The History of Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo Cars

Alfa Romeo manufactures Italian automobiles and was originally founded in 1907 by Cavalier Ugo Stella who was partnered with Alexandre Darracq. Through the years the firm has been bought and sold several times and has been in and out of financial trouble.

During World War II the Alfa factory was destroyed. After the war the company struggled financially and decided to stop manufacturing large luxury cars and began to manufacture smaller cars in larger numbers.

In the 1970’s the firm was struggling yet again with financial difficulties. FIAT bought into the company and created Alfa Lancia Spa. The new company then went on to manufacture Alfas and Lancias.

Alfa Romeos have been used as early as the 1930’s as racing cars. Alfa Romeos have been raced in many forms; Formula I, Prototypes, Touring form and Fast Touring. Private Alfa owners and drivers have also been known to enter rally races with great success. Alfa Romeos are famous for their racing ability and style.

The Alfa badge was designed in 1910 by Romano Cattaneo he created a circular emblem that incorporated the City of Milan’s emblem and the Visconti Family’s red cross and serpent coat of arms outlined in a dark blue metallic ring with the words “ALFA” and “MILANO” inscribed.

Alfa Romeo has manufactured many successful cars over the past fifteen years. Cars such as the GT, Brera, the Alfa Romeo 147 and the Alfa Romeo 159 have been very popular in recent years.

The Alfa Romeo GT is a coupe that was designed from the 156 and shares many of the same mechanical features. The car’s interior design however, resembles the 147 with whom it is almost identical to. The car comes with a choice of a 2.0 petrol engine, a 1.9 MultiJet turbo-diesel, or the 3.2 V6 petrol engine. The car has often been praised for its exceptional good looks. The company first began production of the GT in 2004 and continues today.

The Alfa Romeo Brera comes in two forms. The first is a mid-sized coupe designed to replace the GTV, and the second is convertible form (Spyder) designed to replace the GTV-based Spider. The Brera comes with a choice of three engines, the 2.4 JTD turbodiesel, the 2.2 JTS, and the 3.2 V6 with talk of a V8 form. The car was first produced in 2005 and production continues to date.

The Alfa Romeo 147 is a compact car that was first produced in 2000. The car was designed to replace the 145 and 146 hatchbacks. The car comes with a 1.6-litre or a 2.0-litre petrol engine or a 1.9-litre diesel engine option. The car’s exterior design was enhanced in 2004 and in 2006 the 147 1.9 JTD Q2 version was launched. The car was first produced in 2000 and production continues today.

The Alfa Romeo 159 is a compact executive car. The 159 was designed to replace the popular 156 model. The 159 comes with front-wheel drive or can be purchased in four-wheel drive form called the Q4. There are many petrol and diesel engines currently available with plans for new releases being developed for 2006 and 2007. The car was first produced in 2005 and production continues to date.