps were all mostly made of brass that was nickel-plated. The 1920s hubcaps were mostly aluminum. Grease caps of the wire wheel brands such as Houk, Hayes, Frayer, Dayton, Buffalo, House, Phelps, Pasco, Rudge Whitworth, Budd, and Stewart are some of the hardest to find. When

1421-478: The earlier 1186 cc units was not offered anymore, remaining exclusive to the Alfasud. Outside many exterior details were changed from chrome to matte black stainless steel or plastic, such as the wing mirrors , window surrounds and C-pillar ornaments; the B-pillar also received a black finish, the side repeaters changed position and became square, and the front turn signals switched from white to amber lenses. In

1470-507: The entire wheel. Cars with alloy wheels or styled steel wheels generally use smaller hubcaps, sometimes called center caps . Alternatively, a wheel cover or spare tire cover can be an accessory that covers an external rear-mounted spare tire found on some automobiles. Hubcaps were first used on the Newton Reaction Carriage in 1680. The first hubcaps were more commonly known as dust or grease caps. These caps are threaded onto

1519-510: The gearing shorter. In addition to the green bumper piping, also specific to the Quadrifoglio were a green instead of chrome scudetto in the front grille, a rear spoiler and 8-hole grey painted alloy wheels with metric Michelin TRX 190/55 tyres . Inside a three-spoke leather-covered steering wheel , green carpets and sport seats in black cloth with green embroidery. In November 1987 the Sprint

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1568-466: The increased engine power, the 1.7 QV adopted vented brake discs upfront. the coloured piping and side plastic strips were deleted, and the Quadrifoglio had alloy wheels of a new design. A fuel injected and 3-way Catalytic converter -equipped 1.7 variant, with an engine again derived from a 33, was added later for sale on specific markets. There were a total of 116,552 Sprints produced during its lifespan, which lasted from 1976 to 1989. 15 of these formed

1617-633: The lore of hubcaps is that on bad roads they have a tendency of falling off due to hitting a bump. Center caps , however, fall off less frequently than older full wheel covers, which were often quite heavy. In some parts of the U.S. and in Mexico there are automotive garages whose walls were decorated with various hubcaps that had fallen off in the vicinity; they were often for sale. This problem persists even with different retention systems that have been engineered. Hubcaps generally use either clip-on retention, where some type of spring steel clip (or plastic clip in

1666-782: The lug nuts or wheel bolts from rust and corrosion that could make them hard to remove when it was necessary to change the wheel to repair a tire. An option on some cars was a chrome-plated trim ring that clipped onto the outer rim of the wheel, in addition to the center hubcap. The full wheel cover became popular that covered the entire wheel. These became increasingly decorative in style and were typically made from chrome-plated or stainless steel. Basic automobiles came standard with simple, unadorned, and inexpensive hubcaps called "poverty caps" or "dog dish caps" due to their size and shape. Various optional full wheel covers of various designs were optional or were standard equipment on higher trim models. Metal hubcaps also offer an audible warning should

1715-451: The mid-1930s the first full wheel covers were introduced to fit over the entire wheel, except for a small portion of the rim closest to the rubber tire. Cord and Hudson were the early adopters. Cord made a plain chrome wheel cover that had a smooth top and holes in the side. The Hudson wheel cover was flat with a lip halfway to the middle and the center would say "Hudson", "Hudson Eight", or " Terraplane ". This configuration differs from

1764-443: The more common right). On the middle console there are a few switches for the front and rear fog lamps, the rear window defroster and rear window wiper. Next to this is an analog clock by Jaeger instruments; until 1983, after which it was replaced with a digital one. Underneath are the ventilation control levers, one for hot, a second one for cold air intake, and a third to distribute flow to upper or lower vents. The rear cargo area has

1813-454: The now extinct volcano of Roccamonfina , and the resident population is under 1,000 as of 2010. The village‘s administration is divided between the Councils of Cellole and of Sessa Aurunca . Originally, it was entirely included in the territory administered by Sessa Aurunca, but in 1973, Cellole, also previously included within the area of Sessa Aurunca, gained independent administration. Baia

1862-471: The original "Sud" moniker, which means south in Italian. Under the Alfasud Sprint's bonnet there was a new version of the Alfasud's 1186 cc four-cylinder boxer engine , stroked to displace 1,286 cc (78 cu in), fed by a twin-choke carburetor and developing 76 PS (56 kW; 75 hp) at 6,000 rpm. Mated to the flat-four was a five-speed, all- synchromesh gearbox. The interior

