The heroic age of the motor car
Passion
Logo 1925/ 1946
A crown of laurels in embossed metal around the logo recalls a legendary victory: the P2 at the 1st World Driving Championship (1924). The diameter increases from 65 to 75 mm. In 1930 it is reduced to 60 mm, remaining unchanged until 1945. 1750 Mania
Pat Braden, secretary of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of America, describes the 1750 in a news-item from 1961: «I mentioned the noise of the Alfa Romeo engine: it is a sort of indescribable rhapsody. But everything about this car gives that sensation and every time I get in and switch on the engine, the ennui of everyday life melts away and everything becomes fresh and new once again.»
Peter Hull, in his History of Alfa Romeo (1970) wrote of the 1750: «Cars as beautiful and exciting as beautiful women do not generally come without their faults. But in this respect the Alfa 1750 is an exception».
The three musketeers
The fame of the Alfa Romeo team is assured. Ascari, Campari and Sivocci would later be nicknamed “the three musketeers”
The 1st Quadrifoglio
1923 Targa Florio: Sivocci’s car appears for the first time bearing the symbol of the green Quadrifoglio (clover) in a triangle on a white background, the symbol that was later to become the symbol of Alfa Racing.
The Prince of Siam
1924: The Prince of Siam visits Alfa Romeo and buys an RL Sport with Castagna bodywork.
The Mille Miglia
Initiated in 1927, the Mille Miglia (Thousand Mile Race) is something totally new and sensational. Its long, demanding route, Brescia-Roma-Brescia, soon makes it a legendary race: it is a “trek” of about 1600 Km through the towns and countryside of Italy.
The Cars
The RL
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1922-1927
- ENGINE: 6 cylinders in line, cast iron engine block
- ENGINE CAPACITY: from 2916 to 3620 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 56 bhp at 3200 rpm. (model RL Normal), 61 bhp at 3200 rpm. (model RL Touring), 71 bhp at 3500 rpm. (model RL Sport)
- TOP SPEED:: 110 – 130 Km/hr
Elegance on the road. Designed by Merosi in 1921, the RL comes with a 6-cylinder engine with balancer and overhead valve and front brakes that help eliminate vibrations when braking. Produced in Normal and Sport versions, the Portello manufacturer also uses it in competitions, especially for propaganda purposes, entering it in national competitions using both a production model or a specially adapted version, on road circuits, uphill races and endurance races. The result: the RL chalks up success after success and guarantees the commercial success of Alfa Romeo’s products. One of the versions specially prepared for Alfa Romeo’s participation in the Targa Florio race in 1923 and 1924, driven by Campari, reaches an average speed of over 178 Km/hr over 10 km. 2640 models are built in various versions, with orders coming in from all over the world.
The RM
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1923-1925
- ENGINE: 4 cylinders in line, cast iron engine block
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 1944 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 40 bhp at 3000 rpm.
- TOP SPEED:: 95 Km/hr
A cheaper RL. Launched at the 1923 Paris Motor Show, the RM is a four cylinder, two-liter car incorporating many of the parts found on the RL engine, but comes at a much more accessible price. Available in three versions: Normal, Sport and Unified. In total, 500 models of the car are produced. The RM makes its sporting debut at the 3rd ‘Coppa delle Alpi’ in 1923, coming fourth in the “two liter” category, after a race covering almost three thousand kilometers in six stages.
P2
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1924-1930
- ENGINE: 8 cylinders in line, 4 blocks of plated steel
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 1987 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 140 bhp at 5500 rpm. (1924), 155 bhp at 5500 rpm. (1929), 175 bhp at 5500 rpm. (1930)
- TOP SPEED:: 225 Km/hr
Unbeatable. The first car designed by Vittorio Jano in 1924, the P2 is also the first Alfa Romeo with an 8-cylinder supercharged engine and 2 carburetors placed after the compressor. Prepared in secret in the Portello workshops, the P2 makes a surprise debut at the 200-mile race at the 2nd Circuit of Cremona in 1924, winning the race with an incredible average speed of over 158 Km/hr and completing the 10 km speed trial at an average of 195 Km/hr. Its participation in the international Grand Prix of 1924 and 1925 leads to the first World Championship title, which led to the addition of the laurel wreath design to the logo. Considered one of the best Grand Prix cars of the twenties, the P2 helps to lay the foundations for the Alfa Romeo legend. Of the six models built (with cut off and long rears) only two remain, and can be found today in the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, while a version from 1930 is on display at the Automobile Museum in Turin.
6C 1500
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1927-1929
- ENGINE: 6 cylinders in line, cast iron engine block
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 1487 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 44 bhp at 4200 rpm.
- TOP SPEED:: 110 Km/hr (4 seats) 105 Km/hr (6 seats)
A light, sparkling “little car”. The first production car. Designed by Vittorio Jano, the 6C 1500 heralds the start of Alfa Romeo’s production of cars with medium-low capacity engines. Equipped with a 6-cylinder engine, the timing system is based on a single overhead camshaft. The lowest possible vehicle weight means the car has considerable power, along with good stability and handling. Launched in 1925 at the Milan Motor Show, then in Paris and London, the 6C 1500 is much admired by experts for its advanced characteristics, and also enjoys considerable commercial and sporting success. The years between 1927 and 1929 see a total of 1075 cars built.
