Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The (; ) is the brand used by the Italian auto manufacturer
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." ...
to indicate a high performance model, similar to that of
BMW M BMW M GmbH, formerly known as BMW Motorsport GmbH, is a subsidiary of BMW, BMW AG that manufactures high-performance cars. BMW M ("M" for "motorsport") was initially created to facilitate BMW's racing program, which was very successful in the ...
,
Mercedes-AMG Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, is the high-performance subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG. AMG independently hires engineers and contracts with manufacturers to customize Mercedes-Benz AMG vehicles. The company has its headquarters in Aff ...
and
Audi RS Audi S and RS models are a range of high performance versions of certain car models of the German automotive company Audi AG. These cars primarily focus on enhanced "sport" performance. Production of Audi "S" cars began in 1990 with the S2 Co ...
. The is usually placed on the side panels of the car, above or behind the front wheels—on the front wings in the case of modern vehicles. The logo consists of a green four-leaf clover contained in a triangle.


History

The four-leaf clover symbol appeared for the first time on one of the four RL Targa Florio autos in 1923.Alfa Romeo
Quadrifoglio: story of Alfa's best performance car , Alfa Romeo
accessdate: 26. August 2018
This auto was specially prepared by
Giuseppe Merosi Giuseppe Merosi (8 December 1872 – 27 March 1956) was an Italian automobile engineer and designer. Born in Piacenza, Merosi worked as a building surveyor, before he decided to explore his gift for automotive engineering. He first earned expe ...
for the
Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
in Sicily, considered the most prestigious auto racing competition at the time. Despite high aspirations, major success at racing eluded Alfa Romeo until this time. Alfa had won some class victories and minor competitions, but due to inexperience and misfortune Alfa had not won a major international event. For the
Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
of 1923, Merosi developed four cars, entrusting them to
Antonio Ascari Antonio Ascari (15 September 1888 – 26 July 1925) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing champion. He won four Grands Prix before his premature death at the 1925 French Grand Prix. He was the father of two-time World Champion Alberto Ascari. Ea ...
,
Enzo Ferrari Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (; 20 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italians, Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari ...
,
Giulio Masetti Giulio Masetti (1895 – 25 April 1926) was an Italian nobleman and racing driver, known as "the lion of Madonie" from his dominating the Targa Florio in the early 1920s. Born in Vinci, he was the older brother of the racing driver Conte Car ...
and
Ugo Sivocci Ugo Sivocci (August 29, 1885 - September 8, 1923) was an Italian race car driver. Born in Salerno, Sivocci started his racing career as one of the pioneers of Italian bicycle racing, obtaining a second place in the 600 km long classic Cors ...
. Sivocci, Ferrari's discoverer and friend, was a pilot of great experience and technical competence, but had poor luck and was considered (Italian for 'the eternal second'). To ward away his misfortune, Sivocci had painted on the
grille Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants, ...
of his car a
white square White Square Office Center is a Class A office center (see Office#Grading, Office Grading) located next to the Belorusskaya (Koltsevaya Line), Belorusskaya Metro Station in Moscow, Moscow, Russia. It is known not only as a business center that hou ...
in which stood a green
four-leaf clover The four-leaf clover is a rare variation of the common three-leaf clover. According to traditional sayings, such clovers bring good luck, though it is not clear when or how this idea began. One early mention of "Fower-leafed or purple grasse" is ...
. The outcome of that Targa Florio race on the track in
Madonie The Madonie (; Sicilian: ''Madunìi'') are one of the principal mountain ranges on the island of Sicily, located in the Northern part of the island. Its name comes from the feud of Madonìa which belonged to the noble family of La Farina from P ...
convinced the superstitious the four-leaf clover ()
charm Charm may refer to: Social science * Charisma, a person or thing's pronounced ability to attract others * Superficial charm, flattery, telling people what they want to hear Science and technology * Charm quark, a type of elementary particle * Ch ...
was effective. Towards the end of the race the chances of victory were limited to the leading trio, composed of Ascari and Sivocci, followed by Minoia on a Steyr VI Klausen Sport. Just two hundred meters from the finish, the Alfa RL of Ascari went out. Ascari's lead allowed his mechanics to arrive in time to restart his engine, but in their euphoria they all got on board to cross the finish line with Ascari, causing a disqualification. So Ascari returned to the point where he had stopped his car to retrace that part of the track. He finished second behind Sivocci who, meanwhile, had crossed the finish line as a winner, assuring Alfa Romeo their first international victory. As if to confirm the importance of the , a few months later on September 8, 1923, a tragic accident occurred in which Sivocci lost his life at the Monza raceway.historicracing.com
historicracing.com
accessdate: 26. August 2018
During practice for the 1st Grand Prix of Europe, Sivocci crashed in his
Alfa Romeo P1 Alfa Romeo P1 or Alfa Romeo Tipo P1 was the first Grand Prix car made by Alfa Romeo in 1923. The car had a 2.0 L straight-6 engine and it produced at 5000 rpms. Three cars were entered in the Italian GP at Monza in 1923, for Antonio Ascari, Giuse ...
No. 17. His P1 did not have the due to complications that had prevented the painting of the bodywork. The fact that he crashed in a vehicle that lacked the made a lasting impression among the pilots, mechanics and technicians of the world of competitions. For the same superstitious reasons the number 17 was no longer assigned to Italian racing cars after this crash. Even in the absence of official regulations, from the 1924 season the bodywork of racing Alfa Romeo autos were decorated with the green four-leaf clover. In memory of Sivocci, the white square was replaced by a triangle to signify his absence, and the symbol remains that way to this day. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the was used to distinguish particularly sporty versions of production Alfa Romeos, appearing for the first time on the side of the '' Giulia TI Super'' of 1963, also called . This was a variant of the Giulia sedan devised for competition but regularly put on sale; it had green four-leaf clovers on its front wings, without the triangle.


