A.L.F.A. 24 HP
The A.L.F.A. 24 HP was the first car designed and produced by Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili — the company that would become Alfa Romeo. It was, in the most literal sense, the beginning. Giuseppe Merosi had been tasked by Ugo Stella in autumn 1909 — before A.L.F.A. was formally incorporated — to design a new car from a blank sheet, specifically for Italian roads and Italian buyers: a direct repudiation of the failed Darracq products the factory had previously built. Merosi had arrived in October 1909 with experience at Bianchi and Fiat; the company was formally incorporated as A.L.F.A. on 24 June 1910, and the car was ready to launch simultaneously.
The name “24 HP” referred to fiscal horsepower — a tax calculation based on engine displacement, cylinder count, and other factors — not actual output. The engine was a long-stroke inline 4-cylinder with side valves (bore 100 mm × stroke 130 mm) displacing 4,084 cc and producing approximately 42 actual horsepower. The chassis was a conventional straight-rail frame with semi-elliptic leaf springs and solid axles front and rear. A single driver sat ahead of the firewall without a windscreen on early examples; the car was large, heavy by modern standards, and built for the long distances of Italian touring and competition roads. Merosi’s advanced decision to fit drum brakes on all four wheels — unusual for the era — distinguished it from most contemporaries. Top speed was approximately 110 km/h. Two series of 50 cars each were produced in 1910–11 and 1912; a third series was partly prepared when the First World War intervened. Total production of the 24 HP, including its successor the 20-30 HP, reached approximately 680 units, many of which were requisitioned by the Italian Army during the war.
Two features of the 24 HP established legacies far beyond the car itself. First: Ugo Stella instructed Giuseppe Merosi to commission a radiator badge. Merosi turned to a young draughtsman named Romano Cattaneo, who designed the emblem that would define the marque forever: the red cross of Milan on the left, the green biscione serpent of the Visconti dynasty on the right, surrounded by a blue enamelled ring inscribed “ALFA” at the top and “MILANO” at the bottom. Fitted to the first 24 HP in 1910, this badge is the direct ancestor of every Alfa Romeo logo used since. Second: Merosi, understanding that racing conferred legitimacy, persuaded A.L.F.A.’s management to enter the 1911 Targa Florio — the company’s first race entry. A 24 HP Corsa variant (the racing form) participated in Sicily, marking the beginning of Alfa Romeo’s century-long commitment to motorsport. The car did not finish but the intention was established.
The 24 HP was commercially successful, validating the entire A.L.F.A. project and the decision to move on from the failed Darracq era. The 20-30 HP — a direct evolution — followed it in production and was eventually badged as “Alfa Romeo” from introduction in 1921–22, making it technically the first car to carry the Alfa Romeo name at launch. The 24 HP itself was succeeded by the more powerful 40-60 HP in 1913. From Merosi’s blank sheet in 1909, the lineage runs unbroken to the present day.
Connections
- Giuseppe Merosi — designed, October 1909–1910, source: wikipedia.org
- Ugo Stella — commissioned; approved car and badge, 1909–1910, source: wikipedia.org
- Alfa Romeo — first product of A.L.F.A.; founding car of the marque, source: wikipedia.org
- Targa Florio — first race entry (1911 Targa Florio), source: wikipedia.org
- Quadrifoglio Verde — badge origin: Romano Cattaneo designed first Alfa emblem for 24 HP radiator, 1910, source: wikipedia.org