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Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury
car manufacturer This is a list of notable automobile manufacturers with articles on Wikipedia by country. It includes companies that are in business as well as defunct manufacturers. Only companies that have articles here are included. A Algeria * SNVI ...
and a subsidiary of
Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed in 2021 on the basis of a 50–50 cross-border merger between the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. The comp ...
. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in
Milan, Italy Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "Anonima" means "anonymous", which was a legal form of company at the time ( Società anonima). In the initial set-up phase, in order to have a building to produce cars, the company bought the Portello factory building of Darracq in Milan, which was closing up and selling all its assets. The brand is known for sport-oriented vehicles and has been involved in car racing since 1911. Alfa Romeo was owned by
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, commercial vehicles, auto parts and production systems. The Italian holding company Exor was the largest ...
, the company that was responsible for the production of Alfa Romeo cars until its operations were fully merged with those of the
PSA Group The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...
to form
Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed in 2021 on the basis of a 50–50 cross-border merger between the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. The comp ...
on 16 January 2021. The first car produced by the company was the 1910 24 HP, designed by
Giuseppe Merosi Giuseppe Merosi (8 December 1872 – 27 March 1956) was an Italian automobile engineer and designer. Born in Piacenza, Merosi worked as a building surveyor, before he decided to explore his gift for automotive engineering. He first earned expe ...
. A.L.F.A. ventured into
motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of t ...
, with drivers Franchini and Ronzoni competing in the 1911 Targa Florio with two 24-hp models. In August 1915, the company came under the direction of Neapolitan entrepreneur
Nicola Romeo Nicola Romeo (; Sant'Antimo, 28 April 1876 – Magreglio, 15 August 1938) was an Italian engineer and entrepreneur mostly known for founding the car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. He served as a senator in the 18th Legislature of the Kingdom of Italy (X ...
, who converted the factory to produce military hardware for the Italian and Allied war efforts. In 1920, the name of the company was changed to Alfa Romeo with the Torpedo 20–30 HP the first car to be so badged. In 1921, the Banca Italiana di Sconto, which backed the Ing. Nicola Romeo & Co, went bankrupt and the government needed to support the industrial companies involved, of which Alfa Romeo was among, through the "Consorzio per Sovvenzioni sui Valori Industriali". In 1925, the railway activities were separated from the Romeo company, and in 1928 Nicola Romeo left. In 1933, the state ownership was reorganized under the banner of the Italian state industrial organization Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI), which then had effective control. The company struggled to return to profitability after the Second World War, and turned to mass-producing small vehicles rather than hand-building luxury models. In 1954, it developed the
Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine The Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine is an all-alloy inline-four engine series produced by Alfa Romeo from 1954 to 1994. In Italian it is known as the "bialbero" ("twin-shaft"), and has also been nicknamed the "Nord" (North) engine in reference to its b ...
, which would remain in production until 1994. The Istituto per la Ricostruzione (IRI), the state conglomerate that controls Finmeccanica sold the marque to the Fiat Group in 1986 due to the marque being unprofitable. Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in
Grand Prix motor racing Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition, has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as early as 1894. It quickly evolved from simple road races from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and ...
,
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
,
sportscar racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing i ...
,
touring car racing Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition with heavily modified road-going cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States. While the cars do not mov ...
, and rallies. It has competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries (usually under the name Alfa Corse or Autodelta), and private entries. The first racing car was made in 1913, three years after the foundation of the company, and Alfa Romeo won the inaugural world championship for Grand Prix cars in 1925. The race victories gave a sporty image to the marque, and Enzo Ferrari founded the
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in reference to their logo. ...
racing team in 1929 as an Alfa Romeo racing team, before becoming independent in 1939. Ferrari has had the most wins of any marque in the world.


History


Name

The company's name is a combination of the original name, "A.L.F.A." ("Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili"), and the last name of entrepreneur Nicola Romeo, who took control of the company in 1915.


Foundation and early years

The first factory building of A.L.F.A. was in the first place property of Società Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID), founded in 1906 by the French automobile firm of
Alexandre Darracq Alexandre Darracq (10 November 1855 – 1931) was a French investor, engineer, cycle manufacturer and automobile manufacturer. By 1904, Darracq was producing more than ten percent of all automobiles in France and he sold a substantial part of ...
, with some Italian investors. One of them, Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
, became chairman of the SAID in 1909. The firm's initial location was in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
, but even before the construction of the planned factory had started, Darracq decided late in 1906 that Milan would be more suitable and accordingly a tract of land was acquired in the Milan suburb of Portello, where a new factory of was constructed. In late 1909, the Italian Darracq cars were selling slowly and the company was wound up. Ugo Stella, with the other Italian co-investors, founded a new company named A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili), buying the assets of Italian Darracq that was up to dissolution. The first car produced by the company was the 1910 24 HP, designed by
Giuseppe Merosi Giuseppe Merosi (8 December 1872 – 27 March 1956) was an Italian automobile engineer and designer. Born in Piacenza, Merosi worked as a building surveyor, before he decided to explore his gift for automotive engineering. He first earned expe ...
, hired in 1909 for designing new cars more suited to the Italian market. Merosi would go on to design a series of new A.L.F.A. cars, with more powerful engines such as the 40–60 HP. A.L.F.A. ventured into
motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of t ...
, with drivers Franchini and Ronzoni competing in the 1911 Targa Florio with two 24-hp models. In 1914, an advanced Grand Prix car was designed and built, the GP1914, with a four-cylinder engine, double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and twin ignition. However, the onset of the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
halted automobile production at A.L.F.A. for three years. In August 1915, the company came under the direction of Neapolitan entrepreneur
Nicola Romeo Nicola Romeo (; Sant'Antimo, 28 April 1876 – Magreglio, 15 August 1938) was an Italian engineer and entrepreneur mostly known for founding the car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. He served as a senator in the 18th Legislature of the Kingdom of Italy (X ...
, who converted the factory to produce military hardware for the Italian and Allied war efforts. Munitions, aircraft engines and other components, compressors, and generators based on the company's existing car engines were produced in a vastly enlarged factory during the war. After the war, Romeo invested his war profits in acquiring locomotive and railway carriage plants in Saronno ( Costruzioni Meccaniche di Saronno), Rome (Officine Meccaniche di Roma), and Naples (Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali), which were added to his A.L.F.A. ownership. Car production had not been considered at first, but resumed in 1919 since parts for the completion of 105 cars had remained at the A.L.F.A. factory since 1915. In 1920, the name of the company was changed to Alfa Romeo with the Torpedo 20–30 HP the first car to be so badged. Their first success came in 1920 when Giuseppe Campari won at
Mugello The Mugello is a historic region and valley in northern Tuscany, in Italy, corresponding to the course of the River Sieve. It is located to the north of the city of Florence and includes the northernmost portion of the Metropolitan City of ...
and continued with second place in the Targa Florio driven by Enzo Ferrari. Giuseppe Merosi continued as head designer, and the company continued to produce solid road cars as well as successful race cars (including the 40–60 HP and the RL Targa Florio). In 1923, Vittorio Jano was lured from
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...
, partly due to the persuasion of a young Alfa racing driver named Enzo Ferrari, to replace Merosi as chief designer at Alfa Romeo. The first Alfa Romeo under Jano was the P2 Grand Prix car, which won Alfa Romeo the inaugural world championship for Grand Prix cars in 1925. For road cars, Jano developed a series of small-to-medium-displacement 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder inline engines based on the P2 unit that established the architecture of the company's engines, with light alloy construction,
hemi Hemi may refer to: People Surname * Jack Hemi (1914–1996), New Zealand freezing worker, rugby union and league player, shearer * Ronald Hemi (1933–2000), New Zealand rugby union player Given name * Hemi Bawa, Indian painter and sculptor * ...
spherical combustion chambers, centrally located plugs, two rows of overhead valves per cylinder bank and dual overhead cams. Jano's designs proved both reliable and powerful. Enzo Ferrari proved a better team manager than a driver, and when the factory team was privatised, it became
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in reference to their logo. ...
. When Ferrari left Alfa Romeo, he went on to build his own cars. Tazio Nuvolari often drove for Alfa, winning many races before the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. In 1928, Nicola Romeo left, and in 1933 Alfa Romeo was rescued by the government, which then had effective control. Alfa Romeo became an instrument of Mussolini's Italy, a national emblem. During this period it built bespoke vehicles for the wealthy, with bodies normally by
Carrozzeria Touring Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera is an Italian automobile coachbuilder. Originally established in Milan in 1925, Carrozzeria Touring became well known for both the beauty of its designs and patented superleggera construction methods. The bu ...
or
Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
. This era peaked with the Alfa Romeo 2900B Type 35 racers. The Alfa factory (converted during wartime to the production of
Macchi C.202 Folgore The Macchi C.202 ''Folgore'' (Italian "thunderbolt") was an Italian fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Macchi Aeronautica. It was operated mainly by the ''Regia Aeronautica'' (''RA''; Royal (Italian) Air Force) in and around the Seco ...
engines: the Daimler-Benz 600 series built under license) was bombed during the Second World War and struggled to return to profitability after the war. The luxury vehicles were out. Smaller, mass-produced vehicles began to be produced beginning with the 1954 model year, with the introduction of the Giulietta series of ''berline'' (saloons/sedans), coupes and open two-seaters. All three varieties shared what would become the Alfa Romeo overhead Twin Cam four-cylinder engine, initially displacing 1300 cc. This engine would eventually be enlarged to 2000 cc and would remain in production until 1995.


