Quadrifoglio is the Italian word for a four-leaf clover. In the 1923 Targa Floria, driver Ugo Sivocci put the symbol of good luck on his Alfa Romeo RL, and he won the race. That was the beginning of the association between Alfa and the Quadrifoglio. The brand intends to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this symbol for its motorsport success throughout 2023.
The four-leaf clover also appeared on Alfa Romeo's grand prix racers in the 1920s as a way to distinguish the team's cars from the same vehicles from Scuderia Ferrari wearing the Prancing Horse emblem. Later, the Quadrifoglio was on the models that won the first two Formula 1 World Championships in 1951 and 1952. In the 1960's, the company began using the logo on its sporty, road-going vehicles.
Gallery: Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversary
While not as famous as the Quadrifoglio, Alfa Romeo is also marking the 60th anniversary of Auto Delta. The company built tuned Alfa models and eventually became the automaker's official racing division. Its creations included the 1965 Giulia Sprint GTA and prototypes for racing in events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
As part of the anniversaries, Alfa Romeo is introducing updated emblems for Quadrifoglio and Auto Delta (in gallery above). Both logos show the founding year of the respective brand.
The celebrations will include a meeting at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, Milan on March 5 for marking Auto Delta's anniversary. Then, June 25 will be Quadrifoglio Day, including a parade. Beyond these festivities, it's not clear whether Alfa intends to do anything else to mark the anniversaries.
Gallery: 2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato
The latest vehicle to wear the Quadrifoglio logo on its fender is the Giulia SWB (pictured above) that comes from a collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Zagato. The vehicle is one-of-a-kind, so don't expect to see one on the road. The base vehicle is a Giulia Quadrifoglio but with a shorter wheelbase and overhauled exterior. The design blends elements from the earlier Alfa SZ and Giulia TZ in a sharply styled coupe. Under the hood, a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 makes 533 horsepower (398 kilowatts) and 600 Newton-meters (442 pound-feet) of torque.
