This man with too-cute mustache had great influence on the automotive landscape

Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili

Naples-born engineer and entrepreneur Nicola Romeo settled in Milan. In 1915 he took over Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, or A.L.F.A. – a company that had been founded on June 24, 1910 – and, after World War I, gave the Portello-based company a new mission: a very concrete vision that would prove successful, aimed at designing and producing high-quality “sports touring cars” and playing a leading role in international competitions.

Collaboration with Vittorio Jano and Enzo Ferrari

Nicola Romeo saw participation in motor racing as a means to achieve two main goals: promoting production cars and developing technological expertise on the racing stage, before transferring the most effective technical solutions to “touring cars. Romeo had the intelligence and insight to work with exceptionally talented men – Vittorio Jano and Enzo Ferrari in particular stand out.

Targa Florio 1923

Its success in the 1923 Targa Florio, the first of real significance for Alfa Romeo, was not enough for Nicola Romeo to definitively establish the Biscione in racing. It was therefore Enzo Ferrari who, at Romeo’s behest, brought Vittorio Jano to Milan: the man who would design the Grand Prix “P2,” the car with which Alfa Romeo reached the top of international sport thanks to its victories. Thanks in part to the P2’s sporting triumphs, Jano would later become technical director and a few years later design first the “6C” and then the world-famous “8C.”

The man who gave the Biscione his soul

It all began on April 28, 1876, when Nicola Romeo was born in Sant’Antimo, near Naples, into a large family of modest means. Despite economic difficulties, the enterprising young man continued his studies, earning degrees in civil and electrical engineering in Naples and Liège, Belgium. He lived for some time in France and Germany and then went to work for British and American companies in the railroad industry. In 1906 he founded his own company, “Ing. Nicola Romeo & C.,” in Milan, importing disassembled machines from the United States for civil engineering projects.

Start in agricultural and railroad sector

During World War I, Romeo expanded his business with new partners and took over A.L.F.A., which had just gone bankrupt, and started production for the war effort. The venture made Romeo rich, and in 1918 he opened the company to new capital, changed the name to “Società Anonima Italiana Nicola Romeo & C.” and refocused production again, this time toward the agricultural and railroad sectors. Only a year later, he also entered the automobile sector.

Acquisition by banks

In late 1921, the government, through the banks, took control of Alfa Romeo, marking a new phase for the company. Nicola Romeo remained a director and guided the transition with his experience. He resigned in 1928 and in 1929 was appointed senator of the Kingdom, a prestigious recognition for his contribution to Italian industry. He died on August 15, 1938 in Magreglio, where he had retired with his wife and seven children, leaving the memory of a determined and visionary figure in Italian industry.

Alfa Romeo

Today, the cars designed and developed during the legendary period led by Nicola Romeo still shine, fascinate (and roar) at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese and at international events. They bear witness to an era in automotive history that made history.