What does the Alfa Romeo badge mean? History of the Alfa Romeo emblem

Each automobile concern has its own personal logo. One such famous symbol is the Alfa Romeo badge. What this symbol means and where it came from is not known to everyone, although its history is very interesting and goes back to the distant eleventh millennium AD.

How did the Alfa Romeo emblem come about?

The logo of the automobile concern appeared in the nineteenth century. Then the Italian company was called simply Alpha and needed a special, unique sign. Reflecting on it, one of the creators drew attention to the red cross of the symbol of the municipality of Milan in combination with the family symbol of one of the most famous Italian families.

The future coat of arms had two main tasks:

1. Display the greatness of the concern;
2. Instill strength and power.

The two coats of arms found combined exactly what was needed. As a result, both of them were placed in a blue circle, which was the first Alpha emblem.

A short time later, the plant was acquired by an entrepreneur named Romeo. By the decision of this person, the company acquired the second part of its name, which was reflected in the updated logo.

Throughout the entire period of its existence, the logo has changed many times and been modified with various elements, but its basis still remains unchanged.

In this video, Michael Paterson will show one of the most premium Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio models worth 80 thousand dollars:

What do the icon symbols mean?

The young company was looking for a coat of arms that would combine strength and greatness.

1. Flag of Milan includes red cross on white background. First of all, it symbolizes power and enterprise. These kinds of elements contribute to the brand’s special global success;
2. Coat of arms of Visconti- this is a big green snake that devours a person. The meaning of the coat of arms is to instill fear in enemies and a harbinger of an imminent victory over them.

In addition, the original Alfa Romeo badges retained the inscription “Milano” at the bottom of the circle, as a reference to the location of the plant.

As a result, today there is no word on the lower rim of the symbol, which was done for reasons of equal respect for all manufacturers of a famous brand, regardless of their location.

History of automobile production

At first, production was located far from Milan. In Naples in 1906, the Frenchman Alexandre Darrac opened a representative office of the capital's French enterprise for the production of cars that were significantly superior to other brands in terms of engine technical characteristics.

Later, on the basis of SAID, a company for assembling passenger cars was formed, which was named ALFA. Then, in 1910, production was moved to a small town near Milan.

After the company was headed by Nicola Romeo, the name changed to Alfa Romeo. The company has always distinguished itself by producing cars with high driving performance.

From the early years of their formation, Alfa Romeo cars took part in various car races, which perfectly confirmed their reliability and speed.

Alfa Romeo cars

During its existence, the company produced various cars:

• The first model who rightfully deserves to bear the name Alpha was 24 HP. Its real advantage was that it was capable of reaching speeds of 100 km/h, which was a real achievement at the beginning of the nineteenth century;
• Under the well-known Alfa Romeo brand, the first car was created in 1920, which was called Torpedo 20-30HP;
• It was then created Alfa RomeoR.L.. It became the leading brand of the manufacturing plant and was considered a mini Rolls-Royce. They produced it for seven years and produced just over two and a half thousand copies;
• Next, the P2 racing car was designed and produced, which was one of the first to win the world championship;
• In 1927, the development and production of diesel and aircraft engines began, and the company also began to work closely on trucks;
• Since 1932, many service centers and sales offices have been established throughout Europe;
• During World War II the company suffered significant damage. Many production facilities were reduced to ruins, and it took time to revive production. However, by 1947 a new champion racing car had been produced, symbolizing the restoration of Alfa Romeo;
• In the 50s, the company mass-produced its production and released a car that combines passenger comfort and sporting qualities;
• By 1960, the company was already represented on such continents as South America and Africa.

Since then, the company almost every year presents its connoisseurs with a new brand of cars, the distinctive feature of each of which is both technical equipment and appearance.

The meaning of the Milano and Visconti symbols

The Alfa Romeo badge combines two coats of arms, which, according to legend, go back to the eleventh millennium. These symbols belonged to two famous Italian families who paid for the First Crusade:

1. It is generally accepted that the clergyman gave the army a banner with the image of a serpent, thereby blessing his soldiers. The campaign was successful, after which the defeated Saracen was added to the coat of arms, which indicated an unconditional victory. This coat of arms belonged to the first family;
2. The second family made their family sign a red cross, which symbolized the crusade itself. The background reflected the color of the vests that the warriors wore over their armor, indicating their noble origin.

However, after a while, the two families united, resulting in the formation of the Visconti family dynasty. The coat of arms was also combined from the previous two parts. As a confirmation of good relations with the king, the supreme leader of Italy allowed the addition of a crown over the head of a serpent to the combined symbol.

Cars of this brand have never lost the trust of customers. The auto giant coped well with the complex challenges facing the production of racing cars and with customer preferences in terms of comfort and passenger capacity.

Now you know what symbols the Alfa Romeo badge includes, what it means and how it has been refined over the years.

Video: the history of the founding of the Alfa Romeo brand

In this video, historian Mark Jason will tell you how the first Alfa Romeo models appeared and how the company developed:

The history of the company dates back to 1906, when Italian entrepreneur Ugo Stella founded the Societa Italiana Automobili Darracq, intending to assemble French Darracq cars. Due to the lack of demand for small, light cars, things did not improve, and in 1910 Stella reorganized the plant to produce original Italian cars. The new company will be named A.L.F.A., which stands for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica di Automobili.

