The Alfa Romeo Romeo is a light commercial,

cabover Cab-over, also known as cab over engine (COE), cab forward or flat face (U.S.), flat nose (Canada), or forward control (UK), is a body style of truck, bus, or van that has a vertical front, "flat face" or a semi-hood, with the cab of the ...

van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or ...

and

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...

that was introduced by the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

automaker

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

in 1954 as the Alfa Romeo Autotutto ("all purpose"). The line of

s continued to be built until 1983, when it was replaced by relabelled

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

and

Iveco Iveco S.p.A., an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company with headquarters in Turin, Italy. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy Commercial vehicle, commercial veh ...

commercials. In Spain, where this vehicle was also built, it was rebodied and kept in production into the early 2000s, first as an

Ebro The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a de ...

Avia AVIA () is a Soviet/Russian experimental pop band formed in Leningrad in 1986. AVIA released four studio albums and led the first wave of the Soviet bands which made their breakthrough in the West in the late 1980s. Band history AVIA was formed ...

and finally as the

Nissan Trade The Nissan Trade is the most common name for a family of light commercial vehicles that was produced by Ebro Motor Ibérica from 1976 to 1986 and by Nissan Motor Ibérica from 1986 to 2001 in Spain. This truck was marketed only in Europe. It wa ...

. __TOC__

Romeo

The first Alfa Romeo T10 "Autotutto" ("all purpose") was unveiled at the 1954

Turin Motor Show The Turin Motor Show () is an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, becoming a permanent fixture in Turin from 1938 having shared it with Milan and Ro ...

in panel and minibus versions. Later, more versions became available as Alfa Romeo introduced numerous body versions: van, high-roof van, "Promiscuo" (van with additional side windows and rear seating),

minibus A minibus, microbus, or minicoach is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is us ...

school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to Student transport, transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter ...

ambulance An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...

, pickup, drop-side truck and double-cab truck. In addition, coachbuilding companies made their own versions. The van used the 1,290 cc Alfa Romeo Twin Cam straight-four engine detuned to and had a top speed of . This engine was later used on the Giulietta Berlina. The optional two-cylinder, supercharged

two-stroke diesel engine A two-stroke diesel engine is a diesel engine that uses compression ignition in a two-stroke combustion cycle. It was invented by Hugo Güldner in 1899.Mau (1984) p.7 In compression ignition, air is first compressed and heated; fuel is then in ...

had and managed a top speed of .

Romeo 2

The updated Romeo 2 version was introduced in 1957/ It was assembled in Italy and also built under license in Spain by FADISA (Fabricacion de Automoviles Diesel S.A.). The Spanish version had a 1.6-liter

Perkins Perkins is a surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon corruption of the kin of Pierre (from Pierre kin to Pierrekin to Perkins), introduced into England by the Norman Conquest. It is found throughout mid- and southern England. Another derivation com ...

4.99

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

and a gearbox with synchronization on all forward gears.

Romeo 3

The final version, the Romeo 3, was introduced in 1966. The Romeo 3 had various improvements, including a hydraulic clutch and adjustable driver's seat. It had a short production run of around six months before being replaced by the Giulia 1300 engined F12 and A12 models. In all, some 23,000 Romeos were produced between 1954 and 1966.

F12/A12 and F11/A11

In 1967, the Autotutto was replaced with the Giulia-engined Alfa Romeo F12 and A12 vans. The front of the vehicle was updated with a wider chrome and mesh grill, and the 1,290 cc Alfa Romeo twin cam engine was updated to . The front-engined van had a four-speed gearbox and front-wheel drive. In 1973, an inline-four 1,760 cc Perkins diesel (4.108) with was released. This engine was also available in the Giulia sedan from 1976. The van had a top speed of around . The front brakes were discs and rear ones drums. Abandoning the use of a model name, "F" depicted a furgone, or van, "A" depicted an autocarro or light truck, and "12" indicated the carrying capacity of 12 quintali (1 quintale = ). Between 1967 and 1971, the lighter A11 and F11 versions were also available. These has a lighter payload and a lower horsepower rating. All Alfa Romeo vans were facelifted in 1977 with a new black plastic radiator grill, and chrome badging was replaced with black adhesive stickers. Production stopped in 1983, by when the total production of A11, A12, F11, and F12 vans was around 17,300 units. Alfa F12 Ambulance.jpg, 1967-1977 Alfa Romeo F12 (pre-facelift with metal grille) Alfa Romeo Autotutto F12.jpg, 1977-1983 Alfa Romeo F12 (facelift version) FurgonetaEBRO.jpg, The facelifted Ebro F-108 (introduced in 1971)

In Spain

In 1967, Motor Ibérica took over FADISA, the company that made

Ebro trucks Ebro trucks was a Spanish brand of light and medium trucks and buses, as well as all-wheel-drive utility vehicles with plants located in Barcelona, Madrid, Ávila, and Cordoba. History Ebro trucks's parent company, Motor Ibérica, was set up in ...

and merged the companies products. The Alfa Romeo F12 was renamed the Ebro F-100 in Spain, receiving a facelift with a black plastic grille in 1971. It was completely rebodied in 1976, with the new model being sold as the Avia 1000/1250/2000 or the Ebro F-series, and was eventually renamed the Ebro Trade. In 1986 it was renamed Nissan;

Nissan Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and '' Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house performance tuning ...

took full control of Motor Ibérica and

Ebro Trucks Ebro trucks was a Spanish brand of light and medium trucks and buses, as well as all-wheel-drive utility vehicles with plants located in Barcelona, Madrid, Ávila, and Cordoba. History Ebro trucks's parent company, Motor Ibérica, was set up in ...

the following year. The

continued to be made until the beginning of the 2000s at the

Ávila Ávila ( , , ) is a Spanish city located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m a ...

plant in Spain.

Replacement

Some Fiat and Iveco models were also marketed as Alfa Romeos as replacements for Romeo Romeo vans. The AR8 was based on the first-generation

Iveco Daily The Iveco Daily is a large light commercial vehicle, light commercial van produced by the Italy, Italian automaker Iveco since 1978; it was also sold as the Fiat Daily by Fiat Automobiles, Fiat until 1983. Unlike the more car-like unibody Fiat D ...

, and the AR6 was a rebadged 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 C ...

. They both carried Alfa Romeo's traditional shield-shaped grille.

References

{{Alfa Romeo modern timeline

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lord Montague, Lord Montague and his wife, Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lady Montague, Lady Montague, he ...

Vans Minibuses Cab over vehicles Pickup trucks Front-wheel-drive vehicles 1950s cars 1960s cars 1970s cars 1980s cars Vehicles introduced in 1954 Cars introduced in 1954 Cars discontinued in 1983