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This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Nicola Romeo, the Naples-born engineer and entrepreneur who later made Milan his home. In 1915, he acquired Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, or A.L.F.A. - founded on 24 June, 1910. Through the industrial reconversion that followed the First World War, he gave the Portello-based company a new direction: a concrete vision that would prove successful, focused on designing and producing high-performance ‘sports touring’ cars and playing a leading role in international motorsport.
Nicola Romeo viewed racing as serving two main goals: promoting production cars and developing technological expertise on the competitive stage, before transferring the most effective technical solutions to touring models. Romeo had the intelligence and insight to collaborate with men of exceptional talent, most notably Vittorio Jano and Enzo Ferrari.
The victory at the 1923 Targa Florio, the first of real significance for Alfa Romeo, was not enough for Nicola Romeo to secure the brands’ definitive consecration in motorsport. It was Enzo Ferrari who, acting on Romeo’s behalf, brought Vittorio Jano to Milan. Jano would go on to design the Grand Prix ‘P2’, whose victories propelled Alfa Romeo to the pinnacle of international sporting success. As a result of the P2’s sporting triumphs, Jano would later take on the role of technical director and, a few years later, went on to design the 6C and the iconic 8C.
The man who gave the Biscione its soul
It all began on 28 April, 1876, when Nicola Romeo was born in Sant’Antimo, near Naples, into a large family of modest means. Despite economic hardship, the enterprising young man pursued his studies, earning degrees in civil and electrical engineering in Naples and in Liège, Belgium. He later spent a time in France and Germany before working with British and American companies in the railway sector. In 1906, he set up his own business and founded Ing. Nicola Romeo & C. in Milan, importing disassembled machinery from the United States for civil engineering works.
During the First World War, Romeo expanded his company by bringing in new partners and acquired A.L.F.A., which had just entered liquidation, converting production to support the war effort. The venture proved highly successful and, in 1918, he opened the company up to new capital, renaming it Società Anonima Italiana Nicola Romeo & C., and, once again reconverting production, moving into the agricultural and railway sectors. Only a year later did he also enter the automotive sector.
At the end of 1921, the government, through the banks, took control of Alfa Romeo, ushering in a new phase for the company. Nicola Romeo continued to serve as managing director, guiding the transition with his experience. In 1928, he stepped down from the role, and in 1929 he was appointed Senator of the Kingdom, a prestigious recognition of his contribution to Italian industry. He passed away on 15 August, 1938, in Magreglio, where he had retired with his wife and seven children, leaving behind the memory of a determined and visionary figure in Italian industry.
Today, at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese and at international events, the cars designed and developed during the epic period of Nicola Romeo’s leadership continue to captivate audiences - bearing witness to a remarkable era in automotive history.