Post war

Once motorsports resumed after the Second World War, Alfa Romeo proved to be the car to beat in Grand Prix events. The introduction of the new formula (
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
) for single-seat racing cars provided an ideal setting for Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158 Alfetta, adapted from a pre-war voiturette, and Giuseppe Farina won the first Formula One World Championship in 1950 in the 158.
Juan Manuel Fangio Juan Manuel Fangio (American Spanish: , ; 24 June 1911 – 17 July 1995), nicknamed ''El Chueco'' ("the bowlegged" or "bandy legged one") or ''El Maestro'' ("The Master" or "The Teacher"), was an Argentine racing car driver. He dominated t ...
secured Alfa's second consecutive championship in 1951. In 1952, Alfa Romeo experimented with its first front-wheel-drive compact car, "Project 13–61". It had the same transverse-mounted, forward-motor layout as the modern front-wheel-drive automobile. Alfa Romeo made a second attempt in the late 1950s based on Project 13–61. It was to be called Tipo 103 and resembled the smaller version of its popular Alfa Romeo Giulia. However, due to the financial difficulties in post-war Italy, the Tipo 103 never saw production. Had Alfa Romeo produced it, it would have preceded the Mini as the first "modern" front-wheel-drive compact car. In the mid-1950s, Alfa Romeo entered into an agreement with
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
's Matarazzo Group to create a company called Fabral (''Fábrica Brasileira de Automóveis Alfa'', "the Brazilian Alfa automobile factory") to build the Alfa Romeo 2000 there. After having received government approval, Matarazzo pulled out under pressure from Brazil's President
Juscelino Kubitschek Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (; 12 September 1902 – 22 August 1976), also known by his initials JK, was a prominent Brazilian politician who served as the 21st president of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. His term was marked by economic prosp ...
with the state-owned FNM company instead commenced building the car as the "FNM 2000" there in 1960. During the 1960s, Alfa Romeo concentrated on motorsports using production-based cars, including the GTA (standing for Gran Turismo Allegerita), an aluminium-bodied version of the Bertone-designed coupe with a powerful twin-plug engine. Among other victories, the GTA won the inaugural
Sports Car Club of America The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional ...
's
Trans-Am The Trans-Am Series is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of track types includi ...
championship in 1966. In the 1970s, Alfa Romeo concentrated on prototype sports car racing with the Tipo 33, with early victories in 1971. Eventually the Tipo 33TT12 gained the
World Championship for Makes The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992. The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and North ...
for Alfa Romeo in 1975 and the Tipo 33SC12 won the World Championship for Sports Cars in 1977. As Alfa Romeo was a state-controlled company, they were often subject to political pressure. To help industrialize Italy's underdeveloped south, Alfa Romeo's new compact car was to be built at a new factory at Pomigliano d'Arco in
Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...
. Even the car's name, ''Alfa Sud'' (Alfa South), reflected where it was built. 18 January 1968, saw a new company named "Industria Napoletana Costruzioni Autoveicoli Alfa Romeo-Alfasud S.p.A." being formed, 90% of which belonged to Alfa Romeo and 10% to Government controlled holding company Finmeccanica. This plant was built in the wake of France's 1968 protests and Italy's Hot Autumn and was never "properly started." The employees had mainly construction backgrounds and were not trained for factory work, while industrial relations were troublesome throughout. Absenteeism rates in the Pomigliano factory ran at 16.5 percent through the 1970s, Seidler, p. 20 reaching as high as 28 percent. By the 1970s, Alfa Romeo was again in financial trouble, with the company running at about sixty percent of capacity in 1980. Since Alfa Romeo was controlled by the Italian government-owned Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI), a deal was made where about a quarter of worker's salaries were paid through state unemployment agencies to allow Alfa's plants to idle for two weeks every two months. An aging product lineup and very low productivity combined with near-permanent industrial unrest and Italy's high inflation rates kept Alfa Romeo firmly in the red. Other creative measures were attempted to shore up Alfa, including an ultimately unsuccessful joint venture with Nissan endorsed by Alfa's then-president, Ettore Massacesi, and Prime Minister
Francesco Cossiga Francesco Maurizio Cossiga (; sc, Frantziscu Maurìtziu Còssiga, ; 1928 – 2010)
.
was an Italian pol ...
. By 1986, IRI was suffering heavy losses — with Alfa Romeo having not been profitable for the last 13 years — and IRI president
Romano Prodi Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Pr ...
put Alfa Romeo up for sale. Finmeccanica, the mechanical holdings arm of IRI and its predecessors owned Alfa Romeo since 1932. Prodi first approached fellow Italian manufacturer Fiat, which offered to start a joint venture with Alfa.


Fiat takeover

Fiat withdrew its plan for a joint venture with Alfa Romeo when Ford put in an offer to acquire part of Alfa Romeo and restructure the company, while increasing its stake over time. However, Fiat chose to put in a bid to acquire the entirety of Alfa Romeo and offer job guarantees to Italian workers, an offer that Ford was unwilling to match. It also did not hurt any of the parties involved that an acquisition by Fiat would keep Alfa Romeo in Italian hands. In 1986, the deal was concluded with Alfa Romeo merged with traditional rival
Lancia Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...
into Fiat's Alfa Lancia Industriale S.p.A. Already in 1981, Alfa Romeo's then-President Ettore Massacesi had stated that Alfa would never use Fiat engines — the engines being, to a large extent, Alfa Romeo's identity — but would be happy to cooperate fully with everything else. Seidler, p. 19 Models produced from the 1990 onwards combined Alfa's traditional virtues of avant-garde styling and sporting panache with the economic benefits of product rationalisation, and include a "GTA" version of the
147 147 may refer to: * 147 (number), a natural number * AD 147, a year of the Julian calendar, in the second century * 147 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 147 AH, a year in the Islamic calendar that corresponds to 764 – 765 CE ...
hatchback, the
Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was born in Garessio, Cuneo, Piedmont. Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted ...
-designed Brera, and a high-performance exotic called the 8C Competizione (named after one of Alfa's most successful prewar sports and racing cars, the 8C of the 1930s). In 2005,
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. ...
was bought back from
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
and was now under Fiat's full control. The Fiat Group then created a sports and luxury division from Maserati and Alfa Romeo. There is a planned strategic relationship between these two; engines, platforms and possibly dealers are shared. In the beginning of 2007, Fiat Auto S.p.A. was reorganized and four new automobile companies were created; Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A., Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. and Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles S.p.A. These companies were fully owned by Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. (from 2007 FCA Italy S.p.A.). On 24 June 2010, Alfa Romeo celebrated 100 years from its foundation.


Recent developments

Alfa Romeo has been suffering from falling sales. In 2010, it sold a total of about 112,000 units, which was significantly lower than Fiat CEO Marchionne's global sales target of 300,000. The company set about to achieve a sales target of 170,000 units in 2011, including 100,000 Giulietta and 60,000
MiTo Mito may refer to: Places *Mito, Ibaraki, capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Mito, Aichi, a Japanese town *Mito, Shimane, a Japanese town * Mitō, Yamaguchi, a Japanese town * Mito District, a district in the province of Concepción, Per ...
models, but it actually sold 130,000 units that year. Its medium-term target was 500,000 units by 2014 including 85,000 from the North American market. In 2017 Alfa Romeo increased production by 62 percent, building a total of 150,722 vehicles at the company's three factories. On January 16, 2021, the operations of
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, commercial vehicles, auto parts and production systems. The Italian holding company Exor was the largest ...
and
Groupe PSA The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...
were merged to form
Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed in 2021 on the basis of a 50–50 cross-border merger between the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. The comp ...
and the company was renamed Stellantis Italy. In spite of falling sales, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato announced in 2021 that a new model would be launched every year between 2022 and 2026, starting with the much-delayed Tonale, with full electrification of new models from 2027.


