The story of Alfa Romeo is one of the great success tales of the motoring industry. As one of the best-known car manufacturers with an unrivaled reputation, its said that you can’t consider yourself to be a real motorhead until you’ve owned an Alfa.
Alfa Romeo was formed when the initial ALFA company (Anonima Lombardi Fabricca Automobil, or, in English, the Lombard Automobile Factory Public Company) was bought by Nicola Romeo in 1915. At this point, the story of Alfa could have changed irrevocably, as Romeo converted Alfa’s production plant into a facility to produce military hardware for both the Italian and Allied armies during the First World War.
Following the war, the first Alfa Romeo car under the new name was released in 1920: the Torpedo 20, which boasted a 30hp engine. The focus was on racing right from the outset, with aerodynamics, design and engine innovations being the primary drivers in terms of vehicle design. Indeed, the first racing model Alfa was built in 1913, with the company having since participated in Formula One, rally championships, touring car racing and many other forms of motorsport. Indeed, even the world-famous Ferrari motorsport team came about because of Alfa: Enzo Ferrari was working with Alfa Romeo when he decided to form his own racing team.
Alfa have been at the forefront of automotive technology for decades, creating the first front-wheel drive vehicle, the first overhead twin cams, electric injection systems, variable valve timing, plastic radiator header tanks, 50/50 weight distribution, all-wheel disc brakes, transaxles and alloy wheels. As if that wasn’t enough, Alfa Romeo were also the first car manufacturer to run a passenger car using a common rail diesel engine.
This continual technological innovation came at a cost, though, and Alfa Romeo found itself in financial difficulties in the 1980s. In 1986, fellow Italian automobile company Fiat bought Alfa Romeo and has continued with the focus on technological innovation, moving into aircraft engines and super yachts as well as continuing to push the boundaries of passenger car technology.
With such household names as the Alfa 4C, Brera, Spider, Giulietta and GT in their range of models, Alfa Romeo has maintained a reputation for exceptional quality and innovation over one hundred years since it first began building passenger cars and sports cars. There aren’t many car companies which can boast this sort of history, and certainly not with the consistency of quality and the unwavering good name that Alfa Romeo has amongst motorists.
So what’s next for Alfa? It would be fair to say that the focus on innovation is set to continue, and we can safely say that a future with Alfa Romeo at the forefront of new technology and style in sports cars and passenger cars is something which will carry on for many years to come. After all, you can’t have too much of a good thing.