Genesis of a legend
Passion
The first logo 1910/1915
The Alfa Romeo logo consists of two Milanese symbols: The Visconti serpent on a pale blue background (the idea for which came to a young designer from the technical office who noticed the serpent on the Filarete tower while he was waiting for a tram in Piazza Castello) and the red cross on a white background, enclosed in a metallic circle with the words ALFA (‘Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili’) and MILAN’ separated by two Savoia dynasty knots.
A magazine from 1910
ALFA: the word itself is an entire program, or rather, the clear explanation of a program. It designates the first letter of the alphabet, the symbol of a starting point, the beginning of something, a new life taking shape…
The second logo 1915/1925
ALFA R’ME’-MILAN’ becomes the new wording on the logo after the factory is bought by Nicola Romeo.
The first car
1920 saw production of the very first car with the Alfa Romeo logo: the Torpedo 20-30 HP.
Targa Florio
The magazine Autocar highlights the ‘severe nature’ of the race with its 1500 bends over a distance of 180 kilometers, of which only 21 were on the flat, to be completed four times.
The Cars
LA 24HP
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1910-1920
- ENGINE: 4 cylinders in line, cast iron engine block
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 4084 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 42 bhp at 2200 rpm.
- TOP SPEED: 100-115 Km/hr
The first. With 300 models, designed by Giuseppe Merosi, the 24 HP is both fast and reliable, and is Alfa’s first commercial success. The model is an immediate success with sports lovers for its excellent pick-up and the precise construction of the mechanical parts. The car’s features are modern for its time, from the single engine block to the single joint transmission. The 24 HP makes its track debut at the 6th Targa Florio in 1911 with two cars that stood out for their speed and roadholding. They are truly “sporting”. The 15 HP Corsa was designed in 1911 especially for the competitions, with a power output of 45 bhp. Improvements are made to this model in 1914 (the 15-20 HP), while following the pattern of the 24 HP is the 12 HP, which is less complex but has equally sparkling characteristics.
The 40-60 HP
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1913-1922
- ENGINE: 4 cylinders in line, two-piece cast iron engine block
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 6082 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 70 bhp at 2200 rpm. (production cars), 73 bhp at 2200 rpm. (race cars 1913-1914), 82 bhp at 2400 rpm. (race cars 1920-1922)
- TOP SPEED: 125 Km/hr (race type: 150)
An authentic sports car. The 40-60 HP of 1913, with a capacity of over 6 liters, overhead valves controlled through a system of rods and balances, and two cam shafts placed in the engine block, delivers excellent yield with greatly reduced fuel consumption. The car is certainly not a disappointment: on its debut in 1913 at the Parma-Berceto uphill race, it comes first in its category and in the two-year period 1920-1921 it wins at the Mugello circuit. The Grand Prix in the autumn of 1922 is its last race: Campari is forced to retire because of mechanical failure after recording the fastest lap at an average of 141.6 Km/hr. 27 models were built, including the one with the torpedo-shaped Castagna bodywork for Count Ricotti, with a stunning top speed of 139 Km/hr.
The Grand Prix from 1914
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1914-1921
- ENGINE: 4 cylinders in line, cast iron engine block
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 4490 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 88 bhp at 2950 rpm. (1914), 102 bhp at 3000 rpm. (1921)
- TOP SPEED: 125 Km/hr (race type: 150)
The “International”. In 1914 Merosi designs the Alfa Grand Prix, a car inspired by the dictates of a new racing formula, which set a maximum engine capacity of “four and a half cylinders” and a maximum weight of 1100 Kg. Various technical innovations are adopted for the engine, with the use of double inclined overhead valves controlled directly by two overhead cam shafts. The aim is to confirm Alfa’s position in international competitions – and among the international public – but the outbreak of the First World War puts an end to all sporting activities. Up until 1919 the car lies idle in a pharmaceuticals factory. For the 1921 season its engine power is increased from 88 to 102 bhp. At the Gentlemen G.P. in Brescia in 1921, Campari, who had been leading the race from the 11th to the 24th lap, is forced to retire just before the finish line because of a leaking radiator. Only one model of the car is ever produced.
Racing
1911
Right from its conception in 1910, ALFA’s intention is to build cars to sell to a public that is still poorly informed but nevertheless eager to race in the “motor car”. The sporting adventure begins in 1911, when drivers Franchini and Ronzoni debut two 24 HP models at the sixth edition of the Targa Florio. The experience is not a happy one, but Alfa is clearly not lacking in enthusiasm.
1913-20
The first podium finish comes in 1913 when Franchini claims 2nd place overall in a 40-60 HP at the Parma – Poggio Berceto race, while in 1914 three 40-60 HP models driven by Campari, Franchini and Fracassi dispute the Targa Florio. In 1919, after the war, competition resumes and in 1920 Giuseppe Campari earns his first victory at Mugello.
Personalities
G. Merosi
The “surveyor” (1872-1956). Designer from 1910 to 1924
Born in Piacenza in 1872, in 1910 Giuseppe Merosi takes on the difficult task of launching the Portello cars on a market that is still very far from being defined. He is the right man for the job: his designs lead to the production of effective cars that are pleasant to drive, both on the open road and in competitions. In 1923 the designer creates the P1, a two-seater racing car that was to make its debut at the Monza Grand Prix, but a fatal accident during trials that cost the life of Sivocci meant that development of the car was halted at birth. The road cars aimed at private buyers, the RL and RM, had better luck.
Models designed:
- 1910 24 HP
- 1913 40/60 HP
- 1914 GP
- 1915 15/20 HP
- 1920 20/30 HP
- 1923 GP (P1)
N. Romeo
A small man with a great black moustache, he is an entrepreneur and industrialist with Neapolitan origins. Appointed Procurator General of the Banca di Sconto, he takes over at the helm of A.L.F.A in 1915 and decides to revolutionize the company’s productive philosophy. Car manufacturing is halted, to be replaced by ammunition and military hardware manufacturing for the armed forces engaged on the front lines, and engines for airplanes and compressors. In 1918 the company “Societa Anonima Nicola Romeo” takes over the Saronno train fittings construction firm. In 1928, due to differences that are by now irreconcilable, Nicola Romeo definitively ends his dealings with Alfa Romeo.
The Company
The firm “Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili”, A.L.F.A. was founded in 1910, in the ill-fated industrial complex built by Alessandro Darracq at Portello in Milan in 1907. Under the direction of Cavalier Ugo Stella, Alfa produces a series of models that soon help it to become competitive on the market and stand out for their performance and drivability: the 24 HP, the very first car to be called an ALFA (at a cost of 12,000 lire); and the various models derived from it, the 40-60 HP models with more powerful engines.
Alfa’s adventure in the world of competition resumes – having been interrupted in 1915 with the company’s involvement in producing military hardware – and it joins the group of companies controlled by Nicola Romeo. At the end of the war, in 1919, car production begins again and 1920 sees production of the very first car with the Alfa Romeo logo: the “Torpedo 20-30 HP”. Competitive racing starts again.