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Interesting facts about Alfa Romeo
1. First name
The abbreviation ALPHA comes from "Anonima Fabbrica Automobili Lombarda", which can be translated as "Lombard Joint Stock Company for the production of cars." The region of Lombardy is located in the center of Milan, Italy. The company was founded by the Frenchman Alexandre Darrac (Alexandre Darracq). In 1920, he added the name Romeo, which was given in honor of the director of the company Nicola Romeo.
2. Le Mans
Machines of the Italian company have many victories in the "Le Mans" race. The model Alfa Romeo 8C is dominant in the 30s of last century. She achieved four victories (1931-1934). This is more than the total for BMW, McLaren and Mazda, as well as more than twice as much as for Bugatti.
3. Four-leaf clover
It was first used in 1923. Racer team Hugo Sivocchi glued a 4-leaf clover to his Alfa Romeo RL before the competition in Palermo. The talisman brought success. It was also the first victory of the company in the races, held on the blocked civil roads. Another curious thing, Sivocchi died in a car accident a year later by car, which did not have a "lucky clover". Since then, the brand has used this talisman on all competitive models.
4. Relationships with Ferrari
Enzo Ferrari began his racing career as a pilot namely Alfa Romeo. According to many experts, without Alfa Romeo there would be no Ferrari. Recall that Enzo organized his legendary company in 1929.
5. Technologies
The company Alfa Romeo independently designed its first motor with a phase gas distribution. For the first time this system was used in the engine Spider in 1980.
Alfa Romeo is a brand for car enthusiasts who value not only style but also handling. Italian cars are not very popular in the secondary market, but they have their own group of supporters and affordable prices.
Alfa Romeo is not the best opinion. However, many of its engines are durable and cheap to repair. Some of them can be found in other models of the Italian concern Fiat.
1.4 T-Jet - small reliable turbo
This motor is a rare example of successful downsizing. It can be found in small Alfa models - MiTo and Giulietta. In addition, Fiat 500, Grande Punto, Bravo and Lancia Delta were aggregated by it.
The key to success is a relatively simple design. In addition to the turbocharger, there are no frills here: distributed fuel injection is used, and the timing belt is driven by a toothed belt. Some parts even fit from a naturally aspirated 1.4L with 8 valves.
Only IHI turbines were installed in the 1.4 T-Jet. They have one drawback - body cracking. Unfortunately, the defect is difficult to identify without removing the turbine.
1.75 TBi - almost no comment
This engine has many more advantages than disadvantages. It is modern and powerful yet extremely durable. The 1.75 designation alludes to racing motors from the 1960s.
The turbo engine was intended for top models. It can be found in the sports version of the Giulietta QV and Alfa Romeo 159. It was also installed in the Brera / Spider and 4C. It is worth noting that the motor has nothing to do with the unreliable General Motors engines that were previously used in the Alpha.
The 1.75 TBi has a range of 200 to 240 hp. It has a rather complex design: turbocharging, direct fuel injection and two variable valve timing control variators (one for the intake and exhaust shaft).
The main disadvantage is high fuel consumption, which differs significantly from the manufacturer's declared one. The 200-horsepower version of the Alfa Romeo 159 consumes at least 10 liters per 100 km, and in the city this value increases by at least 2-3 liters.
1.9 JTD / JTDM is a good choice
It is one of the most successful Italian diesel engines of recent years, especially in a simple 8-valve version with 120 hp. But even stronger modifications are not bad either.
The first 1.9 JTD CRs went to the Alfa Romeo 156 in 1997 and proved to be very reliable. The 105-horsepower turbodiesel became the world's first serial diesel engine with a Common Rail injection system.
The 8-valve versions deserve special praise. In new cars, it already develops 120 hp. Mechanics recommend changing the oil every 8,000 km and the timing belt every 60,000 km.
More troublesome - 16-valve modifications. Until 2007, an aluminum collector was used, and nothing terrible happened. The problem appeared in 2007 when a plastic manifold was introduced. Sometimes the swirl flaps collapsed and entered the cylinders, damaging the engine. That is why many owners prudently removed the dampers.