Return to North America

Alfa Romeo was imported to the United States by Max Hoffman from the mid-1950s. The Giulietta Spider was developed on the request of Max Hoffman, who proposed an open top version of the Giulietta. In 1961 Alfa Romeo started exporting cars to the United States through its own dealer network. In 1995, Alfa Romeo ceased exporting cars to the United States, the last model sold in that market being the 164 sedan. On 5 May 2006, Alfa Romeo made its return to the US Market as announced by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne after a series of rumours. North American sales resumed in October 2008, with the launch of the limited production 8C Competizione coupe with Alfa Romeo models being imported by Fiat's US subsidiary Chrysler. Also in 2008, Alfa Romeo and Chrysler were reported to be in discussions over the possibility of producing Alfa Romeo cars in some Chrysler manufacturing plants that had shut down due to the company group's restructure and cost cutting. Instead, as reported by ''The Wall Street Journal'' in November 2009, Chrysler discontinued several Dodge and Jeep models while phasing in Alfa Romeo ones and the new Fiat 500. The next significant milestones in Alfa Romeo's North American return occurred in 2014, with the launch of the more affordable two-seater 4C coupe. That year, Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. confirmed that its original agreement with Mazda Motor Corporation, for the speculated manufacturing of a new Alfa Romeo Spider based on the Mazda MX-5 had been terminated mutually in December 2014. The proposed model for this joint-venture became the Fiat 124 Spider convertible launched in 2015. In 2015, Alfa Romeo's return to this market was further bolstered by the automaker's display of the new Giulia at the Los Angeles Auto Show. In February 2017, Chrysler featured its Alfa Romeo brand exclusively in three ads during Super Bowl LI. Alfa Romeo's US importer,
FCA US LLC Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automotiv ...
, imports the 4C, Giulia and Stelvio.


Design and technology


Technological development

Alfa Romeo has introduced many technological innovations over the years, and the company has often been among the first users of new technologies. Its trademark
double overhead cam An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion ch ...
engine was used for the first time in the 1914
Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...
car, the first road car with such an engine, the 6C 1500 Sport, appeared in 1928. Alfa Romeo tested one of the first electronic fuel injection systems ( Caproni-Fuscaldo) in the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 with "Ala spessa" body in 1940
Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...
. The engine had six electrically operated injectors, fed by a semi-high pressure circulating fuel pump system. 1969 models for the
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
n market had SPICA (Società Pompe Iniezione Cassani & Affini, a subsidiary of Alfa Romeo) mechanical fuel injection. According to Alfa Romeo, the engine's power output and performance were unchanged from the carburetted version. The SPICA system continued until the 1982 model year with the introduction of 2.0 liter Bosch
electronic fuel injection Manifold injection is a mixture formation system for internal combustion engines with external mixture formation. It is commonly used in engines with spark ignition that use petrol as fuel, such as the Otto engine, and the Wankel engine. In a man ...
. Many examples of SPICA powered Alfa's are found still running, Mechanical
variable valve timing In internal combustion engines, variable valve timing (VVT) is the process of altering the timing of a valve lift event, and is often used to improve performance, fuel economy or emissions. It is increasingly being used in combination with var ...
was introduced in the Alfa Romeo Spider, sold in the U.S. in 1980. All Alfa Romeo Spider models from 1983 onward used electronic VVT. The 105 series Giulia was quite an advanced car, using technologies such as all-wheel
disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to h ...
s, and a plastic radiator header tank. It had also the lowest drag coefficient (Cd) in its class The same trend continued with the Alfetta 2000 and GTV, which had quirks such as 50:50
weight distribution Weight distribution is the apportioning of weight within a vehicle, especially cars, airplanes, and trains. Typically, it is written in the form ''x''/''y'', where ''x'' is the percentage of weight in the front, and ''y'' is the percentage in ...
, standard fit
alloy wheel In the automotive industry, alloy wheels are wheels that are made from an alloy of aluminium or magnesium. Alloys are mixtures of a metal and other elements. They generally provide greater strength over pure metals, which are usually much softe ...
s and
transaxle A transaxle is a single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission, axle, and differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual and automatic versions. Engine and drive at the s ...
. Newer innovations include complete
CAD Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...
design process used in designing the Alfa Romeo 164 and an automated/paddle-shift transmission called '' Selespeed'' used in the 156; the 156 was also the world's first passenger car to use
Common rail Common rail direct fuel injection is a direct fuel injection system built around a high-pressure (over ) fuel rail feeding solenoid valves, as opposed to a low-pressure fuel pump feeding unit injectors (or pump nozzles). High-pressure injecti ...
diesel engine. The Multiair -an electro-hydraulic variable valve actuation technology used in
MiTo Mito may refer to: Places *Mito, Ibaraki, capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Mito, Aichi, a Japanese town *Mito, Shimane, a Japanese town * Mitō, Yamaguchi, a Japanese town * Mito District, a district in the province of Concepción, Per ...
was introduced in 2009. In 2016, the Alfa Romeo Giulia came with electrical brakes.MOTOR
Geek Speak: Alfa Romeo's brake by wire , MOTOR
accessdate: 27. January 2018


Body design

Many famous automotive design houses in Italy have accepted commissions to produce concepts and production vehicle shapes for Alfa Romeo. These include: * Bertone * Giorgetto Giugiaro / Italdesign *
Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
*
Zagato Zagato is an independent coachbuilding company and total design centre located northwest of Milan in Terrazzano, a small village near Rho, Lombardy, Italy. The company's premises occupies an area of 23,000 square metres (250,000 sq ft)- 11,000 ...
* Centro Stile Alfa Romeo Construction techniques used by Alfa Romeo has been imitated by other carmakers, and in this way, the Alfa Romeo body designs have often been very influential. The following is a list of innovations, and where appropriate, examples of imitation by other car manufacturers: * 1960s: Aerodynamics: The 116-series Giulia had a very low Cd. Toyota, in particular, sought to produce a similarly shaped series of vehicles at this time. * 1970s: Fairing of bumpers: In order to meet American crash standards, Alfa Romeo formulated a design technique to incorporate bumpers into the overall bodywork design of vehicles so as to not ruin their design lines. The culmination of this design technique was the 1980s Alfa Romeo 75. The process was widely copied, particularly in Germany and Japan. * 1980s: The Alfa Romeo 164: The design process and influence of this car is almost completely out of all proportion to previous Alfa Romeos. The 164 introduced complete CAD/CAM in the manufacturing cycle, with very little directly made by hand. In addition, the 164's styling influence continues into the present-day line of modern Alfa Romeos. Most manufacturers incorporated design ideas first expressed in the 164 into their own designs, including greater reliance on on-board computers. * 1990s: The pseudo-coupé: The Alfa Romeo 156 and 147, while four-door vehicles, represented themselves as two-doors with prominent front door handles, and less visible rear door-handle flaps. Honda has used this design style in the latest Civic hatchback, and a somewhat similar idea is also seen in the
Mazda RX-8 The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Japanese automobile manufacturer Mazda between 2002 and 2012. It was first shown in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. It is the successor to the RX-7 and, like its predecessors i ...
four-seat coupé and Renault Clio V. *2000s: The Brera and 159: These vehicles' design, by Giorgetto Giugiaro, have proven influential in sedan and coupé styling, demonstrating that concept vehicles are often immediately translatable into road car form, providing that initial design takes place using CAD systems.


Concept cars

Several concept cars have been made by Alfa Romeo: ;1950s – The B.A.T. cars The '' Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica'' prototype cars were designed by Bertone as an exercise in determining whether streamlining and wind-tunnel driven designs would result in high performance on a standard chassis and whether the resulting vehicles would be palatable to the public. Alfa 1900 Sprint were the basis of the B.A.T. 5, 7 and 9. The later B.A.T. 11 was based on the 8C Competizione. ;1960s and 1970s – Descendants of the Tipo 33 The Tipo 33 racing car, with its high-revving 2000 cc V8 engine became the basis for a number of different concept cars during the 1960s and 1970s, two of which ultimately resulted in production vehicles. Most made their appearances at the Auto Salon Genève. Here is a brief list: * Gandini/Bertone Carabo (1968) – Marcello Gandini expressed ideas that would come to fruition in the Lamborghini Countach. * Tipo 33.2 (1969)- Designed by Pininfarina using a design already known from a Ferrari concept car. * Gandini/Bertone Montreal Concept (1967) – making its appearance at the 1967 Montreal Expo, this Giulia-based concept resulted in the production
Alfa Romeo Montreal The Alfa Romeo Montreal is a 2+2 coupé sports car produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1970 to 1977. Concept car The Alfa Romeo Montreal was introduced as a concept car in 1967 at Expo 67, held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Ori ...
road car with a variant of the Tipo 33's V8 engine. * Bertone/Giugiaro Navajo (1976)- A fully fibreglassed vehicle, and in some ways the epitome of Giugiaro's 'Origami' style of flat planes. ;1980s-today – Modern ideas In general, concept cars for Alfa Romeo have generally become production vehicles, after some modification to make them suitable for manufacture, and to provide driver and passenger safety. The Zagato SZ, GTV, and Spider, Brera, and 159 are all good examples of Alfa Romeo's stylistic commitment in this direction.


