The History of Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo cars are among the most prized in the auto industry, for its style, design, and engineering. Many people look for these cars, both brand new and used, to get a piece of European automotive history, a history which Alfa Romeo has shared for more than 100 years, since the idea for the company was conceived in 1906.
During this year Alexandre Darracq’s French car firm and a group of Italian investors started Società Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID), and settled in Portello, a suburb of Milan. Here they built their factory, 6,700 square meters large, to create their dream. However, in 1909 Darracq car sales began to dwindle, which prompted then chairman of SAID Ugo Stella to, along with other co-investors, create a new car company. The name of this new company is Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, or A.L.F.A. Partnered with Darracq at the time, the company produced a number of cars made by many famous car designers at the time.
When World War I hit, A.L.F.A.’s factories were retooled for the war, under Neapolitan entrepreneur Nicola Romeo. After the war, the profits gained allowed Nicola to add numerous ventures to the A.L.F.A ownership, and in 1920 the company was finally renamed to Alfa Romeo, producing cars under the name that would be successful in many fields.
Over the following decades the company would continue to undergo numerous changes, which include Nicola Romeo’s departure from the company in 1928, the company’s bankruptcy in 1932, being included in the Italian war machine during World War II, and its various transformations over the following decades to fill niche needs, like small cars and sport and performance vehicles in the 60′s and 70′s, a famous example of which is the Alfa Romeo Spider.
The 70′s however, would see Alfa Romeo in financial trouble once again. It would take until 1986 before it would be saved, when the Fiat Group bought in to Alfa Romeo, where it stays to this day. Fiat plans to use Alfa Romeo, along with 2005 acquisition of Maserati, to produce sports and luxury cars again.
Edited: December 24th, 2010