Alfa Romeo: From the 24 HP to Stellantis, the Milan Marque That Kept Its Racing Soul

The Milan company that became Alfa Romeo began in 1910 as A.L.F.A., and over more than a century it built a reputation for sporting cars, Grand Prix success and striking design. It now operates as one of 14 brands within Stellantis.

When and where was Alfa Romeo founded?

The company was founded on 24 June 1910 in Milan as A.L.F.A., short for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. Cavaliere Ugo Stella led the group that bought the assets of a struggling Darracq subsidiary. Its first car, the 24 HP designed by Giuseppe Merosi, entered the 1911 Targa Florio race.

The name changed to Alfa Romeo in 1920, when the Torpedo 20-30 HP became the first car to carry the new badge. Giuseppe Campari won at Mugello that same year, one of the early results that gave the team its reputation.

Early racing gave the marque its sporting identity, and Alfa Romeo has taken part in motor racing ever since its first competitive entries. That heritage shaped how buyers saw the cars for decades afterwards.

A four-leaf clover, a grass snake and a century of cars built to be driven hard.

Who was Nicola Romeo and what did he change?

Nicola Romeo, a Neapolitan entrepreneur and engineer, took control of A.L.F.A. in August 1915. He widened the business into heavy machinery and aircraft engines, and the company later took his surname. He left in 1928, and the government stepped in to rescue the firm in 1933.

During the First World War the factory turned to military hardware, including munitions and aircraft engines. After the war Romeo bought locomotive and railway carriage plants, which were added to his A.L.F.A. ownership.

The wartime expansion left the company with a far larger industrial base than it had before 1915. That base made it a serious industrial group, but it also created financial pressures that followed when Romeo departed in 1928.

How did Vittorio Jano shape the cars?

Vittorio Jano arrived from Fiat in 1923 to replace Giuseppe Merosi as chief designer. His P2 Grand Prix car won the inaugural world championship in 1925, and the engine layouts he set the architecture that the company used for years. Their reliability and power impressed rivals.

Jano's road engines used light alloy construction, hemispherical combustion chambers and dual overhead cams. Enzo Ferrari, who drove for the team, later left to build his own cars and founded Scuderia Ferrari in 1929.

Jano's designs were not only fast on the circuit. They were also built to be reliable enough for ordinary customers, which gave Alfa Romeo a road car business alongside its racing programme.

Why did Alfa Romeo become a state company?

Alfa Romeo was rescued by the Italian government in 1933, and the state industrial group IRI controlled it from then on. Under state ownership it became closely linked with Mussolini's Italy and built bespoke vehicles for wealthy clients. Its luxury bodies came from Carrozzeria Touring or Pininfarina.

After the Second World War the company turned to smaller, mass-produced vehicles, launching the Giulietta family in 1954. Its Twin Cam four-cylinder engine became a long-running unit that later grew from 1300 cc to 2000 cc.

Customers of the luxury era often ordered individually built bodies, and the company's cars were admired for their elegance and performance. That reputation survived the government takeover and gave the marque an identity that buyers still associate with it today.

What was the Alfa Sud and why did it matter?

The Alfa Sud was a compact car built at a new factory at Pomigliano d'Arco in Campania, intended to help industrialise southern Italy. Its name, Alfa South, reflected where it was made. The plant's workforce struggled with industrial relations and high absenteeism.

Absenteeism at the Pomigliano factory ran at 16.5 percent through the 1970s and reached as high as 28 percent. Many workers had construction backgrounds rather than factory training, which added to the difficulties of running the plant.

The Alfa Sud shows how closely the company was tied to government policy. Its location was chosen to create jobs in the south, and the car's commercial success depended on factors well beyond the design team's control.

How did Fiat take control of Alfa Romeo?

Fiat bought the whole company in 1986 after Ford's offer for part of it fell away. The deal merged Alfa Romeo with its traditional rival Lancia into Alfa Lancia Industriale. By 1986 the company had not been profitable for 13 years.

Fiat's bid included job guarantees for Italian workers, an offer Ford was unwilling to match. Keeping the brand in Italian hands also weighed in the outcome, and the marque kept its own identity under the new owner.

Fiat then had to balance Alfa's identity against its own models. The company kept the racing and styling traditions alive, and later models combined avant-garde styling with the sporting character that owners expected. Ford's earlier interest had shown how valuable the brand was to outsiders.

What did Alfa Romeo achieve in Formula One?

Alfa Romeo won the first Formula One World Championship in 1950, when Giuseppe Farina drove the Tipo 158 Alfetta. Juan Manuel Fangio secured the second consecutive title in 1951. The Alfetta had been adapted from a pre-war voiturette, and the team dominated once racing resumed.

