One of "Alfa Romeo": a legendary brand with the blood of the track.

The author's first impression of Italy comes from Xu Zhimo's modern poem Night of Cold Jade. It is a free and romantic city, and elegant temperament permeates every corner. Let go of your thoughts and imagine yourself standing under the rain clouds floating in the Adriatic Sea. The sunset hangs on the top of the church, the walls are deep, and the street black railway lights are dim. Unexpectedly, a quaint gentleman came out from there, wearing a silk hat and a pure black tuxedo. His neckline is very hot. He walked leisurely on crutches inlaid with silver, leaving a lonely figure for the city.

In this country with profound historical and cultural heritage and full of romantic charm, countless famous painters, artists and legendary sculptures have been born, as well as Gu Zhuo with a long history, exquisite architecture and luxurious cars. Our owner today is such a century-old car brand-Alfa Romeo. The long years have not worn away its edges and corners, but like a crack between two steep peaks, it comes from the cliff, which is silent and sharp because it is narrow.

1910-2020.on June 24th, Alfa Romeo celebrated his 1 10 birthday. At this just right time, let's turn the long and legendary story back to the title page and learn about Alfa Romeo's past life together.

The birth of Alfa Automobile Company

Alfa Romeo's predecessor can be traced back to a car company founded in Naples in 1906, and later moved to Milan. Until June 24th, 19 10, some farsighted entrepreneurs took over, financed and reorganized the company, and officially renamed it "Lombardy Bus Factory". A.L.F.A for short is what we are familiar with.

At the beginning of its establishment, any company needs a brand-new brand identity to prove its formal stage, and Alfa Motor Company is no exception. So, including the chairman Hugo? Inspired by many members including Stella, the company decided to hand over the glorious and arduous task of designing logo to designer Giuseppe? Merosi.

However, no matter how professional people are, they all have their own shortcomings. Just like Merosi, as a designer, although he is famous in Italy, LOGO design is not his strong point. Deeply troubled, Merosi pondered and collected many reference materials, but he was still at a loss. For a while, his work was stagnant.

But the turn of events is always so coincidental-

An assistant designer named Cattaneo saw the design of castello sforzesco Gate in many materials by chance, and was immediately inspired. He quickly put it into practice and drew the first draft of the LOGO with the theme of "Dragon Snake". To the delight of young people, Merosi, the chief designer, did not hesitate to praise him after seeing his manuscript, and completed the preliminary drawing of Alpha LOGO with him.

Ugo, Chairman of Alpha Board of Directors? Stella quickly passed the proposal of the first draft of LOGO and formally entrusted Cattaneo to complete the subsequent drawing work.

We can see that Alfa Romeo's brand LOGO was originally composed of two parts: the red cross on the left is part of the Milan city coat of arms; The dragon and snake pattern on the right comes from the family emblem of an ancient local nobleman, symbolizing the legend that the ancestors of Duke Weiss Kontha, the Lord of Milan in the Middle Ages, repelled the "dragon and snake" that tortured the people in the territory.

It was the unintentional encounter between the Deep Red Cross and the Dragon Snake that quietly touched the gears of Italian automobile and even the world automobile history.

Giuseppe? Although Merosi suffered a little setback in the design of Alpha brand logo, as a famous designer, Merosi's amazing talent has just opened the corner.

19 10 autumn, Merosi designed the first model of alfa-alfa. 24? Hewlett-Packard Company. This model is equipped with the world's first DOHC engine, with a displacement of 4084cc, and the top speed of the engine exceeds100 km/h/h. In191year, Alpha has successively introduced 24HP entry-level, 12HP,/.

Also in this year, racing driver Nino? Franchini and Hugo? Ronzoni drives 24 together? HP, participated in Targa in Palermo Mountain? Florio Road Race. Although the two drivers retired one after another because of road conditions, physical strength, accidents and other factors, Alfa Motor Company attracted the attention of many people in the industry by virtue of this 24HP appearance.

The First Crisis of Alfa Motor Company

19 14 At the end of the year, in order to let Alfa fight Targa again? Florio Road Race, Giuseppe? Merosi has designed a 4.5L four-cylinder professional racing engine with double overhead camshafts and 16 valves, and plans to build it in Alfa? 24? On HP's racing car body, it broke the dilemma caused by the failure of the first show in one fell swoop.

