Alfa Romeo a lady in red
When you think of the color red on a car you immediately think of Ferrari, but in reality red is associated with all Italian racing car brands, this is because the "International Sporting Code" at the beginning of the last century assigned a color red was destined for every nation, and for Italy, obviously Alfa Romeo too, on the liveries of its racing cars, had adopted the color red.
Alfa Romeo, or rather A.L.F.A (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili) was born in Milan in June 1910 thanks to Cavalier Ugo Stella, but despite the success of the first cars and positive balance sheets, ALFA from a financial point of view is unable to take off, the lucky entry of Nicola Romeo, a young and wealthy Neapolitan entrepreneur who managed to revive the fortunes of the company, thus Alfa Romeo was born.
But when did the Quadrifoglio first appear on the bonnet of an Alfa Romeo?
It was 1923, when the Quadrifoglio was printed on an RL and it performed well, Ascari and Sivocci dominated on debut but it was the latter who crossed the finish line first, it was the first of a long streak of victories in the Targa Florio.
RL Targa Florio - 3154 cc - 95 HP at 3800 rpm - 157 km/h - Only two units produced
The current F1 only arrived in 1950, but world competitions were held well before the 1950s, the GP TIPO P2 won its first World Championship for Grand Prix cars in 1925. designed by the hand of Vittorio Jano, the GP TIPO P2 dominated the world Grand Prix and minor competitions for five years.
GP Tipo P2 - 1987 cc - 155 HP at 5500 rpm - 225 km/h - 6 units produced
Competitions with racing cars also and above all mean "Le Mans", the 8C 2300 Le Mans conceived by the genius of Vittorio Jano, who designed a real work of art and technology. The 8C 2300 Le Mans took its name from the legendary and exhausting French marathon which it dominated for 4 consecutive years from 1931 to 1934.
8C 2300 Le Mans - 2336 cc - 155 HP at 5200 rpm - 200 km/h - 9 units produced
In 1938 the 6C 2300 B Mille Miglia was born, elegant and aerodynamic, derived from the 6C 2300 of 1934, equipped with an aluminum chassis, it was among the first cars in Europe to adopt independent wheel suspension. A true technological jewel which in its various versions took part in numerous editions of the Mille Miglia.
6C 2300 B Mille Miglia - 2309 cc - 95 HP at 4500 rpm - 170 km/h - 106 units produced
The latest evolution of the 6C is the 6C 2500 sport, also from the hand of Vittorio Jano, this sports sedan has an innovative bodywork with integrated lights and mudguards, very light for the time, we are still in 1939 and weighed only 1370 kg.
6C 2500 sport - 2443 cc - 95 HP at 4600 rpm - 155 km/h - 66 units produced
A coupé with UFOs in mind, it was called the 1900 C52 Disco Volante, very light, in the barchetta version it weighed only 735 kg, with futuristic and aerodynamic lines, it was exhibited in the spider version at the 1952 New York show, arousing great interest. Unfortunately this beautiful and fascinating car remained only a prototype.
1900 C52 Disco Volante - 1997 cc - 158 HP at 6500 rpm - Over 220 km/h - 5 units produced
I conclude this very brief overview of the Alfa Romeo world with a car designed in 1969 by Pininfarina reusing the chassis of the Ferrari 250 P5. 33/2 Coupé Speciale, this is its name is a concept with sinuous lines, with large glass surfaces and gull wings. Unfortunately like the Disco Volante it remained a prototype.
33/2 Coupé Speciale - 1995 cc - 230 HP at 8800 rpm - speed not declared - only one example produced
You can admire these and many, many other cars at the Alfa Romeo museum in Arese in the province of Milan, retracing the entire history of this glorious brand from its birth to the present day.