Alfa Romeo’s four-leaf clover turns 100. What does it mean?

At this event, two new jubilee logos designed by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo were presented. They interpret the historical logotypes in a modern way, at the same time moving them to the future of the brand, which aims to express its sports character for the 21st century.

From the Targa Florio race in 1923 to today, from the racetrack to the road: the legendary Quadrifoglio turns 100 years old, still remains the symbol of Alfa Romeo’s highest performance cars.

Autodelta: Since 1963, the Alfa Romeo division has been dedicated to preparing cars for racing and real testing grounds for Italian and foreign drivers.

On March 5, the anniversary of Autodelta, and June 25, the anniversary of the brand, two special events will be held at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese for all fans of the brand.

Alfa Romeo has announced the official start of celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the legendary Quadrifoglio (four-leaf clover) and the 60th anniversary of Autodelta, the famous Settimo Milanese racing division and Carlo Chiti’s team. These are two important milestones in the history of the brand, an example of the best Italian sporting elegance that began in 1910, and which to this day evokes strong emotions and great pride in the hearts of the Alfa Romeo tribe. In this event, Alfa Romeo presents two new logos that will accompany the events organized by the clubs and the brand, as well as various communication and information activities that will be seen in 2023.

Designed by Alfa Romeo’s Centro Stile, the two new logos are a modern interpretation of past versions, while taking them into the future of the brand, which aims to define its sportiness for the 21st century.

Similarly, the Autodelta logo is a stylistic element that has been preserved in its original perspective and color scheme. Despite the passage of time, this sports symbol remains deeply etched in the memory of sports enthusiasts. Therefore, only a few changes have been made to the new anniversary version of the logo to update it and match Alfa Romeo’s current communication channels. This is reflected in the new Continuum font used by Alfa Romeo; the ubiquitous tricolor that proudly explains the brand’s roots; and an anniversary date that highlights Autodelta’s longevity.

Quadrifoglio: since 1923 the symbol of Sports Made in Italy

The first Alfa Romeo car to bear the Quadrifoglio badge was the RL “Corsa” driven by Ugo Sivocci, which won the 14th edition of the Targa Florio in 1923, marking the brand’s first of ten victories in this prestigious competition. The same lucky mark was on the “P2” driven by Gaston Brilli-Peri when he won the first World Motor Championship at Monza in 1925, winning the first of five World Championship titles won by Alfa Romeo. In the late 1920s, the four-leaf clover continued to distinguish domestic Alfa Romeos from Alfas built by Ferrari, whose symbol is a black horse.

In 1950 and 1951, Giuseppe “Nino” Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio drove Alfa Romeo 158 and 159, the famous “Alfettas”, to success in the first two Formula 1 World Championships. “Giulia”, “TI Super”, and then for many years to come along with the blue triangle, the hallmark of Autodelta: from “GTA” to “33” and to the two World Championships won by Alfa “33 TT 12” (1975) and “33 SC 12” (1977).

Alfa Romeo’s sporting activities continued until the 1980s, when, after the return of Formula 1 in 1980, success in production car racing (“GTV 6 2.5”) was repeated, until the famous victory of the “DTM” (“Deutsche Tourenwagen Mesterschaft). “) “) of the “155 V6 Ti” in 1993 and the long winning streak of the “156 Superturismo” (1998-2004).

Series-produced Alfa Romeos also had the distinctive green Quadrifoglio badge: these were special performance models, produced between the 1960s and 1980s. On some, the four-leaf clover emblem was placed on the body and did not appear in the official name . – “Giulia Sprint GT Veloce ” or “1750 GT Veloce” – while others have included “Quadrifoglio Verde” in their official name since the 1980s, such as the various versions of “33 Quadrifoglio Verde” or “164 Quadrifoglio Verde”. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Quadrifoglio brand also changed and came in two versions: green “Verde” for sports models and gold “Oro” for more refined and luxurious cars.

Over time, the letter “Q” itself has also become part of Alfa Romeo’s vocabulary, finally identifying the most advanced technical solutions: the most famous is the Q4-wheel drive, but also the self-locking variant of the Q2, the Q-System. automatic transmission and Q-Tronic, to name just a few.

Finally, the Quadrifoglio sign returned to the Mito (2008) and Giulietta (2010) models, and during the birth of a new generation of Alfa Romeo in 2015 with the launch of the Giulia Quadrifoglio version, equipped with a new 510 hp 2.9 BiTurbo gasoline engine KM , distinguished by exceptional performance. The Giulia Quadrifoglio set a record of 7 minutes and 32 seconds at the German Nürburgrin circuit. The Stelvio, Alfa Romeo’s first SUV, is also at the top of the range in its Quadrifoglio version.

Autodelta: Alfa Romeo’s famous racing division

On March 5, 1963, the philanthropic engineer Carlo Chiti and the Chizzola brothers founded a small company in Feletto Umberto, near Udine, with the purpose of collaborating with Alfa Romeo in the construction of the Giulia TZ, a compact GranTurismo designed by Zagato. studio. The model was provided with the engine and technical solutions of the Giulia and the unique shape of the space from which the name “Tubolare Zagato” is derived. Thus, one of the most beautiful chapters in international motorsports was opened, and soon the company joined the Alfa Romeo brand, becoming a division dedicated to preparing its racing models. In 1965, the company was bought by Alfa Romeo to mark the official return of the brand with the Milan crest and the Visconti family snake to the racetrack, after withdrawing from the 1951 Formula 1 World Championship, when it won the championship. for the second season in a row. Alfetta.”

Therefore, the car manufacturer Alfa Romeo decided to create a special department dedicated to racing, separate from the production plant with enough freedom to make technical and sporting decisions quickly. The general manager of the new industrial and sports division was the philanthropic engineer Carlo Chiti, who moved Autodelta’s headquarters to the industrial halls of Settimo Milanese, near Arese. It was there that some of Alfa Romeo’s most famous racing cars were created, including the legendary 1965 Giulia Sprint GTA, which won the European Championship three times in a row (“Challenge Europe Marcheas well as winning dozens of national championships and hundreds of individual races in every corner of the world. As an interesting fact, the Giulia Sprint GTA was the first GranTurismo to cover the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under 10 minutes.

In 1967, Alfa Romeo decided to enter the prototype category, then the largest international area of ​​motor racing, and the “33/2-liter” model won its first trophy in its debut in Fléron, Belgium. The following year, Autodelta prototypes won the Daytona 24 Hours, the 1,000km Nürburgring, the 500km Imola and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 1975 was perhaps the most prestigious year for Autodelta: the unique model “33 TT 12” won the Brand World Championship, repeating the success two years later with the “33 SC 12”.

Later, Autodelta took over the management of all Alfa Romeo sports programs, from the Alfasud Cup to Formula 1. In 1984, Carlo Chiti left the company and a year later Alfa Romeo stopped racing in Formula 1. In the end, Autodelta was also the best. training ground for many Italian racing drivers such as Andrea De Adamich, Arturo Merzario, Andrea De Cesaris, Bruno Giacomelli, Giorgio Francia to name a few, but also for many future champions from abroad such as: Jochen Rindt, Jacky Ickx, Jean Pierre Jarrier. or Mario Andretti.