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70-743: In the 1960s and 1970s, several Italian automotive manufacturers (that later merged into the FCA Group) launched programmes to protect and promote their historical heritage, which led to the opening of the Centro Storico Fiat (Fiat Historical Center) in Turin in 1963 and, later, of the Lancia Museum in 1971. The Museo Storico Alfa Romeo opened in Arese a few years later, in 1976. Both the Alfa Romeo Museum and

140-660: A Drivers and Constructors Championship ISCS International Series ( Group N ), an Italian Superproduction Championship, two CIVT Italian Touring Car Championships ( Group N ), an ETCS Superdiesel Challenge (Class up to 2.5cc), two Italian Cups for women, one victory in the Alfa Romeo Challenge, a class victory at the 24 Hours Nürburgring and two victories in the Italian Superturismo Championship (Private trophies). Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. ( Italian: [ˈalfa roˈmɛːo] )

210-1035: A Fiat 500 F to the MOMA in New York and has established relationships with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, the Musée National de la Voiture in Compiègne and the Technik Museum in Sinsheim which in 2019 dedicated the opening exhibition of its new display area to the history of Alfa Romeo . A number of services are offered to Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia and Abarth classic car owners, including certification of authenticity, certificate of origin and

280-564: A bid to acquire the entirety of Alfa Romeo and offer job guarantees to Italian workers, an offer that Ford was unwilling to match. It also did not hurt any of the parties involved that an acquisition by Fiat would keep Alfa Romeo in Italian hands. In 1986, the deal was concluded with Alfa Romeo merged with traditional rival Lancia into Fiat's Alfa Lancia Industriale S.p.A. Already in 1981, Alfa Romeo's then-President Ettore Massacesi had stated that Alfa would never use Fiat engines—the engines being, to

350-581: A company called Fabral ( Fábrica Brasileira de Automóveis Alfa , "the Brazilian Alfa automobile factory") to build the Alfa Romeo 2000 there. After having received government approval, Matarazzo pulled out under pressure from Brazil's President Juscelino Kubitschek with the state-owned FNM company instead commenced building the car as the "FNM 2000" there in 1960. During the 1960s, Alfa Romeo concentrated on motorsports using production-based cars, including

420-490: A historical review of all Alfa Romeo road cars produced since 1910, prototypes and dream cars , aircraft and aeronautical projects, and scale models and awards. The museum collection numbers over 250 cars and 150 engines, of which approximately half were on display. These included at least one example of each model produced, plus prototypes and racing cars. Some of the museum cars are regularly on loan for festivals and historical events, like Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance ,

490-541: A large extent, Alfa Romeo's identity—but would be happy to cooperate fully with everything else. Models produced from the 1990 onwards combined Alfa's traditional virtues of avant-garde styling and sporting panache with the economic benefits of product rationalisation, and include a "GTA" version of the 147 hatchback, the Giugiaro -designed Brera , and a high-performance exotic called the 8C Competizione (named after one of Alfa's most successful prewar sports and racing cars,

560-530: A permanent collection of Alfa Romeo cars and engines. After being closed down in 2011, the museum reopened in June 2015. The museum was officially inaugurated on 18 December 1976, and is located in the former Alfa Romeo Arese factory area. Production of cars ended in 2002 and engine production in 2006 in Arese factory complex. At the beginning of 2009 the museum was closed down a first time for renovations and opened in

630-474: A plastic radiator header tank. It had also the lowest drag coefficient (Cd) in its class The same trend continued with the Alfetta 2000 and GTV, which had quirks such as 50:50 weight distribution , standard fit alloy wheels and transaxle . Newer innovations include complete CAD design process used in designing the Alfa Romeo 164 and an automated/paddle-shift transmission called Selespeed used in

700-401: A pre-war voiturette, and Giuseppe Farina won the first Formula One World Championship in 1950 in the 158. Juan Manuel Fangio secured Alfa's second consecutive championship in 1951. In 1952, Alfa Romeo experimented with its first front-wheel-drive compact car, "Project 13–61". It had the same transverse-mounted, forward-motor layout as the modern front-wheel-drive automobile. Alfa Romeo made