Logos


Original logo

Alfa Romeo's logo incorporates two heraldic devices traditionally associated with its birthplace, the city of
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
: a red cross, from the emblem of Milan, and the ''
biscione The ''biscione'' or ''bisson'' . ("big grass snake"), less commonly known also as the ''vipera'' ("viper"), is a heraldic charge showing on argent an azure serpent in the act of eating or giving birth to a human. It is a historic symbol of th ...
'', a big grass snake swallowing a child—emblem of the
House of Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia fro ...
, rulers of the city in the 14th century. The logo was originally designed in 1910 by a young Italian draughtsman from the A.L.F.A. technical office, Romano Cattaneo.


Origin

In June 1910, the Società Anonima Darracq became Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, and was readying its first model, the 24 HP. The board asked chief engineer
Giuseppe Merosi Giuseppe Merosi (8 December 1872 – 27 March 1956) was an Italian automobile engineer and designer. Born in Piacenza, Merosi worked as a building surveyor, before he decided to explore his gift for automotive engineering. He first earned expe ...
to devise a badge for the radiator shell of the new car; Merosi turned to his collaborators. One of them, Cattaneo, was inspired by the
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
he had seen on the gates of
Castello Sforzesco The Castello Sforzesco (Italian for "Sforza's Castle") is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later ren ...
to include the ''biscione'' in the logo. Merosi liked the idea, and together with Cattaneo came up with a sketch, then approved by managing director Ugo Stella; Cattaneo was entrusted with doing the final design. The original badge was round, of enamelled
brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...
, measuring in diameter, and carried already all the present day accoutrements: the red cross on a white field of Milan on the left, a green ''biscione'' on a light blue field on the right, all surrounded by a blue ring inscribed with the words "ALFA" at the top and "MILANO" at the bottom. In honour of the
King of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader ...
, the two words were separated by two figure-eight knots—named Savoy knots in Italian, and symbols of the then-reigning
House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...
. Originally solid brass, the lettering was changed to white enamel in 1913. In 1918, after the company had been bought by
Nicola Romeo Nicola Romeo (; Sant'Antimo, 28 April 1876 – Magreglio, 15 August 1938) was an Italian engineer and entrepreneur mostly known for founding the car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. He served as a senator in the 18th Legislature of the Kingdom of Italy (X ...
, the wording "ALFA" was replaced with "ALFA-ROMEO". In 1925, to commemorate the victory of the Alfa Romeo P2 in the inaugural
World Manufacturers' Championship The World Manufacturers' Championship, also known as Automobile World Championship, was a competition organised by the AIACR between 1925 and 1930. Scoring system Unlike the modern Formula One points system, the championship awarded fewer points ...
of 1925, a silver metal
laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a round wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen, or later from spineless butcher's broom ('' Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cherry laurel ('' Prunus laurocerasus''). It is ...
was added around the badge, used (in varying form) until 1982. The addition of the wreath had enlarged the badge to diameter; in 1930 it was reduced back to .


Post-war evolution

In 1946, after the abolition of the monarchy and proclamation of the Italian Republic, the figure-eight knots of the Savoy were replaced with two curvy lines. Concurrently the badge was completely redesigned, and further reduced in size to , a diameter unchanged ever since. Made of stamped steel, the new badge bore the traditional elements—the scripts, the cross, a newly stylized ''biscione'' and a thin laurel wreath—embossed in antique silver, over a uniform Alfa Red background, which had replaced the blue, white and light blue fields. This red-and-metal badge was used until 1950, when the company switched back to a traditionally enamelled and coloured one; in 1960 the badge was changed from brass to plastic, without substantial differences in design. At the beginning of the 1970s the all-new
Alfa Romeo Pomigliano d'Arco plant The Alfa Romeo Pomigliano d'Arco plant, commonly called simply ''Stellantis Pomigliano'', is an automotive assembly plant now owned by Stellantis, officially known as the Giambattista Vico Plant since 2008, in memory of the Neapolitan philosopher. ...
(near
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
) was completed. When in 1972 the Alfasud produced there became the first Alfa Romeo passenger car manufactured outside Milan, the word "Milano", the curved lines and the hyphen between "Alfa" and "Romeo" were eliminated from the badge on all Alfa Romeos. At the same time it was redesigned, most notably acquiring a modernised ''biscione'' and type face. After a mild restyling in 1982, which deleted the wreath and changed lettering and all chrome details to gold, this iteration of the badge remained in use until 2015.


2015 redesign

On 24 June 2015, 105th anniversary of the company, a new logo was unveiled at a press event at the Alfa Romeo Museum; together with the Alfa Romeo Giulia as part of the brand's relaunch plan. The redesign was carried out by Robilant Associati, who had previously reworked several other
Fiat Group Stellantis Italy, formerly known as Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. from 2007 to 2014 and FCA Italy S.p.A. from 2014 to 2021, is the Italian subsidiary of the multinational automaker Stellantis, dedicated to the production and selling of passenge ...
logos—including
Fiat Automobiles Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...
' and
Lancia Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...
's. The logo colors have been reduced from four to three: the green of the ''biscione'', the red of the cross, and the dark blue of the surrounding ring. Other changes are a new serif type face, and the absence of the split white and light blue fields, replaced by a single silver textured background.


The Quadrifoglio logo

Since 1923, the ''quadrifoglio'' logo (also called the 'cloverleaf') has been the symbol of Alfa Romeo racing cars and since WWII, it has also been used to designate the higher trim models of the range. The ''quadrifoglio'' is usually placed on the side panels of the car, above or behind the front wheels—on the front wings in the case of modern vehicles. The logo consists of a green
clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...
leaf with four leaves, contained with a white triangle. There is "two Quadrifolio" - Quadrifolio Verde - Quadrifolio Oro


History of the emblem

The ''quadrifoglio'' has been used on Alfa Romeo cars since the death of Ugo Sivocci in 1923. As a friend of Enzo Ferrari, Sivocci was hired by Alfa Romeo in 1920 to drive in the four-man works team— Alfa Corse—with Antonio Ascari, Giuseppe Campari, and Enzo Ferrari. Sivocci was thought to have enormous experience, but often hampered by bad luck and considered the eternal second-placer. To banish his bad luck, when the Targa Florio came around, the driver painted a white square with a green four-leaf clover (the ''quadrifoglio'') in the centre of the grille of his car. Sivocci had immediate success, crossing the finish line first. The ''quadrifoglio'' subsequently became the symbol of the racing Alfa Romeos with the victory at the Targa Florio. Almost as if to prove the magic effects of this symbol, Sivocci was killed while testing Merosi's new P1 at
Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label= Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Mo ...
, a few months after winning the Targa Florio. The
Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...
driver's P1, which went off the track on a bend, did not have the ''quadrifoglio''. Since this period in 1923, the bodies of Alfa Romeo racing cars have been adorned with the ''quadrifoglio'' as a lucky charm. The white square was replaced with a triangle in memory of Ugo Sivocci.


Modern usage

The first road car to bear the ''quadrifoglio'' was the 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super, a variant of the Giulia saloon car devised for competition but put regularly on sale; it had green four-leaf clovers on its front wings, without the triangle. In the 1970s "Quadrifoglio Verde" or "Green Cloverleaf" became the trim level for each model's sportiest variant, equipped with the most powerful engine. The Alfasud, Sprint, 33, 75, 164 and
145 145 may refer to: *145 (number), a natural number *AD 145, a year in the 2nd century AD *145 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *145 (dinghy), a two-person intermediate sailing dinghy *145 (South) Brigade *145 (New Jersey bus) 145 may refer to: * 1 ...
all had Quadrifoglio Verde versions. Also in the 1970s and through the 1980s golden four-leaf clover badges were used to denote the most luxurious and well-equipped variants of Alfa Romeo cars, named "Quadrifoglio Oro" or "Gold Cloverleaf". The Alfasud, Alfetta, Alfa 6, 90 and 33 had Quadrifoglio Oro versions. In recent times the ''quadrifoglio'' was revived on the 2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and Spider sports cars. With the current Alfa Romeo MiTo and Giulietta the Quadrifoglio Verde was reinstated as the sportiest trim level in the range, and green four-leaf clovers on the front wings are once again the hallmark of high-performance Alfa Romeos. Alfa Romeo's 2016 sport sedan, the all-new Giulia, was launched first in Quadrifoglio trim before the release of the base models. Starting with the high-end model wearing that historic signature emblem.


