Alfa Romeo Celebrates 100 Years of Wins and World Records

Alfa Romeo will be celebrating its 100th anniversary on June 24, 2010. Very few other auto marker's have reached such a prestigious goal, and the circle is even smaller considering the marketing successes and the racing wins that Alfa Romeo has achieved worldwide. Alfa Romeo was officially established in Milan on June 24, 1910.

That year, a group of entrepreneurs and businessmen acquired Società Italiana Automobili Darracq, the Italian branch of the French car maker, and its Portello workshops on the city outskirts, and established A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili – "Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company"). The emblem underlined the new company's ties to the city of Milan: a red cross from the city's banner and the Visconti family "grass snake" ("Biscione" in Italian).

The first car to sport it was the "24 HP", a model that stood out from the very beginning for its mechanics and performance.