770-556: A second attempt in the late 1950s based on Project 13–61. It was to be called Tipo 103 and resembled the smaller version of its popular Alfa Romeo Giulia. However, due to the financial difficulties in post-war Italy, the Tipo 103 never saw production. Had Alfa Romeo produced it, it would have preceded the Mini as the first "modern" front-wheel-drive compact car. In the mid-1950s, Alfa Romeo entered into an agreement with Brazil 's Matarazzo Group to create

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840-464: A sporty image to the marque. Enzo Ferrari founded the Scuderia Ferrari racing team in 1929 as an Alfa Romeo racing team, before forming his namesake luxury sports car maker in 1939. Ferrari has had the most wins of any marque in the world. The company's name is a combination of the original name, "A.L.F.A." ("Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili" - “Anonymous Lombardy Automobile Factory”), and

910-443: A standard chassis and whether the resulting vehicles would be palatable to the public. Alfa 1900 Sprint were the basis of the B.A.T. 5, 7 and 9. The later B.A.T. 11 was based on the 8C Competizione. The Tipo 33 racing car, with its high-revving 2000 cc V8 engine became the basis for a number of different concept cars during the 1960s and 1970s, two of which ultimately resulted in production vehicles. Most made their appearances at

980-488: A total of 150,722 vehicles at the company's three factories. On January 16, 2021, the operations of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA were merged to form Stellantis and the company was renamed Stellantis Italy. In spite of falling sales, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato announced in 2021 that a new model would be launched every year between 2022 and 2026, starting with the much-delayed Tonale , with full electrification of new models from 2027. Alfa Romeo

1050-517: A total of about 112,000 units, which was significantly lower than Fiat CEO Marchionne's global sales target of 300,000. The company set about to achieve a sales target of 170,000 units in 2011, including 100,000 Giulietta and 60,000 MiTo models, but it actually sold 130,000 units that year. Its medium-term target was 500,000 units by 2014 including 85,000 from the North American market. In 2017 Alfa Romeo increased production by 62 percent, building

1120-404: A vintage car restoration and repair service, as well as a classic car trading programme, called “Reloaded by Creators”. Alfa Romeo Museum Museo Storico Alfa Romeo ( Alfa Romeo Historical Museum ; subsequently called Museo Alfa Romeo - La macchina del tempo , literally Alfa Romeo Museum - The time machine ) is Alfa Romeo 's official museum, located in Arese ( Milan ), and displaying

1190-496: Is an Italian luxury carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy , it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of multinational automotive company Stellantis . Founded on 24 June 1910 in Milan , Italy as A.L.F.A. —an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili —the company

1260-680: The 156 ; the 156 was also the world's first passenger car to use Common rail diesel engine. The Multiair -an electro-hydraulic variable valve actuation technology used in MiTo was introduced in 2009. In 2016, the Alfa Romeo Giulia came with electrical brakes. Many famous automotive design houses in Italy have accepted commissions to produce concepts and production vehicle shapes for Alfa Romeo. These include: Construction techniques used by Alfa Romeo has been imitated by other carmakers, and in this way,

1330-550: The 40–60 HP . A.L.F.A. ventured into motor racing , with drivers Franchini and Ronzoni competing in the 1911 Targa Florio with two 24-hp models. In 1914, an advanced Grand Prix car was designed and built, the GP1914 , with a four-cylinder engine, double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and twin ignition. However, the onset of the First World War halted automobile production at A.L.F.A. for three years. In August 1915,

1400-789: The 8C of the 1930s). In 2005, Maserati was bought back from Ferrari and was now under Fiat's full control. The Fiat Group then created a sports and luxury division from Maserati and Alfa Romeo. There is a planned strategic relationship between these two; engines, platforms and possibly dealers are shared. In the beginning of 2007, Fiat Auto S.p.A. was reorganized and four new automobile companies were created; Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A., Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. and Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles S.p.A. These companies were fully owned by Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. (from 2007 FCA Italy S.p.A.). On 24 June 2010, Alfa Romeo celebrated 100 years from its foundation. Alfa Romeo has been suffering from falling sales. In 2010, it sold

