1977 Chrysler Alpine GL from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing major in the time I owned it, which is a miracle because they didn't get a good press at the time.

Build quality was pretty poor though - it was built in 1970s France after all. The dashboard, rear parcel shelf, and radio speakers all rattled and vibrated.

Heated rear window never worked.

Rust started rearing its ugly head after two years. Thin French steel.

The Alpine was a 5-door hatchback built by Simca in France and sold as a Chrysler in the UK.

Good grip when cornering, but very soft suspension was enough to make anyone seasick.

1.3 litre engine was reliable, but not really adequate for the size of the car.

Rust was a real problem on these cars, There aren't many left now.

It seems that here in the West Indies we have had the worst cars - in the sense that cars that get perfectly good reviews abroad, get totally bashed here. The Alpine is an example - it gave my brother no end of trouble - everything went wrong - until he got fed-up and sold it for a song...