Motorsport

Alfa Romeo has been involved with motor racing since 1911, when it entered two 24 HP models in Targa Florio competition. Alfa Romeo won the first
World Manufacturers' Championship The World Manufacturers' Championship, also known as Automobile World Championship, was a competition organised by the AIACR between 1925 and 1930. Scoring system Unlike the modern Formula One points system, the championship awarded fewer points ...
in 1925 and the first
AIACR European Championship The European Drivers' Championship was an annual competition in auto racing that existed prior to the establishment of the Formula One world championship in 1950. It was established in 1931 and ran until the end of 1939 with a hiatus from 1933� ...
in 1931 and it scored wins at many races and motoring events such as Targa Florio,
Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...
and
Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le ...
. Great success continued with
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
, when Alfa Romeo won the first World
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
Championship in 1950 and won the second
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
Championship in 1951. The company also won international championships in Prototypes, Touring and Fast Touring categories in the 1960s and 1970s. Private drivers also entered some
rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sports ...
competitions, with good results. Alfa Romeo has competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries Alfa Corse, Autodelta and private entries. Alfa Romeo's factory racing team was outsourced to Enzo Ferrari's
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in reference to their logo. ...
between 1933 and 1938. Drivers included Tazio Nuvolari, who won the 1935 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Alfa Romeo have been in a technical partnership with the Sauber F1 Team since 2018, and since 2019 have competed in Formula One solely as Alfa Romeo. Alfa Romeo has won 5
FIA European Formula 3 Championship The FIA Formula 3 European Championship was a European Formula Three(F3) auto racing competition, organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). After one season of the FIA Formula 3 International Trophy, the FIA revived t ...
s and 5 FIA European Formula 3 Cups with the support from the Alfa Romeo Stable Euroracing who created motor for the Formula 3 championship, and with the support of Italian motor company Novamotor which work in the Formula 3 competition.


Production

In the 1960s, the main Alfa Romeo factory was moved from inside Milan to a very large and nearby area extending over the municipalities of Arese, Lainate and Garbagnate Milanese. However, since then the factory was moved to Arese, as the offices and the main entrance of the area were located there. In the late 1960s, a number of European automobile manufacturers established facilities in South Africa to assemble right hand drive vehicles.
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...
and other Italian manufacturers established factories along with these other manufacturers, Alfa-Romeos were assembled in Brits, outside
Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foothi ...
in the
Transvaal Province The Province of the Transvaal ( af, Provinsie van Transvaal), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Trans ...
of South Africa. With the imposition of sanctions by Western powers in the 1970s and 1980s, South Africa became self-sufficient, and in car production came to rely more and more on the products from local factories. This led to a remarkable set of circumstances where between 1972 and 1989, South Africa had the greatest number of Alfa Romeos on the road outside of Italy. Another astonishing fact is that the Alfa Romeos Brits plant was used from March 1983 until late 1985 to build Daihatsu Charades for local consumption, but also for export to Italy in order to skirt Italian limits on Japanese imports. For the last year the company was operating, the Daihatsu represented close to half of Alfa Romeo S.A. Ltd.'s total production. In late 1985, with the impending Fiat takeover and an international boycott of the South African
Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
government, Alfa Romeo withdrew from the market and closed the plant. During the 1990s, Alfa Romeo moved car production to other districts in Italy. The Pomigliano d’Arco plant produced the 155, followed by the 145 and the 146, while the Arese plant manufactured the SZ and RZ sports cars, the 164, the new Spider and the GTV. The 156 was launched in 1997, and became quite successful for Alfa Romeo; in 1998 it was voted "Car of the Year". The same year a new flagship, the 166 (assembled in Rivalta, near Turin) was launched. At the beginning of the third millennium, the 147 was released, which won the prestigious title of "Car of the Year 2001". In 2003 the Arese factory was closed while only having some offices and the Alfa Romeo Historical Museum.


Automobiles

ALFA-24-HP.jpg ,
ALFA 24 HP The ALFA 24 HP is 4.1-litre four-cylinder passenger car, the first model produced by Italian car manufacturer ALFA (''Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili''), which in 1919 would become Alfa Romeo. It was introduced in 1910, the year ALFA was foun ...
(1910–1914) Alfa 15 HP.jpg ,
ALFA 15 HP The A.L.F.A 15 HP is a medium size car produced by A.L.F.A., a company that later became Alfa Romeo, from 1911 to 1913. The model was derived from the A.L.F.A. 12 HP and had a four-cylinder engine with 2,413 cc of displacement. Compared to the pr ...
(1911–1913) Car Musée Enzo Ferrari 0002.JPG , ALFA 40/60 HP (1913–1914) Alfa_Romeo_20-30_ES.jpg , ALFA 20/30 HP (1914–1922) Alfa Romeo Grand Prix.jpg , ALFA Grand Prix (1914) Alfa_romeo_g1_limousine.jpg, G1 (1921–1923) Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio.jpg , RL (1922–1927) Alfa_Romeo_RM_Sport_Castagna.jpg , RM (1923–1925) Alfa Romeo P2.jpg , P2 (1924–1930) 1928 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Sport Zagato Spyder - fvr.jpg , 6C 1500 (1927–1929) 110 ans de l'automobile au Grand Palais - Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Spyder Supersport - 1929 - 008.jpg , 6C 1750 (1929–1933) Alfa Romeo Gran Premio tipo A 1931.jpg , Tipo A (1931) 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 Mille Miglia 34 3.jpg , 8C (1931–1939) Alfa romeo p3.jpg , P3 (1932–1935) ALFA ROMEO 6C 2300 B.jpg , 6C 2300 (1933–1938) Alfa Romeo 12C (1936).jpg , 12C (1936–1937) Alfa Romeo Bimotore 1936.jpg , 16C Bimotore (1936) Alfa Romeo 6S 2500ss.jpg , 6C 2500 (1938–1952) Automobile da corsa - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 07719 01.jpg , Tipo 512 (1940) Alfa Romeo 430.jpg ,
430 __NOTOC__ Year 430 ( CDXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodosius and Valentinianus (or, less frequently, yea ...
(1942–1950) Alfa-Romeo-159-(1951).jpg, 158/159 (1938–1951) Alfa Romeo 455 Autotransporter LKW 01 - AVD Oldtimer Grand Prix 2014.jpg , 450/455 (1947–1959) Alfa Romeo 1900C SUPER 1956.jpg , 1900 (1950–1959) Bat5.jpg , BAT 5, 7 og 9 (1952–1955) 1953 AR Matta.jpg , Matta (1952–1954) Disco volante.jpg , Disco Volante (1952–1953) Alfa Romeo Van.jpg , Romeo (1954–1983) 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint - red - fvr.jpg , Giulietta (1954–1965) 1959 Spider (10005461476).jpg , 2000 (1958–1962) SprintSpecial.jpg , Giulietta SS (1959–1977) Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint coupe (6108449270).jpg , 2600 (1961–1968) MHV Alfa-Romeo Giulia Nuova 1300 01.jpg , Giulia (1962–1977) Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ1 Goodwood 2008.jpg , TZ (1963–1965) 2006FOS 1965AlfaRomeoTZ2.jpg , TZ2 (1965–1967) Chelsea Auto Legends 2012 (7948687532).jpg , GTA (1965–1969) Alfa Romeo Gran Sport Quattroruote - Concorso Italiano 2003 - fvl.jpg , Gran Sport (1965–1967) 1971 Alfa Romeo 1300 Junior Zagato.jpg , GT 1300 Junior Z (1965–1977) 1967-Alfa-Romeo-Duetto-Red-Front-Angle-st.jpg ,
Spider Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
(1966–1993) 1969-Alfa-Romeo-GT-Veloce-Red-Front-Angle-st.jpg , 1750 GT Veloce (1967–1972) Alfa Romeo 2000 (6837555970).jpg , 2000 (1967–1972) 1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale.jpg , 33 Stradale (1967–1969) Terenure, Co. Dublin - Ireland (6037685581).jpg ,
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
(1970–1977) Alfa Romeo Alfasud SC 1.3 dutch licence registration KJ-67-LG.JPG , Alfasud (1971–1989) 1975 Alfa Romeo Alfetta sedan (6107869525).jpg , Alfetta (1972–1987) Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1984.jpg , Giulietta (1977–1985) Alfa6wiki.jpg , Alfa 6 (1979–1986) Trentatre 1986.jpg , 33 (1983–1995) Alfa Romeo 90.jpg , 90 (1984–1987) 1987_AR_Milano_QV_3.0,_hf.jpg , 75 (1985–1992) Alfa164 Q4.jpg , 164 (1987–1998) Alfa SZ AutoItalia Brooklands May 2012 THP 7123.jpg , SZ (1989–1991) Alfa Romeo 145 001.JPG ,
145 145 may refer to: *145 (number), a natural number *AD 145, a year in the 2nd century AD *145 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *145 (dinghy), a two-person intermediate sailing dinghy *145 (South) Brigade *145 (New Jersey bus) 145 may refer to: * 1 ...
(1994–2000) Auto Italia Spring car day Brooklands May 2010 IMG 9198 (4570362787) (2).jpg , 146 (1995–2000) 1998-2003 Alfa Romeo GTV Twin Spark coupe 01.jpg , GTV (1994–2004) Alfa Romeo 156 GTA .jpg , 156 (1998-2005) The frontview of Alfa Romeo 166 super 2.0 v6.JPG ,
166 Year 166 ( CLXVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pudens and Pollio (or, less frequently, year 919 ''Ab urbe condita' ...
(1999–2007) 2000 Alfa Romeo 147 Rossa 3porte.jpg ,
147 147 may refer to: * 147 (number), a natural number * AD 147, a year of the Julian calendar, in the second century * 147 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 147 AH, a year in the Islamic calendar that corresponds to 764 – 765 CE ...
(2000–2010) Alfa Romeo GT 2009 (14183072267) (cropped).jpg , GT (2003–2010) Alfa Romeo 159 SW front 20080620.jpg , 159 (2004–2011) Alfa Romeo Brera.jpg , Brera (2005–2010) Alfa 8c 1.jpg , 8C Competizione (2007–2010) Alfa Romeo MiTo 02.jpg ,
MiTo Mito may refer to: Places *Mito, Ibaraki, capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Mito, Aichi, a Japanese town *Mito, Shimane, a Japanese town * Mitō, Yamaguchi, a Japanese town * Mito District, a district in the province of Concepción, Per ...
(2008–2018) Festival automobile international 2014 - Alfa Romeo 4C - 035.jpg , 4C (2013–2020) Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV in Punta del Este 01.JPG , Giulietta (2010–2020) 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Speciale TD Automatic 2.1 Front.jpg , Giulia (2016–present) ALFA-Stelvio.jpg ,
Stelvio Stelvio may refer to * Stelvio, the Italian name for the municipality of Stilfs in South Tyrol * Stelvio (ski course), a downhill ski course in Bormio, Italy * Stelvio Pass, a mountain pass in Italy * Stelvio National Park, a national park of It ...
(2017–present)