1470-487: The Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 with "Ala spessa" body in 1940 Mille Miglia . The engine had six electrically operated injectors, fed by a semi-high pressure circulating fuel pump system. 1969 models for the North American market had SPICA (Società Pompe Iniezione Cassani & Affini, a subsidiary of Alfa Romeo) mechanical fuel injection . According to Alfa Romeo, the engine's power output and performance were unchanged from

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1540-669: The Alfa Romeo overhead Twin Cam four-cylinder engine, initially displacing 1300 cc. This engine would eventually be enlarged to 2000 cc and would remain in production until 1995. When I see an Alfa Romeo go by, I tip my hat. Once motorsports resumed after the Second World War, Alfa Romeo proved to be the car to beat in Grand Prix events. The introduction of the new formula ( Formula One ) for single seat racing cars provided an ideal setting for Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158 Alfetta , adapted from

1610-686: The Carrera Panamericana (1990, 1991, 2002), where in 1991 it was awarded “best participating team”, and in 2002 won in the Sport Menor category with Arturo Merzario and Vinicio Marta (Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce), and in the Original Panamericana category with Prisca Taruffi and Antonio Maglione ( Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce). The Scuderia took part in two editions of the London–Sydney Marathon (1993 and 2000) and in

1680-595: The GTA (standing for Gran Turismo Allegerita), an aluminium-bodied version of the Bertone -designed coupe with a powerful twin-plug engine. Among other victories, the GTA won the inaugural Sports Car Club of America 's Trans-Am championship in 1966. In the 1970s, Alfa Romeo concentrated on prototype sports car racing with the Tipo 33 , with early victories in 1971. Eventually the Tipo 33TT12 gained

1750-562: The Giulietta series of family cars and developed the Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine , which would remain in production until 1994. Alfa Romeo became known for producing mass-market vehicles that nonetheless blended the aesthetics and performance of sport and luxury marques. Despite its strong brand image and relatively sizeable share of the high-performance auto market in Europe, by the 1970s,

1820-534: The Goodwood Festival of Speed and Mille Miglia . The renewed 2015 exhibit includes 69 cars. Scuderia del Portello is an Italian sports association dedicated to the activities of Alfa Romeo cars and historic models in motorsport and rallies; the official club is located at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese . On February 3, 1982, the journalist Luca Grandori, together with Edilberto Mandelli, Pietro Rondo, Giorgio Schoen, Stefano Senin and Renato Ughi, founded

1890-512: The King of Italy , the two words were separated by two figure-eight knots —named Savoy knots in Italian, and symbols of the then-reigning House of Savoy . Originally solid brass, the lettering was changed to white enamel in 1913. In 1918, after the company had been bought by Nicola Romeo , the wording "ALFA" was replaced with "ALFA-ROMEO". In 1925, to commemorate the victory of the Alfa Romeo P2 in

1960-531: The Peking to Paris in 2007. In 2004 it was the only racing team to take part in all six classes at Le Mans Classic , the historical reconstruction of the 24 Hours of Le Mans , and with Phil Hill it gained class victory with an Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CMM. In Italy , Scuderia del Portello members and cars usually participate in commemorations of the historical Mille Miglia and Targa Florio . The Scuderia has achieved relevant results with modern racing cars too, including

2030-507: The Second World War . In 1928, Nicola Romeo left, and in 1933 Alfa Romeo was rescued by the government, which then had effective control. Alfa Romeo became an instrument of Mussolini's Italy, a national emblem. During this period, it built bespoke vehicles for the wealthy, with bodies normally by Carrozzeria Touring or Pininfarina . This era peaked with the Alfa Romeo 2900B Type 35 racers. The Alfa factory (converted during wartime to

2100-557: The World Championship for Makes for Alfa Romeo in 1975 and the Tipo 33SC12 won the World Championship for Sports Cars in 1977. As Alfa Romeo was a state-controlled company, they were often subject to political pressure. To help industrialize Italy's underdeveloped south , Alfa Romeo's new compact car was to be built at a new factory at Pomigliano d'Arco in Campania . Even the car's name, Alfa Sud (Alfa South), reflected where it

