Alfa Romeo will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of its Quadrifoglio performance division in 2023, introducing a new celebratory logo to honor the occasion. It's not the only milestone for the company this year, however, as Autodelta - Alfa Romeo's racing department since 1963 and training ground for new drivers - celebrates its 60th anniversary.
As with Quadrifoglio, Autodelta has also had a celebratory logo designed by Alfa Romeo's Centro Stile. The exact dates of the anniversaries will be June 25, 2023, for Quadrifoglio, and March 5, 2023, for Autodelta. Alfa says that the new logo designs represent a reinterpretation of the historic brands while also looking ahead to their futures. Hopefully, this future is as emotionally charged and passionate as history suggests, despite recent statements that indicate that Alfa's sporty image hinders its growth.
For the Quadrifoglio logo, the color point has been changed, with a "chromatic touch" harking back to iconic Alfas from years gone by. The changes for the Autodelta logo are also quite subtle, with a new Sequel font - the same one used by Alfa Romeo - and the addition of the anniversary date. Both celebratory logos will be visible at brand events and relevant clubs throughout the year. Curiously, however, Alfa Romeo revealed its final Formula 1 car of the current era earlier this week and didn't use the C43 as the canvas to display the new four-leaf clover.
Today, Alfa's Quadrifoglio range of high-performance cars may not be nearly as prolific as BMW's M lineup or Mercedes-AMG's vast array of models, but the Italian's offerings are considered to be even better in some aspects. Both the Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio have ravishing designs and manage to engage the driver more so than their German peers.
The History Of Quadrifoglio
But the Quadrifoglio story started long before these two models arrived, back in 1923. That's the year that the first Quadrifoglio-badged car, the RL Corsa, won the 14th Targa Florio.
In 1925, the same symbol of good luck could be seen on Brilli Peri's P2, which emerged victorious at the first World Car Racing Championships in Monza - the first of five world titles that the Italian manufacturer would ultimately win.
Be it in motorsports or production cars, the Quadrifoglio division continued to make a lasting impression. That included the race-ready Giulia, the TI Super, in the 1960s, the 1750 GT Veloce (which carried the Quadrifoglio symbol in the bodywork but not in its actual name), and the 164 Quadrifoglio Verde.
The "Q" from the full name eventually came to be associated with advanced performance technologies like the Q4 all-wheel-drive system and the Q2 self-locking differential.
21st Century Renaissance
The resurgence of Quadrifoglio in the late 2000s has brought us some of the brand's most outstanding cars. The symbol returned in 2008 on the MiTo and later the Giulietta and rose to greater prominence with the Giulia Quadrifoglio in 2015. This stunning sedan makes 505 horsepower from its 2.9-liter V6 engine and set a record in its class on the Nurburgring.
The Quadrifoglio name is set to enter a new era soon as an Alfa electric supercar with up to 1,000 hp is said to be on the way. This landmark car could be called the 6C, but we still await confirmation of this and other aspects of its development. We also look forward to seeing a high-performance version of Alfa's upcoming BMW 5 Series rival.
Autodelta's achievements include winning at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in prototype cars. Between the two divisions, it's no wonder that sporty Alfas have continued to garner passionate fans worldwide.