Alfa Romeo

Italy, 1910 to date

(1) A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombardo Fabbrica Automobili), Milan, 1910 – 1914

(2) SA Italiana Ing. Nicola Romeo & C, Milan, 1914 – 1930

(3) SA Alfa Romeo, Milan, 1930 – 1942

(4) Alfa Romeo SpA, Milan, 1942 to date

(5) Alfa Romeo SpA, Pomigliano d’Arco, Naples, 1971 to date

A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombardo Fabbrica Automobili) was founded in 1909 by Cav. Ugo Stella, formerly managing director of the Società Italiana Automobili Darracq, to manufacture a completely new range of Italian cars at Portello on the outskirts of Milan where, since 1906, small French Darracq cars had been assembled. By 1910 the last Darracq had left the factory, and production commenced of a sturdy range of Alfa cars designed from scratch by Cav. Giuseppe Merosi, a native of Piacenza, who had been Chief Technician with Bianchi in Milan. The first Alfas were a 24hp 4.1-litre car, later known as the 20/30hp, and a 12hp, 2.4-litre, which became the 15/20hp. Both were well made, with side-valve 4-cylinder monobloc engines and shaft drive. In 1913 the sports 6.1-litre 40/60hp appeared with push-rod overhead valves operated by two camshafts in the crankcase. A one-off 4½-litre Grand Prix car was built in 1914 with a 4-cylinder twin ohc engine, but it never ran in international races. In 1915 the factory was taken over by the industrialist Nicola Romeo, and after World War 1 the pre-war models were marketed as Alfa Romeos. The 20/30 ES Sport of 1921-22 was successful in Italian races, as was a special racing 40/60 driven by Campari, which scored the firm’s first victory at Mugello in 1920. A 6-cylinder luxury side-valve car called the G1 was not a success, but Merosi’s best remembered designs followed it; the 3-litre 6-cylinder push-rod ohv touring, sports and racing RL series cars which first appeared in 1921 and went into production in 1922. A racing version won the 1923 Targa Florio. The similar 4-cylinder 2-litre type RM was marketed in 1923-26, but the pointed radiator sports 22/90hp RLSS and the touring 21/70hp RLT, which had a flat radiator, were sold until 1927. In 1924 Alfa Romeo won the very first Grande Epreuve they ever entered, an unparalleled achievement, when Campari was victorious in the 1924 French Grand Prix at Lyons in the new straight-eight supercharged P2 car, designed by Vittorio Jano, who came from Fiat. In 1925 Alfa Romeo were declared World Champions.  Jano took over from Merosi in 1926 and his first touring and sports car designs soon became world famous, these having single and twin overhead camshaft 6-cylinder engines, first in 1.500cc and then in 1.750cc form. When supercharged, these cars won all the great sports car races in the period 1928-1930, with the exception of Le Mans. The latter omission was rectified from 1931 to 1934 when victory at Le Mans each year went to Jano’s next sports car design, which had a 2.3-litre straight-eight supercharged engine with a central drive to the overhead camshafts. This engine also powered the successful Grand Prix Alfa Romeo of 1931, known as the Alfa Romeo‘Monza’ model and raced for the factory by Scuderia Ferrari. In 1932 this engine, in 2.65-litre form, powered the Alfa Romeo Type B P3 Monoposte G.P. car, which proved virtually unbeatable and bore affinities with the Alfa Romeo Type A racing car of 1931 powered by two 1.750cc engines side by side. In 1933 Alfa Romeo came under State ownership and the Alfa Romeo Monopostos were withdrawn from racing until right at the end of the season. Ferrari continued F.O. racing with Alfa Romeo Monzas enlarged to 2.6 litres. The Alfa Romeo Monopostos in 2.9-litre form were not powerful enough against the Mercedes and Auto Unions, although Chiron won the 1934 French G.P. for Alfa Romeo, whilst Nuvolari quite unexpectedly won the 1935 German G.P. in an Alfa Romeo 3.8-litre Monoposto fitted with Dubonnet independent front suspension. From 1936 to 1939 Alfa Romeo fielded independently sprung straight-eight, V-12, and V-16 cars in G.P. racing, but against the German cars only isolated victories in smaller races were attained, usually through the skill of Nuvolari. In 1935 Ferrari built two big bi-motore racing cars, with one Alfa Romeo P3 engine under the bonnet and another in the tail. Some 2.9 P3 engines were put into all-independently sprung chassis in 1937-1939 to make expensive but exceedingly fast prestige sports cars. In sportscar racing Alfa Romeos won every Mille Miglia from 1928 to 1938 inclusive, except in 1931.  