Nomenclature

In the 1970s ('green four-leaf clover') became the trim level for each model's sportiest variant, equipped with the most powerful engine. It is often abbreviated QV. The Alfasud, Sprint, 33, 75,
Spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
, 164 and
145 145 may refer to: *145 (number), a natural number *AD 145, a year in the 2nd century AD * 145 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *145 (dinghy), a two-person intermediate sailing dinghy * 145 (South) Brigade * 145 (New Jersey bus) See also * List of ...
all had versions. Also in the 1970s and through the 1980s golden four-leaf clover badges were used to denote the most luxurious and well-equipped variants of Alfa Romeo cars, named ('gold four-leaf clover'). The Alfasud,
Alfetta The Alfa Romeo Alfetta (Type 116) is a front-engine, five-passenger sedan and fastback coupé manufactured and marketed by Alfa Romeo from 1972 to 1987 with a production total over 400,000. The Alfetta was noted for the rear position of its ...
,
Alfa 6 The Alfa Romeo Alfa 6 (Type 119) is a luxury executive car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 1979 to 1986. Its name refers to the six cylinders of the Alfa Romeo V6 engine, which made its first appearance on this car. History On ...
, 90 and 33 had versions. The Q4 name was also used originally introduced in 1992 on the
Alfa Romeo 155 The Alfa Romeo 155 (Type 167) is a compact executive car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Alfa Romeo between 1992 and 1998. It was unveiled in January 1992 at Barcelona, with the first public launch in March 1992, at the Geneva Motor S ...
Q4 (turbocharged 4 wheel drive, top of line version), and on the badge the Q was stylized as a cloverleaf, so it meant 4. Since the introduction of 155 Q4, the Q4 badge is used to mark Alfa Romeo all wheel drive vehicles. The same Q4 marking is also used on some new Maserati all wheel drive variants. In 2016 Volkswagen's Audi made trademark swap with FCA, so that Q4 badge can now be used in Audi cars.Autoblog
Audi gets Q2 and Q4 badges in trademark swap with FCA - Autoblog
accessdate: 30. May 2019
More recently the quadrifoglio badge was revived on the 2007
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is a sports car produced by Italian automotive manufacturer Alfa Romeo between 2007 and 2010. It was first presented as a concept car at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and later offered for sale for the 2007 model y ...
and Spider eight-cylinder
sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
s. With the
Alfa Romeo MiTo The Alfa Romeo MiTo (Type 955) is a front-wheel drive, three-door supermini designed by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo and presented in 2008 at Castello Sforzesco in Milan with an international introduction at the British Motor Show in 2008. The MiTo w ...
in 2012 and Giulietta in the early 2010s, the was reinstated as the sportiest trim level in the range, and green four-leaf clovers on the front wings once again became the hallmark of high-performance Alfa Romeos. Current Alfa Romeo models to wear the badge are the high performance versions of the Giulia and Stelvio. Although the adjective is not used with these models, the QV abbreviation is still often used informally when referring to them, for example ''Alfa Romeo Giulia QV''. As of 2017, the badge was seen on the
Ferrari SF70H The Ferrari SF70H is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Scuderia Ferrari to compete during the 2017 Formula One season. The car was driven by Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen. It made its competitive début at the 2017 A ...
formula 1 car and the suits of
Kimi Räikkönen Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "The Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One Wo ...
and
Sebastian Vettel Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2022 for BMW Sauber, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing, Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, and Aston Martin in Formula One ...
. As of 2018, the was seen also in Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team, and from 2019, it was seen also in the
Alfa Romeo Racing Italian motor manufacturer Alfa Romeo has participated many times in Formula One. It currently participates as Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen while being operated by Sauber Motorsport AG. The brand has competed in motor racing as both a constructor ...
Formula 1 team.


See also

*
Alfa Romeo in motorsport During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and Rallying, rallies. They have competed both as a construct ...
* Prancing Horse


References


Sources

* * * * *


External links


Petrolicious: More than Luck: The Story of Alfa Romeo’s Quadrifoglio BadgeThe Madonie CircuitAlfaromeo.com: QuadrifoglioF1 2018: Quadrifoglio is backSauber F1 Team
{{Navboxes, list= {{Alfa Romeo {{Alfa Romeo timeline 1980 to date {{Alfa Romeo aeroengines {{Fiat Group {{Automotive industry in Italy {{Automotive industry Formula One entrants World Sportscar Championship teams Italian companies established in 1923 Alfa Romeo in motorsport Quadrifoglio Quadrifoglio Italian brands Car brands