Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A.
is an Italian manufacturer of
cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on
June 24, 1910 in Milan, the
company has been involved in car
racing since 1911, and has a
reputation for building
expensive sports cars. The
company was owned by Italian
state holding company Istituto
per la Ricostruzione Industriale
between 1932 and 1986, when it
became a part of the Fiat Group,
and since February 2007 a part
of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A.
The company that became Alfa
Romeo was founded as Società
Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID)
in 1906 by the French automobile
firm of Alexandre Darracq, with
some Italian investors. Late
1909, the Italian Darracq cars
were selling slowly and a new
company was founded named
A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda
Fabbrica Automobili English:
Lombard Automobile Factory,
Public Company),
initially still in partnership
with Darracq. The first
non-Darracq car produced by the
company was the 1910 24 HP,
designed by Giuseppe Merosi.
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 August 1915 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. In 1920, the
name of the company was changed
to Alfa Romeo with the Torpedo
20-30 HP becoming the first car
to be badged as such.
In 1928 Nicola Romeo left,
with Alfa going broke after
defence contracts ended, and at
the end of 1932 Alfa Romeo was
rescued by Benito Mussolini's
government, which then had
effective control. The Alfa
factory struggled to return to
profitability after the Second
World War, and turned to
mass-producing small vehicles
rather than hand-building luxury
models. The company, in 1954,
developed the classic Alfa Romeo
Twin Cam engine, which would
remain in production until 1995.
During the 1960s and 1970s Alfa
Romeo produced a number of
sporty cars, though the Italian
government parent company,
Finmeccanica, struggled to make
a profit so sold the marque to
the Fiat Group in 1986.
Alfa Romeo has competed
successfully in many different
categories of motorsport,
including Grand Prix motor
racing, Formula One, sportscar
racing, touring car racing and
rallies. They have competed both
as a constructor and an engine
supplier, via works entries
(usually under the name Alfa
Corse or Autodelta) and private
entries. The first racing car
was made in 1913, three years
after the foundation of the
company, and Alfa Romeo won the
inaugural world championship for
Grand Prix cars in 1925. The
company gained a good name in
motorsport, which gave a sporty
image to the whole marque. Enzo
Ferrari founded the Scuderia
Ferrari racing team in 1929 as
an Alfa Romeo racing team,
before becoming independent in
1939.