1911-475: The present day. Steel wheels in the 1930s had retention clips mounted to the wheel that snapped into a lip in the back of the cap. Wood wheels were a special option. The caps on these had a large chrome base that mushroomed up to another smaller chrome base that would have the emblem on the face. The "stem" up to the second base was usually painted black to make it look as if the top base was floating. These caps were usually made of brass, steel, or aluminum. During

1960-628: The same orientation even when a vehicle is in motion. An example is the Rolls-Royce whose hubcap centers are weighted and mounted to revolve independently of the wheel rotation, thus the RR logo can be read while the vehicle is in motion. This design also allows for messages or advertising to be placed on the hubcap and be read while the vehicle is moving. Non-rotating hubcaps with advertisements may be found on race cars, taxis , commercial vehicles, industrial machinery, buses , and golf carts . A nave plate

2009-443: The wheel itself using an electrical zip tie , which are sold in silver color for this purpose. A kit consisting of spare zip ties, a pair of cutting pliers, and latex gloves allow a trim thus secured to be removed easily in the event of a tire puncture. In the U.S., during the age of custom cars (the 1950s–early 1960s), decorating one's car with the wheel covers from another was common. Two very desirable wheel covers were those of

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2058-482: The wheels are now generally painted black so the wheel is less visible through cutouts in the wheel trim. On modern automobiles, full-wheel hubcaps are most commonly seen on budget models and base trim levels, while upscale and performance-oriented models use alloy wheels. Even modern aluminum alloy wheels generally use small removable center caps, similar in size to the earliest hubcaps. The variety of wheel trims on any particular car has expanded significantly, for example,

2107-500: Was built by a firm located in Veneto, Aurunca Litora' SpA, chaired by the Paduan industrialist Giuseppe Longato. 41°12′N 13°48′E  /  41.200°N 13.800°E  / 41.200; 13.800 Hubcap A hubcap or hub cap is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at minimum the central portion of the wheel, called the hub . An automobile hubcap

2156-461: Was sold from 1983 in its markets & in Australia only until late 1984. It later received a platform upgrade, which was now the same as that of the Alfa Romeo 33; this entailed modified front suspension, brakes mounted in the wheels instead of inboard like on the Alfasud, and drum brakes at the rear end. Three models made up the Sprint range: 1.3 and 1.5, with engines and performance unchanged from

2205-449: Was the Zender pack add-in, with lower bumpers and side-skirts, sold mostly in the UK and a few other countries. The Alfa Sprint is a 2+2 , with two seats in front and two in the rear. The two front seats came in two versions, an ordinary version and sport version with elongated thigh bolsters. An uncommon feature is the ignition key, which is on the left side of the steering wheel (instead of

2254-487: Was then divided between the two areas: the eastern and southern parts were assigned to Cellole, while the northern part stayed under the administration of Sessa Aurunca. The settlement was born at the beginning of the 1960s, when Baia Domizia was planned and built as a tourist resort. The first building site was opened on 7 April 1963. The planning of Baia Domizia was an initiative of the Town Council of Sessa Aurunca, and it

2303-645: Was to use the Alfa 2.5 L (2,492 cc) V6 (160 hp [119 kW; 162 PS]) as engine and was mid-mounted in a few prototypes. The sourcing of the V6-engines proved too expensive and difficult hence the Giocattolo went on to produce the cars with the Holden 5.0 Walkinshaw group V8, as fitted to the VL Commodore group A cars, along with a ZF 5 DS-25-2 transaxle, giving them a power-to-weight ratio on par with

2352-416: Was updated for the last time; the 1.3 variant was carried over, while the 1.5 engine was phased out and the 1.5 QV was superseded by the 118 PS (87 kW; 116 hp) Sprint 1.7 Quadrifoglio Verde . The 1,286 cc (78 cu in) engine was directly derived from the 33 1.7 Quadrifoglio Verde, and could propel the Sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 9.3 seconds; to cope with

2401-443: Was upholstered in dark brown Texalfa leatherette and tartan cloth. Options were limited to alloy wheels , a quartz clock and metallic paint . In May 1978 the Alfasud Sprint underwent its first updates, both cosmetic and technical. Engine choice was enlarged to two boxers, shared with the renewed Alfasud ti , a 79 PS (58 kW; 78 hp) 1.3 (1,350 cc) and an 85 PS (63 kW; 84 hp) 1.5 (1,490 cc);

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