Alfa Romeo

On June 24, 1910, a new automobile factory was established in Milan under the name A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili). That same year saw the very first Alfa see the light of day, the Alfa 24 HP, a creation of technical director Giuseppe Merosi.
After Italy entered World War I in 1915, the company ran into difficulties and was taken over by Neapolitan entrepreneur Nicola Romeo, who changed the name to Alfa Romeo in 1917. In 1923, the brand achieved its first major sporting success: Ugo Sivocci won the Targa Florio in an Alfa Romeo RL. It was the first of a total of ten victories Alfa Romeo would record in the history of this legendary road race in Sicily.

Alfa Romeo's historical connection to the city of Milan is reflected in the brand emblem. The idea for it came from Romano Cattaneo, a young illustrator and friend of Giuseppe Merosi. While waiting for streetcar 14 in Piazza Castello, his gaze fell on a facade stone on the Castello Sforzesco depicting a dragon swallowing a man.
He merged this coat of arms of the noble family of the Visconti, who ruled the city for two centuries, with the coat of arms of the city itself, a red cross on a white field. Thus he created the emblem that has adorned every Alfa Romeo since the 1910 Alfa 24 HP to this day.