Current models

; ;Alfa Romeo Giulia The new Giulia was unveiled to the press at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese, on 24 June 2015. This coincided with the company's 105th anniversary and saw the introduction of a revised logo. Sales were about 34,000 examples per year (2018), then fell to 20,000 per year (2019). ;Alfa Romeo Stelvio The
Stelvio Stelvio may refer to * Stelvio, the Italian name for the municipality of Stilfs in South Tyrol * Stelvio (ski course), a downhill ski course in Bormio, Italy * Stelvio Pass, a mountain pass in Italy * Stelvio National Park, a national park of It ...
was unveiled at the 2016
Los Angeles Auto Show The Los Angeles Auto Show is an annual auto show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in early December. The LA Auto Show is an OICA sanctioned international exhibition. It is open to the public for ten days each year, filling of exhibit ...
. The Stelvio is Alfa Romeo's first production SUV that competes in the same category as the Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace,
Audi Q5 The Audi Q5 is a series of compact luxury crossover SUVs produced by the German luxury car manufacturer Audi from 2008. The original first-generation (''Typ 8R'') model was the third member of the ''B8'' family to be released after the Aud ...
, Mercedes-Benz GLC and BMW X3. It is current top Alfa sales with less than 40,000 examples per year (2019). ;Alfa Romeo Tonale The Tonale is a compact crossover SUV (C-segment) introduced in March 2022 and the first new model introduced by the brand in six years and the first model introduced under the brand of Stellantis.


Historic models


Carabinieri and Italian government

In the 1960s, Alfa Romeo became famous for its small cars and models specifically designed for the Italian police and Carabinieri (arm of the Italian armed forces seconded only partly for civilian policing purposes); among them the "Giulia Super" and the 2600 Sprint GT. The colours of the Alfa Romeos used by the Polizia were/are green/blue with white stripes and writing, known as "Pantera" (Panther), enhancing the aggressive look of the cars (particularly the Giulia series), while the Carabinieri Alfas are dark blue with white roofs and red stripes, known as the "Gazzella" (Gazelle) denoting the speed and agility of these "Pattuglie" (patrol cars). However, the term "Pantera" became used interchangeably and the image helped create a no-nonsense, determined and respected perception by the general public of the men that drove these cars, true to their history. Since then, Alfa Romeos remain the chosen mount of the Carabinieri, Polizia Autostradale (highway police), Guardia di Finanza (fiscal law enforcement) and the conventional police service (Polizia). Successively, the following Alfa Romeo cars have found favour for Italian police and government employment :• Alfa Romeo AR51 :• Alfa Romeo Giulia :• Alfa Romeo Alfetta :• Alfa Romeo Giulietta :• Alfa Romeo 33 ( Polizia di Stato only) :• Alfa Romeo 75 :• Alfa Romeo 164 (official vehicles) :• Alfa Romeo 155 :•
Alfa Romeo 156 The Alfa Romeo 156 (Type 932) is a compact executive car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Alfa Romeo. It was introduced at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155. The 156 received a positive rec ...
:•
Alfa Romeo 166 The Alfa Romeo 166 (Type 936) is an executive car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo, between 1996 and June 2007. The car was designed by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo, under the control of Walter de Silva, and was facelifted in September 20 ...
(official vehicles) :• Alfa Romeo 159 :• Alfa Romeo Giulia ( Carabinieri, 2 Giulia Quadrifoglio - Polizia di Stato, 2 Giulia Veloce Q4) Since the 1960s, the Italian Prime Minister has used Alfa Romeos (and lately the new Maserati Quattroporte) as preferred government limousines. The 164 and 166 have found particular employment in the last two decades.


