How did Alfa Romeo name come to life?
Have you ever wondered why Alfa Romeo cars are named Alfa Romeo? Yes, I’m sure you’ve always thought about that but you just didn’t have the time to look it up yourself. Well, we’re glad to be able to assist you in your research. Alfa began as A.L.F.A., which was short for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, “Anonymous Lombard Automobile Factory” in 1910. Does that clear it up for you? No? Okay, then, here’s some more.
The name Romeo was added later – and not because someone just saw Shakespeare’s play. Romeo was added for a very good reason: an Italian businessman named Nicola Romeo became part of the organization in 1920 and he was an integral part of the company and its success in the early years that of course his name was added to the lonely stand alone Alfa.
Alfa Romeo did pretty well in the before the 1920s and had much success in the racing world. During the 1920s and 30s, however, the company experienced some ups and downs and was taken over by the Italian government. After the Second World War, however, Alfa Romeo got its motor running and hasn’t stopped since then. The company started building small cars and cut back on the hand made sports cars that they were in the habit of crafting fro wealthier customers. The production of the small cars brought back profitability and in the 1950s Alfa Romeo developed their famous twin-engine cam, which was produced for forty more years.
Alfa Romeo is a high quality sports car and it first became well known in the United States when it was featured in the 1967 movie The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman. It was a very cool little convertible sports car driven by a guy nobody ever saw before in a movie no one expected to be made. That classic film made Hoffman a star and Alfa Romeo sales went through the roof. The film is a classic and so is the car, even when it ran out of gas. Oops! No spoiler alerts here. To see that beautiful Alfa Romeo from 1967 go rent the movie. To see the 2017 version, which is every bit as spectacular, go to Alfa Romeo of Larchmont and take a test drive.