6C 1750
- YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1929-1933
- ENGINE: 6 cylinders in line, cast iron engine block
- ENGINE CAPACITY: 1752 cc
- POWER OUTPUT: 46 bhp at 4000 rpm., 85 bhp at 4800 rpm. (Super Sport and Grand Sport)
- TOP SPEED:: 110 Km/hr, 165 Km/hr (1929), 170 (1930)
The 6C 1500 becomes more powerful. Launched at the 1929 Rome Motor Show and with production in Touring, Grand Touring, Super Sport and Grand Sport versions, the 6C 1750 retains the same weight and structure as the 1500, but has more powerful engines (an increase of 10-15% reaching 100 bhp for the engines used in competitions) and much improved torque, giving better acceleration. The chassis assemblies are also greatly improved, to ensure maximum safety, in both the production models and the special competition versions. Its sporting debut comes at the 1929 Mille Miglia race and up until 1931 it dominates unchallenged all the races in the Sport category. A total of 2579 cars are produced.
Racing
1920
In 1920 Alfa starts building its extraordinary sporting legend. Campari wins at Mugello in 1920, and repeats the feat in 1921, this time followed home by team-mates Enzo Ferrari (2nd) and Ugo Sivocci (3rd). In 1920 Campari competes in the kilometer speed trial at Gallarate with a Grand Prix car designed by Merosi in 1914.
1921
1921 marks the competition debut for the 20-30 HP in an ES Sport version. And it results in a victory, with Ascari and Sivocci winning the Parma – Poggio Berceto race (1st and 2nd place) in the 4.5-liter class.
1923
1923: A memorable year. A crack team of drivers is assembled under the banner of the clover on a white background, and the red RL racing cars notch up victory after victory, with Masetti winning at Mugello. Using cars derived from the RL, Alfa takes part in the prestigious Sicilian race, the 1923 Targa Florio, fielding drivers Masetti, Campari, Ascari, Sivocci and Ferrari. (The green clover inside a triangle on a white background makes its first appearance on Sivocci’s car). Sivocci wins. Campari runs out of petrol towards the end and Ascari claims second place, helped by the mechanics and by Enzo Ferrari after a fault had brought his car to a standstill 200 meters from the finish line. Ascari wins again at Cremona, Sivocci comes first in a Touring race at Monza, but he was later to die on the same track as the result of an accident in qualifying for the “P1” Grand Prix car in September.
17 June 1923 – Savio Circuit (Ravenna): triumph for Enzo Ferrari.
The parents of Francesco Baracca, who are at the race, present the Alfa Romeo driver with a coat of arms in the shape of a shield, showing a rampant horse on a yellow background. The same coat of arms that their son, Francesco Baracca, a famous Italian flying ace during the First World War, had painted on the fuselage of his fighter. Enzo Ferrari recalls: «When I won the first Savio circuit in 1923, in Ravenna, I met count Enrico Baracca, father of the war hero, and also his mother, countess Paolina. She was the one who said to me one day, “Ferrari, why don’t you put my son’s rampant horse on your car? It might bring you luck”. I still have the photo of Baracca, with a dedication by his parents, in which they present me with the emblem. The horse was then and still is black; I added the canary yellow background, the color of Modena.
1924
The legendary P2 makes its debut, with the ‘Quadrifoglio’. The first to test it is Ascari on the Parma – Poggio Berceto circuit. It is a runaway winner in its debut at the Cremona Circuit, with Ascari at the wheel. But the first major success comes in the European Grand Prix in Lyons: Campari wins in 7 hours 5 minutes and 30 seconds at an average speed of 114 km/hr. The Delenge, Sunbeam and Bugatti are all beaten. In October the Italian Grand Prix takes place in Monza: Alfa Romeo enters 4 cars with Campari, Ascari, Wagner and Minoia driving. It is a triumph: Alfa claims the first four places at the finish line, with a 45 minute lead over the fifth placed driver (in a Schmid). Ascari wins with an average speed of 158.99 km/hr.
The RL at the 1924 Targa Florio: “…victory seemed assured when Ascari braked too hard about a hundred meters from the finishing line, causing the car to spin, and when the driver and mechanic couldn’t manage to get the engine started again, they had to push it uphill to the finishing line, where they finished in second place”. They were later disqualified for being helped by spectators.
1925
The P2 keeps on winning. In 1925 Ascari and Campari dominate the European Grand Prix at Spa: Alfa’s superiority is such that during the race the drivers, almost in protest at the intemperance of the public, stop at the invitation of Jano for a snack at a table, while the mechanics polish their cars. At Montlhery, in France, Ascari’s car skids off the road in the rain while he is leading the race. He dies on the way to hospital. As a mark of respect Alfa retires and Campari returns to the pits. Despite the untimely loss of Ascari, Alfa Romeo wins its first world title at Monza with Gastone Brilli Peri. A victory commemorated on the logo with a laurel wreath.