The partnership with Sauber began in 2018, and the team raced as Alfa Romeo Racing from 2019. Alfa Romeo left Formula One after the 2023 season, and Zhou Guanyu had been announced as China's first Formula One driver for 2022.

Outside single-seaters, the company has long been involved in sportscar, touring car and rally competition, and it has earned a sporting image from that work over several decades.

Racing has remained central to the brand's image. The partnership with Sauber showed how the marque could use Formula One as a showcase for its engineering, even when it worked as a technical partner rather than a manufacturer in its own right.

Why does the quadrifoglio matter?

The quadrifoglio, a green four-leaf clover, has marked Alfa Romeo racing cars since 1923. It began after Ugo Sivocci won the Targa Florio that year, and today the badge denotes the sportiest versions of the range. The clover sits on the front wings of modern cars.

Sivocci was killed while testing the P1 at Monza later that year, and that car lacked the clover. The 1963 Giulia TI Super became the first road car to carry the quadrifoglio, and the green clover later marked the sportiest trim of each model.

The badge has also marked the performance hierarchy. The Quadrifoglio Verde trim became the sportiest variant of many models from the 1970s, and the clover returned to the top of the range on the 8C Competizione.

Did Alfa Romeo ever build a front-wheel-drive compact?

Yes, but only as prototypes. Project 13-61 from 1952 was an early front-wheel-drive compact, and the Tipo 103 that followed never reached production because of financial difficulties in post-war Italy. Had it been built, it would have preceded the Mini as the first modern front-wheel-drive compact.

The layout of Project 13-61 matched the modern front-wheel-drive car, with the engine mounted across the car and forward of the front axle. That idea was ahead of its time for the company's finances.

Engineers had worked out the layout, and the financial climate in post-war Italy was the main reason the car never reached customers. The idea later returned in many compact cars that followed the Mini's lead.

How did Alfa Romeo return to the United States?

Max Hoffman imported Alfa Romeo to the United States from the mid-1950s, and in 1961 the company began exporting through its own dealer network. Exports ended in 1995, when the 164 sedan was the last model sold. The brand returned in October 2008 with the 8C Competizione.

The 4C coupe arrived in 2014, and the new Giulia was shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2015. The US importer now brings in the Giulia, Stelvio, Tonale and 33 Stradale.

The American relaunch was built around a small set of models, with the Giulia and Stelvio at its centre. Chrysler also ran a series of advertisements during a major sporting broadcast, giving the brand a high-profile moment after years away.

How has the Alfa Romeo badge changed?

The badge combines the red cross of Milan with the biscione, a grass snake, and it was first drawn in 1910 by Romano Cattaneo. Its colours have shifted over time, and the most recent redesign was unveiled on 24 June 2015.

A 1946 badge measured 54 mm (2.1 in) across and bore the traditional elements in antique silver over Alfa Red. The 2015 version reduced the colours from four to three, keeping the green of the biscione, the red of the cross and a dark blue ring.

Each logo change reflected the company's own moment, from the Savoy-era knots to the post-war red background and the 2015 relaunch alongside the Giulia. Designers kept the cross and the biscione because they carried the company's history.

How strong was Alfa Romeo in sportscar racing?

Alfa Romeo's prototype racers became a major force in the 1970s. The Tipo 33 used a 2000 cc V8 engine, and the Tipo 33TT12 won the World Championship for Makes in 1975. The Tipo 33SC12 followed with the World Championship for Sports Cars in 1977.

The GTA, an aluminium-bodied coupe with a twin-plug engine, won the inaugural Trans-Am championship in 1966. Its production-based success showed how competitive a road-derived car could be in the hands of the works team.

What are the key Alfa Romeo figures?

The table gathers the main dates and numbers that define the company, from the 1910 founding and the 24 HP to the Twin Cam engine, Formula One titles and recent sales. Each row gives the figure for the milestone named in the left-hand column.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns Alfa Romeo today?

Alfa Romeo is part of Stellantis, which formed on 16 January 2021 when FCA and Groupe PSA merged. The company is headquartered in Turin, Italy, and sits within a group of 14 brands.

How many cars did Alfa Romeo sell in 2010?

About 112,000 units in 2010, well below the 300,000 target set by Fiat's chief executive. Production rose 62 percent in 2017, when 150,722 vehicles were built.

When did Alfa Romeo turn 100?

The company celebrated 100 years on 24 June 2010, the anniversary of its foundation in Milan.

Will Alfa Romeo go electric?

Plans called for a new model every year from 2022 to 2026, starting with the Tonale, and full electrification of new models from 2027.