Alfa Romeo vehicle research

Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian car manufacturer known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and distinct 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 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.

History

The company's name is a combination of the original name, "A.L.F.A.", and the last name of entrepreneur Nicola Romeo, who took control of the company in 1915.

Lineup

Alfa Romeo has long been a technological pioneer, fielding one of the first double-overhead-cam engines in a 1914 Grand Prix car and, by 1928, in the road-going 6C 1500 Sport. The company tested one of the earliest electronic fuel injection systems in 1940 and used mechanical SPICA fuel injection on U.S.-market cars from 1969 through 1982, followed by Bosch electronic injection. Its 105-series Giulia used all-wheel disc brakes and had the lowest drag coefficient in its class, while the Alfetta and GTV introduced 50:50 weight distribution and a rear-mounted transaxle. Through the 1960s and 1970s the brand built its identity in motorsport with production-based racers: the aluminum-bodied GTA won the inaugural SCCA Trans-Am championship in 1966, and the Tipo 33 prototype won the World Championship for Makes in 1975 and the World Championship for Sports Cars in 1977. Today Alfa Romeo's U.S. importer brings in the Giulia sport sedan, the Stelvio SUV, the smaller Tonale crossover, and the limited-run 33 Stradale supercar, with the Quadrifoglio badge marking the brand's highest-performance trim across the lineup, carrying forward the racing pedigree that has defined Alfa Romeo since its earliest grand prix engines.

Sales

In the 1960s, the main Alfa Romeo factory was moved from inside Milan to a very large and nearby area extending over the municipalities of Arese, Lainate and Garbagnate Milanese. However, since then the factory was moved to Arese, as the offices and the main entrance of the area were located there. In the late 1960s, a number of European automobile manufacturers established facilities in South Africa to assemble right hand drive vehicles.

Concept cars

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 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.

Motorsport

Alfa Romeo has been involved with motor racing since 1911, when it entered two 24 HP models in Targa Florio competition. Alfa Romeo won the first World Manufacturers' Championship in 1925 and the first AIACR European Championship in 1931 and it scored wins at many races and motoring events such as Targa Florio, Mille Miglia and Le Mans.

Source: Alfa Romeo (Wikipedia)