Suzuki Alto (1985) – Into the Wild

With the Alto, Suzuki launched a model in the late 1970s that made driving a car very affordable. In fact; the Alto has even been the cheapest new car in the Netherlands for a long time. He mainly took you from A to B for as little money as possible and if possible for many years in a row. With the latter, the manufacturer probably thought about ten to fifteen years and then the cake would logically be over. This was certainly the case for many Altos and the first generation in particular has therefore been a rarity in the street scene for some time now. That’s why we thought it worthy of In the Wild five years ago. It took a while, but now we have one again. The undersigned spotted this 38 year old specimen.

It looks a bit like the Alto that starred on this website in 2018 and also comes from the same year of manufacture, but there is at least one important difference; it’s a three-door. Unlike its brother with rear doors, this Alto does have a full tailgate. As a result, his behind also looks quite different; the license plate on this model is not located under the (lower) bumper, but on the tailgate. That seems like nothing more than an external difference, but it has more than once ensured that three-door Altos ended up on the scrapyard a bit earlier. For many European license plates, the standard cutout in the tailgate was not wide enough, so Suzuki put a plate over it and then the license plate fit. Around that plate, many Altos started to rust over time and that did not add to the longevity.

They wanted to rust over time anyway and that was the beginning of the end for many Altos. The technique usually outlived the coach. With this Suzuki Alto it turned out a bit differently. It still looks just as handsome as you would say based on the photos. You almost wonder if the car has been repainted once, although it is more likely that it just had a quiet (and dry) life. In any case, it has stayed with the same owner for 21 years, so that may be the explanation. The current owner took possession of the Alto last November. Then there must be an enthusiast behind the wheel, because to go for such an old Alto in 2023 because you just need a means of transport … Keep it on the road!