Trucks and light commercial vehicles

In 1930, Alfa Romeo presented a light truck in addition to heavy LCVs based on Büssing constructions. In the Second World War Alfa Romeo also built trucks for the Italian army ("35 tons anywhere") and later also for the German
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
. After the war, commercial motor vehicle production was resumed. In co-operation with
FIAT Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...
and Saviem starting from the 1960s different light truck models were developed. The production of heavy LCVs in Italy was terminated in 1967. Heavy trucks continued to be built for a few years in
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
by Alfa Romeo subsidiary Fábrica Nacional de Motores under the name FNM. The last Alfa Romeo vans were the Alfa Romeo AR6 and AR8, rebadged versions of Iveco Daily and Fiat Ducato. The company also produced
trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
es for many systems in Italy, Latin America, Sweden, Greece, Germany, Turkey and South Africa. Later, Alfa Romeo concentrated only on passenger car manufacturing. ;LCVs * Alfa Romeo Romeo (1954–1958) * Alfa Romeo Romeo 2 (until 1966) * Alfa Romeo Romeo 3 (1966) * Alfa Romeo A11/F11 (1954–1983) * Alfa Romeo A12/F12 * AR8 (based on first generation
Iveco Daily The Iveco Daily is a large light commercial van produced by the Italian automaker Iveco since 1978; it was also sold as the Fiat Daily by Fiat until 1983. Unlike the more car-like unibody Fiat Ducato, the Daily uses a separate ladder frame ty ...
) * AR6 (based on first generation
Fiat Ducato The Fiat Ducato is a light commercial vehicle jointly developed by FCA Italy and PSA Group (currently Stellantis), and mainly manufactured by Sevel, a joint venture between the two companies since 1981. It has also been sold as the Citroën C25, ...
) * Alfa Romeo F20 ( Saviem license) ;Trucks *
Alfa Romeo 50 The Alfa Romeo 50 was an Italian truck produced by Alfa Romeo from 1931 to 1934. The company created the truck in partnership with Büssing Büssing AG was a German bus and truck manufacturer, established in 1903 by Heinrich Büssing (1843–19 ...
"Biscione" ( Büssing-NAG 50)/ 80 (1931–1934) *
Alfa Romeo 85 The Alfa Romeo 85 is a truck produced by Alfa Romeo between 1934 and 1939, it was an updated version of licensed Büssing model. History Three versions were available: 85 (5.2 meters), 85 C (4.6 meters) and 85 G was (gas generator) version was pr ...
/ 110 (1934 – n/a) * Alfa Romeo 350 (1935 – n/a) *
Alfa Romeo 430 The Alfa Romeo 430 is a 5-ton truck produced by Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of i ...
(1942–1950) *
Alfa Romeo 450 The Alfa Romeo 450 is a truck manufactured by Alfa Romeo from 1947 to 1959. Its upgraded version was called Alfa Romeo 455. The Alfa Romeo 450 was the successor of Alfa Romeo 430. There were several differences between the two models; the most im ...
/455 (1947–1959) * Alfa Romeo 500 (1937–1945) *
Alfa Romeo 800 The Alfa Romeo 800 is an Italian heavy truck produced by Alfa Romeo between 1940 and 1947. It was first produced as a military version 800RE and after the war as a civilian version. The military version was initially used only in the Italian Army ...
(1940–1943) * Alfa Romeo 900 (1947–1954) * Alfa Romeo 950 (1954–1958) * Alfa Romeo Mille (Alfa Romeo 1000) (1958–1964) *
Alfa Romeo A15 Alfa Romeo A15 / A19 / A38 / F20 are a discontinued line of utility trucks, or lorries, produced by Alfa Romeo from 1967-1974. The models originated from the collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Saviem (part of the Renault group), which was signed ...
(Saviem license) *
Alfa Romeo A19 Alfa Romeo A15 / A19 / A38 / F20 are a discontinued line of utility trucks, or lorries, produced by Alfa Romeo from 1967-1974. The models originated from the collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Saviem (part of the Renault group), which was signed ...
(Saviem license) *
Alfa Romeo A38 Alfa Romeo A15 / A19 / A38 / F20 are a discontinued line of utility trucks, or lorries, produced by Alfa Romeo from 1967-1974. The models originated from the collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Saviem (part of the Renault group), which was signed ...
(Saviem license) ;Buses *
Alfa Romeo 40A Alfa Romeo 40A is one of the first buses produced by the Italian company Alfa Romeo. Technical characteristics The bus uses 4 cylinder engine with 45 horsepower. It has 2 wheelbases and places for 50 passengers (single version) and a double versio ...
*
Alfa Romeo 80A Alfa Romeo 80A was a bus produced by Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo in the late 1920s. Succeeding the Alfa Romeo 40A, it was primarily used in Italy and was less successful in the rest of Europe. Technical characteristics The Alfa Romeo 80A came ...
*
Alfa Romeo 85A The Alfa Romeo 85A is an Italian bus produced by Alfa Romeo in small series in the beginning of the 1930s. History The bus had 6 cylinder Alfa Romeo engine A.R. F6M317 with . The body of the bus is based on body of Macchi. Production Around ...
*
Alfa Romeo 110A Alfa Romeo 110A is model of autobus produced from Alfa Romeo between 1934 and 1950. The bus is produced for the needs of the public transport in Milan, Italy. Bodies 12 examples from Tallero 8 examples from Macchi 12 examples from Verasina The ...
*
Alfa Romeo 140A Alfa Romeo 140A is an Italian bus model produced by Alfa Romeo from 1950 to 1958. The bus was produced for Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (ATM) in Milan, Italy. Bodies The bus used bodies from SIAI-Marchetti from 1950 to 1951 (19 units), Macchi-Bara ...
(1950–1958) *
Alfa Romeo 150A Alfa Romeo 150A is an Italian bus produced by Alfa Romeo in 1958. It was improved version of 140A, with same body. It was made as 12m version for cities and 22 m version for longer distances. The short version had 3 axels, where as 22m version ha ...
(1958) *
Alfa Romeo 430A The Alfa Romeo 430A was a bus produced from 1949 to 1953 by Italian automotive manufacturer Alfa Romeo. Technical characteristics The bus had two doors and a rack. It had a engine. The bus had seating for 22 passenger and standing room for a f ...
(1949–1953) *
Alfa Romeo 500A The Alfa Romeo 500A was a bus produced by Alfa Romeo from 1945 to 1948. History The bus had an advanced form for the 1940s and was used for tourist trips in Italy. The bus body was from Orlandi and had a 130 HP engine. It had seats for 26 passe ...
(1945–1948) * Alfa Romeo 800A * Alfa Romeo 900A (1953–1956) * Alfa Romeo 902A (1957–1959) * Alfa Romeo 950A *
Alfa Romeo Mille (bus) The Alfa Romeo Mille (or Alfa Romeo 1000) is a trolleybus manufactured by Alfa Romeo. History The model was produced from 1959 to 1964. The Mille had different versions. They were used in Italy, Uruguay and other countries. In Italy, most were u ...
(Alfa Romeo 1000) (1960–1964) ;Trolleybuses *
Alfa Romeo 85AF Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
(1936-1940) * Alfa Romeo 110AF (1938) *
Alfa Romeo 140AF Alfa Romeo 140AF is an Italian trolleybus produced from 1949 to 1960. History This trolleybus helped make Alfa Romeo quite popular as a manufacturer of public transport vehicles, especially trolleybuses. The 140AF was very popular in Italy durin ...
(1949) *
Alfa Romeo 800AF Alfa Romeo 800AF is an Italian trolleybus which was produced from 1940 to 1954. History During the fuel shortages of World War II, Alfa Romeo explored alternatives such as electric transport and made a new model trolleybus the 800AF. The electric ...
(1950–1954) *
Alfa Romeo 900AF The Alfa Romeo 900AF is Italian trolleybus produced from 1955 to 1957. History The 900AF was the successor of the 800AF with more space for the passengers. Construction It uses bodies from Casaro and CRDA. Transport Operated in the network sys ...
(1955–1957) *
Alfa Romeo 911AF Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
(1959–1960) *
Alfa Romeo Mille Aerfer Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
(1960–1963) *
Alfa Romeo Mille AF The Alfa Romeo Mille (or Alfa Romeo 1000) is a trolleybus manufactured by Alfa Romeo. History The model was produced from 1959 to 1964. The Mille had different versions. They were used in Italy, Uruguay and other countries. In Italy, most were u ...
(1959–1964)


Other production

Although Alfa Romeo is best known as automobile manufacturer it has also produced commercial vehicles of various size, railway locomotives, tractors, buses, trams, compressors, generators, an electric cooker, marine and aircraft engines.


Aircraft engines

An Alfa engine was first used on an aircraft in 1910 on the Santoni-Franchini biplane. In 1932 Alfa Romeo built its first real aircraft engine, the D2 (240 bhp), fitted to Caproni 101 D2. In the 1930s when Alfa Romeo engines were used for aircraft on a larger scale; the Savoia Marchetti SM.74,
Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 The Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 ''Marsupiale'' (Italian: marsupial) was an Italian passenger and military transport aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s. It was a low-wing, trimotor monoplane of mixed metal and wood construction with a retractable tailwhe ...
,
Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 ''Sparviero'' (Italian for sparrowhawk) was a three-engined Italian medium bomber developed and manufactured by aviation company Savoia-Marchetti. It may be the best-known Italian aeroplane of the Second World War. ...
, Savoia Marchetti SM.81 and Cant Z506B Airone all used Alfa Romeo manufactured engines. In 1931, a competition was arranged where Tazio Nuvolari drove his
Alfa Romeo 8C The Alfa Romeo 8C was originally a range of Alfa Romeo road, race and sports cars of the 1930s. In 2004 Alfa Romeo revived the 8C name for a V8-engined concept car which made it into production for 2007, the 8C Competizione. The 8C designates ...
3000 Monza against a Caproni Ca.100 airplane. Alfa Romeo built various aircraft engines during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
; the best known was the RA.1000 RC 41-I Monsone, a licensed version of the Daimler-Benz DB 601. This engine made it possible to build efficient fighter aircraft like the
Macchi C.202 Folgore The Macchi C.202 ''Folgore'' (Italian "thunderbolt") was an Italian fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Macchi Aeronautica. It was operated mainly by the ''Regia Aeronautica'' (''RA''; Royal (Italian) Air Force) in and around the Seco ...
for the Italian army. After the Second World War Alfa Romeo produced engines for Fiat, Aerfer and Ambrosini. In the 1960s Alfa Romeo mainly focused upgrading and maintaining Curtiss-Wright,
Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military av ...
, Rolls-Royce and
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable ene ...
aircraft engines. Alfa Romeo also built Italy's first
turbine engine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the direct ...
, installed to the
Beechcraft King Air The Beechcraft King Air is a line of American utility aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The King Air line comprises a number of twin-turboprop models that have been divided into two families. The Model 90 and 100 series developed in the 1960s ...
. Alfa Romeo's Avio division was sold to Aeritalia in 1988, from 1996 it was part of Fiat Avio. Alfa Avio was also part of developing team to the new T700-T6E1 engine to the
NHI NH90 The NHIndustries NH90 is a medium-sized, twin-engine, multi-role military helicopter. It was developed in response to NATO requirements for a battlefield helicopter which would also be capable of being operated in naval environments. The NH90 ...
helicopter.