2170-594: The 40–60 HP and the RL Targa Florio ). In 1923, Vittorio Jano was lured from Fiat , partly due to the persuasion of a young Alfa racing driver named Enzo Ferrari, to replace Merosi as chief designer at Alfa Romeo. The first Alfa Romeo under Jano was the P2 Grand Prix car , which won Alfa Romeo the inaugural world championship for Grand Prix cars in 1925. For road cars, Jano developed a series of small-to-medium-displacement 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder inline engines based on

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2240-452: The 4C, Giulia and Stelvio. Alfa Romeo has introduced many technological innovations over the years, and the company has often been among the first users of new technologies. Its trademark double overhead cam engine was used for the first time in the 1914 Grand Prix car, the first road car with such an engine, the 6C 1500 Sport , appeared in 1928. Alfa Romeo tested one of the first electronic fuel injection systems ( Caproni -Fuscaldo) in

2310-477: The Alfa Romeo body designs have often been very influential. The following is a list of innovations, and where appropriate, examples of imitation by other car manufacturers: Several concept cars have been made by Alfa Romeo: The Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica prototype cars were designed by Bertone as an exercise in determining whether streamlining and wind-tunnel driven designs would result in high performance on

2380-523: The Auto Salon Genève. Here is a brief list: In general, concept cars for Alfa Romeo have generally become production vehicles, after some modification to make them suitable for manufacture, and to provide driver and passenger safety. The Zagato SZ, GTV, and Spider, Brera, and 159 are all good examples of Alfa Romeo's stylistic commitment in this direction. Alfa Romeo's logo incorporates two heraldic devices traditionally associated with its birthplace,

2450-543: The Centro Stile Fiat (FCA EMEA Design Center) and is the creator of Fiat Multipla and Fiat 500 . In 2019, the department opened its operational headquarters, the "Heritage HUB". The multi-functional space is located in a former Fiat mechanical workshop in the Mirafiori plant called Officina 81. The 15,000 square metre surface area of the building houses staff offices, a central area dedicated to meetings and workshops,

2520-615: The Centro Storico Fiat are still in operation and house the automotive collections and historical production records of their respective brands, in addition to archival collections which include technical drawings and designs, advertising materials, financial and industrial documentation, films and images. In the same years, Fiat acquired Autobianchi in 1968, Ferrari and Lancia in 1969, Abarth in 1971, Alfa Romeo in 1986, and finally Innocenti and Maserati in 1990. The Lancia Museum, located in Borgo San Paolo in Turin closed in 1993 and

2590-589: The P2 unit that established the architecture of the company's engines, with light alloy construction, hemispherical combustion chambers, centrally located plugs, two rows of overhead valves per cylinder bank and dual overhead cams. Jano's designs proved both reliable and powerful. Enzo Ferrari proved a better team manager than a driver, and when the factory team was privatised, it became Scuderia Ferrari . When Ferrari left Alfa Romeo, he went on to build his own cars. Tazio Nuvolari often drove for Alfa, winning many races before

2660-714: The Pomigliano factory ran at 16.5 percent through the 1970s, reaching as high as 28 percent. By the 1970s, Alfa Romeo was again in financial trouble, with the company running at about sixty percent of capacity in 1980. Since Alfa Romeo was controlled by the Italian government owned Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI), a deal was made where about a quarter of worker's salaries were paid through state unemployment agencies to allow Alfa's plants to idle for two weeks every two months. An aging product lineup and very low productivity combined with near-permanent industrial unrest and Italy's high inflation rates kept Alfa Romeo firmly in

2730-529: The Scuderia in Arese as part of the Centro Direzionale Alfa Romeo with the patronage of the mother company. The name recalled the suburbs of Milan where the company's first factories were built. The Scuderia was conceived as a structure for giving support and technical assistance to drivers racing Alfa Romeo cars which were no longer in production, but the articles of association stated that its aim

