The History of The Alfa Romeo Logo

Beginnings are typically humble. And remembering where we come from is a great way to remain grounded despite success and recognition. Alfa Romeo's start, back in 1910, was anything but typical as the first car they built went on to impress in the first sporting events in which it was entered.

Creating a meaningful emblem

Roots are always important to remember and they've been present in Alfa Romeo's logos since the very beginning. A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili - "Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company") was founded on June 24, 1910, in Milan, Italy. This is why the city of Milan's emblem, the red cross, remains prominently displayed.

The other half of the logo comes from an observation that Romano Cattaneo, a designer, had whilst at a tram stop. While staring at the iconic Filarete Tower, he was struck by the "Biscione Visconteo," the Visconti family's coat of arms, the family which had dominated medieval Milan. He brought the vision back to the shop and with Giuseppe Merosi, a top-class engineer at A.L.F.A., created the company's first logo.

People and events

It did not take long for the crest to evolve. In 1915, a young entrepreneur from Naples, Nicola Romeo, was handed the company's reigns but it wasn't until 1918, after World War 1, that his name was added to the already famous logo.

Another equally famous emblem came to life shortly thereafter. As Alfa Romeo, with Enzo Ferrari as part of its team of drivers, was getting ready for the 14th edition of the Targa Florio, a quadrifoglio (four-leaf clover) was painted on the race cars for good luck. It worked as three of the top four cars wore the quadrifoglio. Today, it is the symbol of all things high-performance at Alfa Romeo.

Subsequent changes made to the crest were all historically significant. For example, the 1925 logo featured golden laurels to commemorate Alfa Romeo's victory at the first Automobile World Championship. In 1946, the emblem suffered, in a way, its biggest physical change. In the heat of World War 2, the machines that made the logos were destroyed which left the company with no choice but to create a crude simplified example of the once colourful logo.

1950 returned the logo to colour. As expansion was taking place, the opening of the Pomigliano d'Arco Alfasud plant saw the word "Milano" removed from the crest in 1972. A mildly larger and revised emblem arrived in 1982 and in 2015, the current motif was launched.

Alfa Romeo's current logo is the sharpest most dynamic ever however remains an honest reproduction of the original.