In 1934 Jano’s unsupercharged 6-cylinder twin ohc 2.3-litre car replaced the 1750 and 8C 2300, and, developed by Bruno Treviso, it later became the 2500 of 1939 and the early post-war years. It was recplaced in 1950 by the 4-cylinder 1900. This marked an important change in Alfa Romeo policy. Previously the touring Alfas had been expensive and semi-bespoke machines, whereas the 1900 and its successors were unitary construction saloons whose production has risen to about 30.000 units per annum at the present time. In 1954 was introduced the famous 1300ccc Giuletta, designed by Orazio Satta. From it were derived the successful 1600 Giulia and the 6-cylinder 2600, introduces in 1962. For 1968 the 1600s were replaced by the 1750 series, actually 1.779cc, available as a saloon(Berlina), coupé (1750 GT Veloce) or open sports (1750 Spider Veloce). The remarkable Colombo-designed supercharged 1½-litre 8-cylinder Monoposto known as the Alfa Romeo ‘158’ was introduces in 1938 for voiturette racing. After the war it was eligible for the Grand Prix formula, and by remaining unbeaten in Grandes Epreuves in 1946-1948 and 1950 until mid-1951, it set up a record unequalled by any other G.P. design. In 1946 Alfa Romeo took the first three places in the G.P. des Nations at Geneva, and repeated this finishing order in 1947 in the Italian G.P., the G.P. d’Europe at Spa and the Swiss G.P.. The most successful drivers during these years were Jean-Pierre Wimille, Achille Varzi and Count Felice Trossi, but the deaths of all three took place before the 1949 season and Alfa Romeo withdrew from racing as they had done in 1933. The Alfa Romeo 158s returned to the tracks in 1950 with Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio as their star drivers, and after victories in every race the cars ran in, Farina was declared World Champion. In 1951 Fangio was World Champion on the 400bhp Alfa Romeo Type 159, though the cars had to concede their first defeat, by and unblown 4½-litre Ferrari.  At the end of the season Alfa Romeo withdrew from G.P. racing, and although the works Disco Volante sports racing 2½- and 3-litre cars of 1952-1953 were generally unlucky in racing, the Alfa Romeo Giulias have had G.T. successes in recent years. Competition activities were resumed in 1967 with the Alfa Romeo T33, a rear-engined 2-litre 4ohc V8 with hemispherical combustion chambers, fuel injection, alternator ignition, and a 6-speed all-synchromesh gearbox. Until 1969 a tubular trellis frame was used, replaced for 1970 by an orthodox platform, and the disc brakes were mounted inboard. This Alfa Romeo T33 was catalogued at 9.750.000 lire but was primarily used by the Autodelta racing team; later cars had 2½-litre and 3-litre engines. In 1971 Alfa Romeos won the BOAC 1.000 Kilometers, the Targa Florio and the Watkins Glen 6 hours, but in 1972 they were powerless against the all-conquering Ferraris. In the touring-car range, the six disappeared in 1969, and in 1970 the fuel-injected dry-sump 2.6-litre V8 engine was applied to a conventional front-engined coupé, the Alfa Romeo Montreal. Other new 1972 models were the Alfa Romeo 2000, an updated 1750, and the 1.750cc Alfa Romeo Alfetta saloon with 122bhp engine, a 5-speed De Dion transaxle, double wishbone independent front suspension, and inboard disc brakes. It was the angular rear-end treatment of Alfa Romeo’s new economy saloon. The Alfasud, made in the Naples factory opened during 1971. This car had a 1.186cc flat-4 engine with cogged-belt drive for its twin overhead camshafts, hypoid bevel drive to the front wheel, all-disc brakes, and four forward speeds.    

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; PMAH

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