2800-560: The Scuderia won the Tour Auto (revival of the Tour de France Automobile ) with Cajani-Faraci ( Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce), and in 2004, 2006, and 2007 the Tour de España, respectively with Jean Sage ( Alfa Romeo Giulietta Ti), Sage-Entremont ( Alfa Romeo 1900 Ti) and Cajani-Confaloni ( Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS Zagato). The Scuderia took part in the commemorations of important historical races such as

2870-557: The US Market as announced by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne after a series of rumours. North American sales resumed in October 2008, with the launch of the limited production 8C Competizione coupe with Alfa Romeo models being imported by Fiat's US subsidiary Chrysler. Also in 2008, Alfa Romeo and Chrysler were reported to be in discussions over the possibility of producing Alfa Romeo cars in some Chrysler manufacturing plants that had shut down due to

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2940-493: The carburetted version. The SPICA system continued until the 1982 model year with the introduction of 2.0 liter Bosch electronic fuel injection . Mechanical variable valve timing was introduced in the Alfa Romeo Spider , sold in the U.S. in 1980. All Alfa Romeo Spider models from 1983 onward used electronic VVT. The 105 series Giulia was quite an advanced car, using technologies such as all-wheel disc brakes , and

3010-506: The cars of its collection were transferred to an industrial building belonging to the Fiat Group in Beinasco . Abarth was relaunched in the 2000s. The operational autonomy of the brand was supported by an operation aimed at taking advantage of its historical heritage. The collection of the brands's record-breaking and rally racing cars was put on display in the new Abarth headquarters, located in

3080-553: The city of Milan : A red cross, from the emblem of Milan , and the biscione , a big grass snake and a child emerging from its mouth—emblem of the House of Visconti , rulers of the city in the 14th century. The logo was originally designed in 1910 by a young Italian draughtsman from the A.L.F.A. technical office, Romano Cattaneo. In June 1910, the Società Anonima Darracq became Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, and

3150-635: The classic car sales service showroom, an exhibition celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Mirafiori plant and a selection of the company's collection of vintage cars consisting of more than 300 models mostly made by Fiat and Abarth and, to a lesser extent, by Alfa Romeo, in addition to the entire Lancia collection previously kept in Beinasco. Of the 300 cars on display in the Heritage Hub, 64 feature in eight thematic areas with eight models each. In addition to

3220-767: The company came under the direction of Neapolitan entrepreneur Nicola Romeo , who converted the factory to produce military hardware for the Italian and Allied war efforts. Munitions, aircraft engines and other components, compressors, and generators based on the company's existing car engines were produced in a vastly enlarged factory during the war. After the war, Romeo invested his war profits in acquiring locomotive and railway carriage plants in Saronno ( Costruzioni Meccaniche di Saronno ), Rome (Officine Meccaniche di Roma), and Naples (Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali), which were added to his A.L.F.A. ownership. Car production had not been considered at first, but resumed in 1919 since parts for

3290-541: The company group's restructure and cost cutting. Instead, as reported by The Wall Street Journal in November 2009, Chrysler discontinued several Dodge and Jeep models while phasing in Alfa Romeo ones and the new Fiat 500. The next significant milestones in Alfa Romeo's North American return occurred in 2014, with the launch of the more affordable two-seater 4C coupe . That year, Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. confirmed that its original agreement with Mazda Motor Corporation, for

3360-429: The company soon faced financial troubles, leading to Romeo's contentious departure in 1928 and Italian government ownership in 1933. Under the control of the industrial organization Institute per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI), Alfa Romeo initially continued making its signature custom luxury vehicles, but following the financial hardship of World War II, shifted to mass-producing small vehicles. In 1954, it launched

3430-697: The company was operating at a loss, prompting IRI to sell it to Fiat Group in 1986. Alfa Romeo has since maintained its distinct identity and brand through several ownership changes, including Fiat's merger with the American Chrysler Group in 2014, forming Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), and FCA's subsequent merger in 2021 with the French PSA Group to form Stellantis. Alfa Romeo is heavily involved in various motorsports —including Grand Prix motor racing , Formula One , sportscar racing , touring car racing , and rallies —with achievements giving