Above the first A.L.F.A. logo worked by the artist Romano Cattaneo. According to him, the use of the red cross in the company logo was inspired by the flag of Milan. Another graphic element is a snake devouring a man. The snake is a symbol of Visconti - an Italian aristocratic house and symbolizes the protector of Visconti from enemies and ill-wishers. Both symbols represent entrepreneurship, power and are intended to contribute to global success.

A.L.F.A. 1910—1915

In 1915, the company passed to Nicola Romeo and the name of the new owner was added to the name. The logo changes accordingly.

Alfa Romeo. 1915—1925

In 1925, Alfa Romeo wins its first World Auto Racing Championship. The magnificent Alberto Ascari was behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo P. In honor of the victory, another graphic element appears on the logo - a laurel wreath. Since antiquity, the laurel wreath has been a symbol of glory and victory.

Alfa Romeo. 1925—1946

Alfa Romeo. 1946—1972

In 1972, Alfa Romeo opened a new factory, Alfasud, in Naples and dropped the Milano wordmark from the logo. In 1981, the laurel wreath was removed and the logo took on a modern, familiar look.

In 1910, a draftsman named Romano Cattaneo was asked to design and create a badge emblem for the new Milan-based company ALPHA. History confirms that Cattaneo had a lucky intuition. In the heart of historic Milan, while waiting for a tram in Piazza Castello, he was inspired by the sight of the Red Cross on the coat of arms of the municipality of Milan and the famous "Biscione" emblem: the coat of arms of the Visconti dynasty - a snake devouring a man - decorating the gates of the Sforzesco castle. These two Italian symbols, united by the artist in a blue circle, became the artistic image of the emerging ALFA.

In 1915, after the company was bought by Nicola Romeo, the badge was redesigned by Giuseppe Merosi, and now included the name of the city of Milan and the former symbols from the Visconti family in a circular motif, bordered by a dark blue metal ring containing two inscriptions: "ALFA - ROMEO" and "MILANO", separated by two symbolic nodes of the Royal House of Savoy (Savoy) of Italy.

Following the P2's victory in the Automobile World Championship in 1925, Alpha added a stylized laurel wreath design around the emblem.

In 1946, after the victory of the Italian Republic, the Savoy knots were replaced by two seductive lines. The city name "MILANO", the hyphen between Alfa and Romeo and the "knots" of Savoy, replaced by simple lines, were removed from the appearance of the emblem when Alfa Romeo opened a factory in Pomigliano d'Arco, Naples at the beginning 1970s.

The Italian company Alfa Romeo is part of the FIAT concern. Her specialty is passenger cars and sports cars. We present small and medium class cars. There are only two official Alfa Romeo dealers in the Russian Federation - both in St. Petersburg. You rarely see Alfa Romeo cars on Russian roads. Although their cost is relatively low. For example, the Alfa Romeo MiTo subcompact costs no more than a million rubles.

Find out where to buy Alfa Romeo:

Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Izhevsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, Ufa, Chelyabinsk

History of Alfa Romeo

The history of the world famous brand began in Naples more than a century ago. In 1906, the Frenchman Alexandre Darrac created a branch of his company for the assembly of passenger cars. On its basis, in 1910, the company Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili - abbreviated as A.L.F.A. - was founded. It was then that a plant under this brand appeared. Production is moved to Portello (near Milan). The company was headed by Ugo Stella, one of the outstanding car designers in Italy. Five years later, the new owner of the company, Nicola Romeo, gave it his name. This is how the name of the Milanese brand Alfa Romeo arose.

The symbols of Milan - a huge snake and a red cross - are depicted on the emblem of the Italian brand. According to legend, the red cross on a white field is a reminder of the heroic act of a Milanese resident who installed a cross on the wall of Jerusalem during the First Crusade. The symbols depicted on the Alfa Romeo badge represent entrepreneurship, power, and global success. Indeed, from the very first steps, cars with high driving performance were produced under this brand. Initially, a significant contribution to the development of models was made by the designer Giuseppe Merosi. The first “alpha car” could reach a speed of one hundred kilometers per hour.

The number of clients was growing. There was a need to organize service centers in European countries.

In 1938, the Alfa Romeo racing team was created, but the political climate in Italy made its own adjustments. Mussolini banned riders from taking part in French competitions. The Second World War caused considerable damage to the Alfa Romeo factories. The production of military trucks and engines for aviation has completely replaced the production of passenger cars. After the war, Alfa Romeo built Italy's first turbine engine.

The destruction caused by the war was quickly repaired. All thanks to the famous “Golden Arrow” - a new model designed in pre-war times. It was made from aluminum alloys using the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 chassis. The Golden Arrow had a new aerodynamic sports body. This car brought Alfa Romeo great success.

In 1954, in Turin, the world public saw the Giulietta Sprint car. It combined the qualities of a passenger and sports car. Following it, the Giulietta Berlina, Spider, and Spider Veloce were released.

Cooperation with the FIAT concern led to the development of models of light trucks and trolleybuses. This was discontinued in 1967. Since then, Alfa Romeo has produced only passenger cars. In 1986, the company became a subsidiary of Fiat, but Alfa Romeo's traditions, individual style and technology were preserved.