Alfa Romeo's 'Quadrifoglio' reaches 90 year milestone
The green cloverleaf badge has been synonymous with Alfa Romeo's sports and sporting cars for years, with the badge celebrating its 90th Anniversary in 2013.
The origin of this symbol has been lost in legend, but has aviation connections dating back to World War I, and is part of the Italian Air Force's coat of arms today.
First application of the Quadrifoglio to an Alfa Romeo can be traced back to 1923, when Ugo Sivocci won the 14th edition of the Targa Florio in an Alfa 'RL'.
Sivocci's 1923 success, the first of ten for Alfa Romeo on the Targa Florio, was so clear that the other drivers in the team - including Enzo Ferrari, Antonio Ascari and Giulio Ramponi - decided to adopt the lucky 'Quadrifoglio Verde' for all other races as well.
From this moment on, the Quadrifoglio Verde became the symbol of Alfa Romeo race cars and was later also used on special series of production models, to demonstrate the continuity between Alfa's 'touring' cars and those designed for competition.
In 1950 and 1951, Giuseppe "Nino" Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio drove the Alfa Romeo 158 and 159 - the celebrated 'Alfettas' - to victory in the first two Formula 1 World Championships. Then, in the 1960s, the Quadrifoglio Verde was the hallmark of the 'ready-to-race' version of the Giulia, called the TI Super, and then sat beside the blue Autodelta triangle for a number of decades, from the GTA to the 33 and up to the two World Championships of the 33 TT 12 (1975) and the 33 SC 12 (1977).
Alfa Romeo's racing activity carried on in the 1980s: after it returned to F1 in 1980, the successes in racing for touring cars were repeated (GTV 6 2.5) up to the resounding victory in the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Mesterschaft) with the 155 V6 Ti in 1993 and the long series of wins by the 156 Superturismo (1998-2004).
Production Alfa Romeos have also carried the Quadrifoglio Verde, particularly high-performance models built from the 1960s to the 1980s. Some feature the symbol on the body, without an appearance in the official name, such as the Giulia TI Super, Giulia Sprint GT Veloce, 1750 GT Veloce - which actually featured gold coloured Quadrifoglio badging - and the Alfasud Sprint.
From the 1980s, the name was added to the likes of the Alfasud ti Quadrifoglio Verde, Sprint Quadrifoglio Verde, various versions of the 33 Quadrifoglio Verde, 75 Quadrifoglio Verde, the Spider 2.0 Quadrifoglio Verde, 164 Quadrifoglio Verde and the 145 Quadrifoglio Verde.
'Quadrifoglio Verde' legend continues with current Alfa Giulietta and MiTo
Distinguished by the cloverleaf, the Quadrifoglio Verde versions of the MiTo and Giulietta have assumed a place in the tradition of the best Alfa Romeos.
Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde 1750 TBi
The exclusive 173 kW Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde 1750 TBi offers the most high-performance engine in the range and an authentic sports set-up that delivers driving pleasure with limited consumption and emissions for its power rating.
The 1750 TBi boasts a specific torque output of 195 Nm/litre (the highest of all petrol engines in the category) and an outstanding 340 Nm peak torque achieved at just 1,900 rpm. The engine features some cutting-edge technological solutions, including direct petrol injection, dual continuous variable valve timing, a turbocharger and a revolutionary 'scavenging' control system that eliminates so called 'turbo lag'.
MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde 1.4 MultiAir Turbo
On the MiTo, the Quadrifoglio Verde badge means a 125 kW 1.4 MultiAir Turbo for excellent performance, with a specific power value (124 HP/litre) among the highest in the world, plus an exceptional weight/power ratio (6.7 kg/HP).
Quadrifoglio Verde versions of the MiTo and Giulietta have served as the Official Safety Car of the SBK Superbike World Championship (you may have spotted them at this year's SBK season opener at Phillip Island) of which Alfa Romeo has been major sponsor since 2007.