3500-466: The company's portfolio to include heavy machinery and aircraft engines. In 1920, the company's name was changed to Alfa Romeo , with the Torpedo 20–30 HP being the first vehicle to bear the new brand. Through the 1920s, Alfa Romeo produced several successful road and race cars, and was well represented in prominent European motorsport events, notably winning the inaugural Grand Prix in 1925. Nevertheless,

3570-543: The completion of 105 cars had remained at the A.L.F.A. factory since 1915. In 1920, the name of the company was changed to Alfa Romeo with the Torpedo 20–30 HP the first car to be so badged. Their first success came in 1920 when Giuseppe Campari won at Mugello and continued with second place in the Targa Florio driven by Enzo Ferrari . Giuseppe Merosi continued as head designer, and the company continued to produce solid road cars as well as successful race cars (including

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3640-599: The end of the year, to celebrate Alfa Romeo's 100th birthday in 2010. It was closed once more in February 2011, reportedly for renovation work again. The renovation project was laid down at the end of 2013, and restoration work only started in Summer 2014. Centerpiece of the renewed structure are Alfa red projecting roofs added to the original 1970s structure. After four years the Museum officially reopened on 24 June 2015, when it hosted

3710-467: The industrial hub of Mirafiori. Certification and restoration services dedicated to the vintage cars of the brand were activated in parallel. Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler Group in 2014 merged to become FCA and FCA Heritage was founded the following year to expand the Abarth experience to the Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia brands. Roberto Giolito was named head of FCA Heritage. The automotive designer had led

3780-527: The last name of entrepreneur Nicola Romeo, who took control of the company in 1915. The first factory building of A.L.F.A. was in the first-place property of Società Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID), founded in 1906 by the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq , with some Italian investors. One of them, Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from Milan , became chairman of the SAID in 1909. The firm's initial location

3850-678: The logo was changed as well, taking on its present appearance which recalls the form of the Alfa Romeo 1900 radiator. The current president and team principal is Marco Cajani. The following are the maximum titles won by the Scuderia in FIA Historic racing Championships: In addition to the titles won under the aegis of the FIA, Scuderia del Portello has won eight Italian Historic Car Championships, and over 300 overall class victories in historical car races both in European and National championships. In 1997

3920-407: The mechanical holdings arm of IRI and its predecessors owned Alfa Romeo since 1932. Prodi first approached fellow Italian manufacturer Fiat, which offered to start a joint venture with Alfa. Fiat withdrew its plan for a joint venture with Alfa Romeo when Ford put in an offer to acquire part of Alfa Romeo and restructure the company, while increasing its stake over time. However, Fiat chose to put in

3990-520: The official Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia and Abarth clubs and takes part in international exhibitions dedicated to vintage cars in official capacity, including Concours d'Elegance, rallies, classic car gatherings and specialised motor shows, such as Goodwood Festival of Speed , Rétromobile, the Geneva Motor Show , Mille Miglia , the Cesana-Sestriere rally and Targa Florio . FCA Heritage donated

4060-434: The other Italian co-investors, founded a new company named A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili), buying the assets of Italian Darracq that was up to dissolution. The first car produced by the company was the 1910 24 HP , designed by Giuseppe Merosi , hired in 1909 for designing new cars more suited to the Italian market. Merosi would go on to design a series of new A.L.F.A. cars, with more powerful engines such as

4130-509: The over 300 cars at the Hub, the FCA Heritage collection includes some 30 vintage Fiat cars on display in the Centro Storico Fiat and more than 250 Alfa Romeo cars kept in the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese. FCA Heritage works to protect the historical heritage of the brands of the group by periodically restoring and maintaining the cars in the company's collection. FCA Heritage has listed and mapped all

4200-520: The press unveiling of the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia and Alfa Romeo logo, both key steps in the relaunch of the brand. On 30 June 2015 the museum reopened to the public. The museum is dedicated to over 100 years of history of the Alfa Romeo marque, whose production included automobiles, commercial vehicles, railway locomotives, tractors, buses, trams, marine and aircraft engines. The museum spreads over 4,800 square metres (52,000 sq ft). Its six floors are divided into four theme areas, including

