Alfa Romeo was born in Rome in 1906 as the "Società Italiana Automobili Darracq" to manufacture low cost cars, in a period of great market decline.

In 1915 the plants built in the area of Milan's Portello went to "Alfa Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili", to engineer Nicola Romeo, and then to his company "Accomandita Ing. Nicola Romeo e Co.", which produced machinery and materials for the mining industry.

After producing war-type materials - trucks and engines -, during the First World War, the company became "Società Anonima Ing. Nicola Romeo e Co.", originally destined to "setting up and operation of mechanical, iron and steel, agricultural, mining, chemical and generally extractive industries ".

Problems of recession and post-war re-conversion were surpassed abandoning aeronautical productions more and more, to specialise in cars, some of which obtained great sports successes.

In the thirties, through IRI, and especially owing to new General Manager Eneginner Ugo Gobbato, a technical and commercial re-organisation took place in the company, and led to the construction of a plant in Pomigliano d'Arco (Napoli), as well as a substantial increase in capital.

The Germans in 1944 forced the company to join in a Consortium with Isotta Fraschini and Officine Reggiane, forming CARIM for the construction of some parts of the Junkers engine.

At the end of the Second World Conflict, and after the killing of Gobbato, the company's fortune was entrusted to Pasquale Gallo, first as temporary Commissioner and then Chairman, with the task of re-converting the plants towards the production of cars and means of transport for the civilian market.

In 1948 the company goes under the direction of Finmeccanica, and from that moment the production focuses on mass produced cars which bring back Alfa Romeo to the pre-second world war market levels.

The true reprise took place in the 50's, when Giuseppe Luraghi, already Finmeccanica's General Manager, decided to produce medium type and more marketable cars for a mass market. A favourable economic situation led in the 60's to the construction of new plants in Arese, and a new establishment in Pomigliano, soon weighed down with some problems.

The Luraghi 70's represented a transition period, with heavy trade and workers union protests, resolved in 1978, with Ettore Masaccesi's new restructuring, which entered the company into economical and market conjunctures, developing both financial functions and the Management Control and Trade Management.

Later, the growth process started by Luraghi came to a halt, and also the Joint Venture with Japanese car company Nissan (AR.N.A), did not obtain the hoped for results. In 1986 Finmeccanica sells Alfa Romeo to the FIAT group, which united it to Lancia, creating the "Alfa Lancia S.p.A.", which became operative in 1987.