However, the outbreak of World War I led to the first crisis in the history of Alpha Motor Company. From the standpoint of war, as a side of the Allies, Alpha Motor Company was forced to stop production and put a large number of vehicles into the transportation of soldiers and ordnance.

During this period, Alpha Motor Company set off a wave of change.

A whole new chapter! Alfa Romeo is on the stage of history!

1965438+In August, 2005, Neapolitan entrepreneur Nicolas Romeo took over the management right of Alfa Automobile Company during the war. Because of the huge demand for military materials in the context of World War I, Romeo, who just took office, smelled huge business opportunities. He made a decisive decision, led Alpha Company to change production in large quantities, and quickly hoarded war materials, including guns and ammunition, railway locomotives, aircraft engines and other ordnance.

Because of Romeo's action, Alpha Motor Company not only did not decline in the war, but also accumulated amazing original capital, and with these, it annexed all factories in Salono, Rome and Naples after the war, which further strengthened Alpha Motor Company.

After the war, Romeo won everyone's recognition for his long-term vision and excellent leadership, and then Nicholas Romeo became the real owner of this enterprise.

When the new official took office, Romeo quickly decided where to light his "first fire".

1920, Nicolas Romeo added his surname to the original name of the company, and A.L.F.A officially changed its name to Alfa? Romeo (Alfa Romeo).

Alfa Romeo, a legendary automobile company, stepped onto the main stage of history.

Legendary and brilliant racing history

1920, racer Enzo Ferrari left C.M.N to join Alfa Romeo. Of course, this young driver would not have thought that he would become the founder of the famous luxury car brand Ferrari in the future.

But at that time, Enzo Ferrari was a real young man at first. I'm new here and confused, but in Italy, Giuseppe? With the help of Campari, Enzo Ferrari showed his talent in racing. Is he driving a 20-30? Targa's HP racing car? Florio venue won the second place in one fell swoop.

And before that? Campari won the first laurel in the brand history for Alfa Romeo in Mujero.

The birth of the two made the red painted Alfa Romeo shine all over the audience.

For Alfa Romeo, Enzo Ferrari's value is not only reflected in his role as a driver. Under his recommendation, vittorio, a designer in his early 30s? Jano, who jumped from Fiat to Alfa Romeo, replaced Merosi as the company's second chief designer.

It is a bold attempt for Alfa Romeo to use Jano as the chief designer, which is a very critical task, because Alfa Romeo's team driving the P 1 racing car has lost to Fiat. In order to turn things around, Alfa Romeo urgently needs a high-performance racing car to sweep the field, and Jano is their gambling chip.

Facts have proved that Alfa Romeo made the right choice.

First of all, Jano lived up to expectations and designed the P2 car. This car is loaded with an in-line 8-cylinder engine with a displacement below 2.0, which is unremarkable in the field of 8.0-displacement racing, but the previous generation of P2 racing car can reach the maximum power of 145 horsepower, which is undoubtedly an ultra-high performance racing car.

Second, the great meeting of three top racers. Count? Si Tong? Brill Perry, Antonio? Askari and Giuseppe? Campari, the three of them formed Alfa Romeo's "Golden Three Musketeers" in the 1920s.

At this point, the legendary conditions are ready, the crimson curtain is opened, and Alfa Romeo will face his old enemy face to face on the field.

Everything is ready, and the wave of the times is starting to go online!

1924, the Golden Three Musketeers drove the P2 car across Da? Prix Grand Prix Competition won the championship trophies of Clement, France and Italy.

1925, The Three Musketeers continued to win the grand prize with P2 cars. Belgian and Italian champions Prix Granpidge became the annual champion of 1925.

It took only two years for three racing masters with dreams to make Alfa Romeo a legend, and this "racing complex" was deeply integrated into the corporate culture.

Looking back on Alfa Romeo's smoky "early life", he grew up from a young and ignorant teenager and gained joy and pain at the same time. It thrives in the stadium, rises in the stadium and will end in the stadium. Throughout the history of Alfa Romeo's brand, it is so unwilling to be lonely. Compared with a mediocre life, it chose the ultimate glory.

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.