The Alfa Romeo Romeo was a light commercial, cabover

van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

and

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

that was introduced by the Italian automaker

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

in 1954 as the Alfa Romeo Autotutto ("all purpose"). The line of

s continued to be built until 1983, when it was replaced by relabelled

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

and

Iveco IVECO, an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles. The name IVECO first appeared in 1975 after a merger o ...

commercials. __TOC__

Romeo

The first Alfa Romeo T10 "Autotutto" ("all purpose") was unveiled at the 1954 Turin Motor Show in panel and minibus versions. Later, more versions became available as Alfa Romeo introduced numerous body versions: van, high-roof van, "Promiscuo" (van with additional side windows and rear seating),

minibus A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in Zimbabwe) is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, th ...

school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus ...

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

, pickup, drop-side truck and double-cab truck. In addition, coachbuilding companies made their own versions. The van used the 1,290 cc Alfa Romeo Twin Cam straight-four engine detuned to and had a top speed of . This engine was later used on the Giulietta Berlina. The optional two-cylinder, supercharged diesel engine had .

Romeo 2

The updated Romeo 2 version was introduced in 1957/ It was assembled in Italy and also built under license in Spain by FADISA (Fabricacion de Automoviles Diesel S.A.). The Spanish version had a 1.6-liter

Perkins Perkins is a surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon corruption of the kin of Pierre (from Pierre kin to Pierrekin to Perkins), introduced into England by the Norman Conquest. It is found throughout mid- and southern England. Another derivation com ...

4/99

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

and a gearbox with synchro on all forward gears.

Romeo 3

The final version, the Romeo 3, was introduced in 1966. The Romeo 3 had various improvements, including a hydraulic clutch and adjustable driver's seat. It had a short production run of around six months before being replaced by the Giulia 1300 engined F12 and A12 models. In all, some 23,000 Romeos were produced between 1954 and 1966.

F12/A12 and F11/A11

In 1967, the Autotutto was replaced with the Giulia-engined Alfa Romeo F12 and A12 vans. The front of the vehicle was updated with a wider chrome and mesh grill, and the 1,290 cc Alfa Romeo twin cam engine was updated to . The front-engined van had a four-speed gearbox and front-wheel drive. In 1973, an inline-four 1,760 cc Perkins diesel (4.108) with was released. This engine was also available in the Giulia sedan from 1976. The van had a top speed of around . The front brakes were discs and rear ones drums. Abandoning the use of a model name, "F" depicted a furgone, or van, "A" depicted an autocarro or light truck, and "12" indicated the carrying capacity of 12 quintali (1 quintale = ). In 1967, Motor Ibérica took over FADISA, the company that made

Ebro trucks Ebro trucks was a Spanish brand of light and medium trucks and buses, as well as all-wheel-drive utility vehicles with plants located in Barcelona, Madrid, Ávila, and Cordoba. History Ebro trucks's parent company, Motor Ibérica, was set up in 19 ...

and merged the companies products. The Alfa Romeo F12 was renamed the Ebro F-100 in Spain and, after its facelift, was sold as the F-108. In 1987,

Nissan Motors , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun brands, ...

took control of Motor Ibérica and

Ebro Trucks Ebro trucks was a Spanish brand of light and medium trucks and buses, as well as all-wheel-drive utility vehicles with plants located in Barcelona, Madrid, Ávila, and Cordoba. History Ebro trucks's parent company, Motor Ibérica, was set up in 19 ...

and started producing the

Nissan Trade The Nissan Trade is a light commercial vehicle that was produced by Nissan Motor Ibérica from 1987 to 2001 in Spain and was marketed only in Europe. It was a replacement for the Ebro F108, itself a rebadged Alfa Romeo Romeo van, that was mark ...

as a replacement, although it was based on the same chassis. These continued to be made until the beginning of the 2000s at the

Ávila Ávila (, , ) is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m abov ...

plant in Spain. Between 1967 and 1971, light, A11 and F11 versions were also available. These has a lighter payload and a lower horsepower rating. All Alfa Romeo vans were facelifted in 1977 with a new black plastic radiator grill, and chrome badging was replaced with black adhesive stickers. Production stopped in 1983, by when the total production of A11, A12, F11, and F12 vans was around 17,300 units.

Replacement

Some Fiat and Iveco models were also marketed as Alfa Romeos as replacements for Romeo Romeo vans. The AR8 was based on the first-generation

Iveco Daily The Iveco Daily is a large light commercial vehicle, light commercial van produced by the Italy, Italian automaker Iveco since 1978; it was also sold as the Fiat Daily by Fiat Automobiles, Fiat until 1983. Unlike the more car-like unibody Fiat D ...

, and the AR6 was a rebadged first-generation

Fiat Ducato The Fiat Ducato is a light commercial vehicle jointly developed by FCA Italy and PSA Group (currently Stellantis), and mainly manufactured by Sevel, a joint venture between the two companies since 1981. It has also been sold as the Citroën C25, ...

. They both carried Alfa Romeo's traditional shield-shaped grille.

References

{{Alfa Romeo modern timeline Romeo Vans Minibuses Cab over vehicles Pickup trucks Front-wheel-drive vehicles 1950s cars 1960s cars 1970s cars 1980s cars Vehicles introduced in 1954