4270-465: The production of Macchi C.202 Folgore engines: the Daimler-Benz 600 series built under license) was bombed during the Second World War and struggled to return to profitability after the war. The luxury vehicles were out. Smaller, mass-produced vehicles began to be produced beginning with the 1954 model year, with the introduction of the Giulietta series of berline (saloons/sedans), coupes and open two-seaters. All three varieties shared what would become

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4340-407: The red. Other creative measures were attempted to shore up Alfa, including an ultimately unsuccessful joint venture with Nissan endorsed by Alfa's then-president, Ettore Massacesi, and Prime Minister Francesco Cossiga . By 1986, IRI was suffering heavy losses—with Alfa Romeo having not been profitable for the last 13 years —and IRI president Romano Prodi put Alfa Romeo up for sale. Finmeccanica,

4410-529: The speculated manufacturing of a new Alfa Romeo Spider based on the Mazda MX-5 had been terminated mutually in December 2014. The proposed model for this joint venture became the Fiat 124 Spider convertible launched in 2015. In 2015, Alfa Romeo's return to this market was further bolstered by the automaker's display of the new Giulia at the Los Angeles Auto Show. In February 2017, Chrysler featured its Alfa Romeo brand exclusively in three ads during Super Bowl LI . Alfa Romeo's US importer, FCA US LLC , imports

4480-428: Was also to promote the brand, as well as to safeguard its historical and technological heritage, as a contribution to the history of car racing . It immediately became the official Alfa Romeo team for historical car races. In 1990 Scuderia del Portello changed its statute and broadened its activity to also include modern racing cars, becoming an official club of the communication of the brand management. On that occasion

4550-527: Was built. 18 January 1968, saw a new company named "Industria Napoletana Costruzioni Autoveicoli Alfa Romeo-Alfasud S.p.A." being formed, 90% of which belonged to Alfa Romeo and 10% to Government controlled holding company Finmeccanica . This plant was built in the wake of France's 1968 protests and Italy's Hot Autumn and was never "properly started." The employees had mainly construction backgrounds and were not trained for factory work, while industrial relations were troublesome throughout. Absenteeism rates in

4620-423: Was entrusted with doing the final design. The original badge was round, of enamelled brass , measuring 65 mm (2.6 in) in diameter, and carried already all the present day accoutrements: the red cross on a white field of Milan on the left, a green biscione on a light blue field on the right, all surrounded by a blue ring inscribed with the words "ALFA" at the top and "MILANO" at the bottom. In honour of

4690-442: Was established by Cavaliere Ugo Stella to acquire the assets of the ailing Italian subsidiary of French carmaker Darracq , of which he had been an investor and manager. Its first car was the 24 HP , designed by Giuseppe Merosi , which became commercially successful and participated in the 1911 Targa Florio endurance race. In August 1915, ALFA was acquired by Neapolitan entrepreneur and engineer Nicola Romeo , who vastly expanded

4760-455: Was imported to the United States by Max Hoffman from the mid-1950s. The Giulietta Spider was developed on the request of Max Hoffman, who proposed an open top version of the Giulietta. In 1961 Alfa Romeo started exporting cars to the United States through its own dealer network. In 1995, Alfa Romeo ceased exporting cars to the United States, the last model sold in that market being the 164 sedan. On 5 May 2006, Alfa Romeo made its return to

4830-419: Was in Naples , but even before the construction of the planned factory had started, Darracq decided late in 1906 that Milan would be more suitable and accordingly a tract of land was acquired in the Milan suburb of Portello , where a new factory of 6,700 square metres (8,000 sq yd) was constructed. In late 1909, the Italian Darracq cars were selling slowly and the company was wound up. Ugo Stella, with

4900-461: Was readying its first model, the 24 HP . The board asked chief engineer Giuseppe Merosi to devise a badge for the radiator shell of the new car; Merosi turned to his collaborators. One of them, Cattaneo, was inspired by the coat of arms he had seen on the gates of Castello Sforzesco to include the biscione in the logo. Merosi liked the idea, and together with Cattaneo came up with a sketch, then approved by managing director Ugo Stella; Cattaneo

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