1928-29
Campari and Ramponi, in a 6C 1500 compressor making its debut, win the Mille Miglia, the legendary race started in 1927. This success is repeated in the Mille Miglia of 1929 in a 1750. Another victory for Alfa in the Mille Miglia of 1930, a classic race that sees Nuvolari and Guidotti claiming first place, followed by their rival/team-mate Varzi, who is overtaken by the “flying Mantuan” on the last stretch. A speed record is also set, with Nuvolari exceeding an average of 100 Km/hr for the first time.
1930
Varzi gets his revenge by winning the Targa Florio in 1930 in an old P2: that was the last victory for Jano’s glorious car, and was also due in no small measure to the skill of the driver.
The 1930 Targa Florio, Varzi wins in flames: ...on the last lap, with Varzi trailing Chiron by a half-minute, the engine on the P2, which was now short of fuel, started to sputter. Varzi’s mechanic seized a petrol can and tried to fill the tank with the car still moving. The petrol splashed onto the scorching exhaust pipe and flames engulfed the tail of the car. Varzi tried to avoid stopping to prevent the whole car being caught up in the flames while the mechanic tried to put out the fire with one of the seat cushions. The fire was eventually put out and Varzi managed to win with a 1 minute 48 second advantage over Chiron. This was Varzi’s most emotional victory and was also the last victory claimed by a P2.
Personalities
V. Jano
The genius
Snatched from Fiat through the intervention of Enzo Ferrari, Turin-born designer Vittorio Jano arrives at Alfa Romeo in 1923 and immediately makes his mark with the legendary P2, a car destined to remain undefeated for seven years. He also designs the 1750, which dominates the Mille Miglia in 1929 and in 1930, and the P3, which after 1932 was to become the favorite car of the greatest drivers of the time. He leaves Alfa Romeo in 1937.
Models designed:
- 1924: P2
- 1927: 6C 1500
- 1931: 8C 2300
- 1932: type B (P3)
- 1934: 6C 2300
- 1935: 8C 2900 A
- 1937: 8C 2900 B
G. Campari
“El negher”
Born in Lodi in 1892, a would-be opera singer, and lover of the culinary arts, Giuseppe Campari was the first great champion to bring major success to Alfa. With an imposing build and tiny moustache, Campari wins at Lyons in 1924, then the Mille Miglia in 1928 and 1929 and the Italian GP at Monza with Tazio Nuvolari. In 1933, at the age of 41, Campari is preparing to depart the scene: but the race that is supposed to be his last sporting outing, at Monza, proves fatal. Campari spins off the road along with Borzacchini in a Maserati, and both drivers are tragically killed.
A. Ascari
The crowd favorite
Born in the Mantua area in 1888, a mechanic, someone always on the go and “besotted” with engines, Ascari finally realizes his dream of competition racing. In 1921 with Campari he wins the Parma – Poggio Berceto race, gives the P2 a winning debut in 1924, and then claims victory again in Poggio Berceto, and at the GP in Spa, before heading to Monthlery for yet another victory. Here though, on the 22nd lap, tragedy strikes: Ascari’s extremely fast P2 touches a protective barrier that should have been removed, the cars overturns, and Ascari is killed.
U. Sivocci
Ugo Sivocci spent his entire career with Alfa. Alongside Ascari, Campari and Ferrari he is the racing “hero” of the early twenties: fourth place in the 1921 Targa Florio, another fourth place at Monza in 1922, first place in the Targa in 1923. He becomes Merosi’s test driver for the P1 but during trials Sivocci goes off the road and is killed.
G. Brilli Peri
The first world championship
With a heart of gold and a face permanently scarred in an accident during the tour of Italy motorcycle race, Count Brilli Peri, known simply as “Brilli”, starts his racing career just after the war. In 1925, with Alfa, he wins his first world title at the Italian GP in Monza. He continues racing until 1930, when he dies during the practice sessions for the Grand Prix at Tripoli.
E. Ferrari
Under the sign of the rampant horse
A good driver, competent diplomat, and great businessman, the relationship between Enzo Ferrari and Alfa Romeo is both long and complex: he starts racing in the twenties when he takes part in the Targa Florio with a 40-60 HP, crossing the finish line in second place overall, and he continues to race successfully for the next decade. But Ferrari becomes an important figure especially in the strategic-organizational phase. His enterprising nature led him, in 1929, to found the Scuderia Ferrari (Ferrari Stable), which in 1932 became Alfa Romeo’s race representative. A role it fulfilled until 1938, when the name was changed to Alfa Corse. Ferrari was soon to return to Modena, leaving Alfa Romeo for good.
The Company
In the twenties the company gets involved in another crisis linked to its majority shareholder, the Banca Italiana di Sconto. Indeed, at one stage in 1927 there were even thoughts of winding the company up. But the reputation that Alfa Romeo had forged for itself both in Italy and abroad was such that the company could not be closed down. The departure of Nicola Romeo in 1928 coincided with the arrival of 6-cylinder cars – light, fast and sparkling. The taste for driving becomes a powerful passion and a true “status symbol”. Mass production is initiated, and 1929 sees the creation of the Scuderia Ferrari, concentrating entirely on competitions.