Marine engines

Alfa Romeo also produced marine engines. The first marine engine was produced in 1929. Later, for three consecutive years: 1937-1938-1939 with remarkable affirmations, Alfa Romeo demonstrated its constructive efficiency by contributing to the development of marine engines. * (1938) 12 cyl (4.500) 121,710 km/h


Aero-engines

* Alfa Romeo D2 *
Alfa Romeo 110 The Alfa Romeo 110 was an Italian four cylinder air-cooled inverted inline engine for aircraft use, mainly for trainers and light aircraft. The Alfa Romeo 110 was based on the de Havilland Gipsy Major, with approximately 500 units produced. Deriv ...
* Alfa Romeo 115 * Alfa Romeo 121 *
Alfa Romeo 125 Alfa Romeo built/designed a range of aircraft engines based on the Bristol Jupiter and Bristol Pegasus designs, designated Alfa 125, Alfa 126, Alfa 127, Alfa 128, Alfa 129 and Alfa 131. All these essentially similar engines were mainly fitted ...
* Alfa Romeo 126 * Alfa Romeo 128 * Alfa Romeo 135 * Alfa Romeo Lynx * Alfa Romeo Mercurius * Alfa Romeo RA.1000 * Alfa Romeo RA-1050 *
Alfa Romeo R.C.10 The Bristol Pegasus is a British nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial aero engine. Designed by Roy Fedden of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, it was used to power both civil and military aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s. Developed from th ...
* Alfa Romeo R.C.34 *
Alfa Romeo R.C.35 The Bristol Pegasus is a British nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial aero engine. Designed by Roy Fedden of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, it was used to power both civil and military aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s. Developed from th ...
* Alfa Romeo AR.318


Marketing and sponsorship

During the years Alfa Romeo has been marketed with different slogans like: "The family car that wins races" used in the 1950s in Alfa Romeo 1900 marketing campaign, "racing since 1911" used on most 1960s Alfa advertisements, In the 1970s the Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV was marketed as "if this kind of handling is good enough for our racing cars, it's good enough for you." The Giulia Sprint GTA was marketed as "The car you drive to work is a champion". More recent slogans used are "Mediocrity is a sin", "Driven by Passion", "Cuore Sportivo", "Beauty is not enough" and present day "Without heart we would be mere machines". Also other more recent ones are: "It's not a car, it's an Alfa Romeo.", one of them after a couple argue in Italian. As part of its marketing policy, Alfa Romeo sponsors a number of sporting events, such as the
Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...
rally. It has sponsored the SBK Superbike World Championship and
Ducati Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. () is the motorcycle-manufacturing division of Italian company Ducati, headquartered in Bologna, Italy. The company is directly owned by Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini, whose German parent company is Au ...
Corse since 2007, and the
Goodwood Festival of Speed The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual motorsports festival featuring modern and historic motor racing vehicles taking part in a hill climb and other events, held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England, in late June o ...
for many years, and was one of the featured brands in 2010 when Alfa Romeo celebrated its 100th anniversary. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta has been used since Monza 2010 race as the safety car in Superbike World Championship events. Alfa Romeo has been also shirt sponsor of Eintracht Frankfurt football club in period between 2013 and 2016. In 2002, ''
Alfa Romeo I ''Alfa Romeo I'' (formerly ''Shockwave'', ''Rambler'', currently ''La Bête'') is a fixed keel maxi yacht, launched 2002, which placed first in the 2002 Sydney-Hobart race and the 2003 Giraglia Rolex cup regatta. She was designed by Reichel ...
'', the first Alfa Romeo super maxi yacht was launched. It finished first in at least 74 races including the 2002 Sydney—Hobart Race. ''Alfa Romeo II'', commissioned in 2005, measures LOA. It set a new elapsed-time record for monohulls in the 2009 Transpac race, of 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds. She came within about five hours of breaking the
multihull A multihull is a boat or ship with more than one hull, whereas a vessel with a single hull is a monohull. The most common multihulls are catamarans (with two hulls), and trimarans (with three hulls). There are other types, with four or more hu ...
elapsed time record 5d, 9h, 18m set in 1997 by
Bruno Peyron Bruno Tristan Peyron (born 10 November 1955) is a French yachtsman who, along with his crew on the catamaran '' Orange II'', broke the outright round-the-world sailing record in March 2005. He was the first winner of the Jules Verne Trophy in ...
with his ''Commodore Explorer''.
It finished first in at least 140 races. In mid-2008 ''Alfa Romeo III'' was launched for competitive fleet racing under the IRC rule. ''Alfa Romeo III'' measures LOA and features interior design styled after the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. The BBC motoring show '' Top Gear'' repeatedly argued the significance of owning an Alfa Romeo car as a car enthusiast, stating that "You can't be a true petrolhead if you have never owned/or wanted to own an Alfa Romeo". Presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May continuously praised Alfas for their beauty and driving characteristics even though Italian cars had a long-term bad reputation for unreliability. They argued that you (the owner) build a personal relationship with the car despite all of its mechanical faults. Both Clarkson and May have previously owned Alfas (a GTV6 for Clarkson and an Alfa 164 for May) and both have stated that they regretted selling their Alfas the most. As part of its U.S. relaunch, Alfa Romeo ran three
commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
during Super Bowl LI; the brand was the sole marque advertised by FCA during the game, after exclusively focusing on its
Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...
brand at Super Bowl 50. In February 2013, Alfa Romeo sponsored University of St Andrews FS fashion show which saw luxury fashion designer Luke Archer and milliner George Jenkins win with their Alfa Romeo inspired garments. Alfa Romeo announced Zhou Guanyu as China's first ever Formula One racing driver for the 2022 season, hailed by both the team and the sport as a historic breakthrough in a key growth market.


See also

*
Alfa Romeo Arese Plant The Alfa Romeo Arese Plant was a plant area where Alfa Romeo had its head office for more than two decades prior to 1986. After Fiat Group purchased Alfa Romeo in 1986, Arese became one of the assembly plants of Fiat Group. The factory is in the ...
*
Alfa Romeo Pomigliano d'Arco Plant The Alfa Romeo Pomigliano d'Arco plant, commonly called simply ''Stellantis Pomigliano'', is an automotive assembly plant now owned by Stellantis, officially known as the Giambattista Vico Plant since 2008, in memory of the Neapolitan philosopher. ...
*
Alfa Romeo Portello Plant The Alfa Romeo Portello Plant in Portello Milan, Italy was the first Alfa Romeo factory, and the main factory between 1908 and the 1960s. The factory was closed in 1986 following FIAT's buyout of Alfa Romeo, but all major production had already be ...
* Alfa Romeo Museum * Circuito di Balocco * Alfa Romeo in motorsport * : Alfa Romeo engines * : Alfa Romeo people


References

*


Further reading

* Borgeson, Griffith (1990). ''The Alfa Romeo Tradition.'' Haynes (Foulis) Publishing Group. Somerset, UK. . * Braden, Pat (1994). ''Alfa Romeo Owner's Bible'' Cambridge: Bentley Publishers. . * Stefano d' Amico and Maurizio Tabuchi (2004). ''Alfa Romeo Production Cars.'' Giorgio NADA Editore. . * Hull and Slater (1982). ''Alfa Romeo: a History.'' Transport Bookman Publications. . * Venables, David (2000). ''First among Champions.'' Osceola: Motorbooks International. . * Owen, David. ''Great Marques, Alfa Romeo.'' London: Octopus Books, 1985. * Owen, David. ''Alfa Romeo: Always with Passion.'' Haynes Publications, 1999. * Moore, Simon (1987). ''Immortal 2.9.'' Parkside Pubns. . * Mcdonough, E., & Collins, P. (2005). ''Alfa Romeo Tipo 33''. Veloce Publishing. * Tipler, John. ''Alfa Romeo Spider, The complete history.'' Crowood Press (UK), 1998. * Tipler, John. ''Alfa Romeo Giulia Coupe Gt & Gta.'' Veloce Publishing, 2003. * Styles, David G. "Alfa Romeo – The Legend Revived", Dalton Watson 1989. * Styles, David G. "Alfa Romeo – Spider, Alfasud & Alfetta GT", Crowood Press 1992. * Styles, David G. "Alfa Romeo – The Spirit of Milan", Sutton Publishing 1999.


External links

* {{Authority control Stellantis Sports car manufacturers Trolleybus manufacturers Milan motor companies World Sportscar Championship teams Defunct bus manufacturers Defunct truck manufacturers Aircraft engine manufacturers of Italy Italian companies established in 1910 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1910 Italian brands Formerly government-owned companies of Italy Car brands Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Electric vehicle manufacturers of Italy Car manufacturers of Italy Turin motor companies