[Sudeep_Kimster]

Today, I was browsing the Frankfurt Auto Show unveils. My jaw dropped on seeing the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Its just an mind blowing car, or as Jeremy says, "Alfa designers have created a piece of art."

And the car has some performance also to back it up. It has lapped the Nürburgring a considerable 13 seconds faster than its main rival, the BMW M4.
The new Italian super-saloon is said to have circulated the 12.9-mile lap in 7min 39sec, suggesting its sports-car-like chassis setup and turbocharged V6 make for a seriously compelling package – one that’s also a second faster than the Lamborghini Murcielago and McLaren-Mercedes SLR on the Nordshleife.

Some pics of the car:





Of all the pics, I stumbled upon one pic. The logo/emblem with a white background and Cloverleaf (4 in number) on the LHS front quarter panel.
Its not that I was seeing it first time, but this time I wanted to really know what that means.



I had seen it a couple of times in reviews for 8C Competizone and 4C on youtube, but wondered and left it in its wake without doing a background search about it.

Finally today I found it out, and I am glad to learn about the historic marque and its 92 year old proud history associated to it.

Glad to share it on this community, as I couldn't find any appropriate topic associated to this.

The following lines are lifted from Wikipedia ;

" The Quadrifoglio"

The quadrifoglio emblem (also called the 'cloverleaf') has been the symbol of Alfa Romeo racing cars since 1923. Following WWII, it has also been used to designate the higher trim models of the range. The quadrifoglio 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 symbol consists of a green cloverleaf with four leaves, contained with a white triangle.



History of the emblem:

The quadrifoglio has been used on Alfa Romeo cars since the death of Ugo Sivocci in 1923. As a friend of Enzo Ferrari, Sivocci was hired by Alfa Romeo in 1920 to drive in the three-man works team—Alfa Corse—with Antonio Ascari and Enzo Ferrari. Sivocci was thought to have enormous experience, but often hampered by bad luck and considered the eternal second-placer. To banish his bad luck, when the Targa Florio came around, the driver painted a white square with a green four-leaf clover (the quadrifoglio) in the centre of the grille of his car. Sivocci had immediate success, crossing the finish line first. The quadrifoglio subsequently became the symbol of the racing Alfa Romeos with the victory at the Targa Florio. Almost as if to prove the magic effects of this symbol, Sivocci was killed while testing Merosi's new P1 at Monza, a few months after winning the Targa Florio. The Salerno driver's P1, which went off the track on a bend, did not have the quadrifoglio. Since this period in 1923, the bodies of Alfa Romeo racing cars have been adorned with the quadrifoglio as a lucky charm. The white square was replaced with a triangle in memory of Uvo Sivocci.

Modern usage

The first road car to bear the quadrifoglio was the 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super, a variant of the Giulia saloon car devised for competition but put regularly on sale; it had green four-leaf clovers on its front wings, without the triangle. In the 1970s "Quadrifoglio Verde" or "Green Cloverleaf" became the trim level for each model's sportiest variant, equipped with the most powerful engine. The Alfasud, Sprint, 33, 75, 164 and 145 all had Quadrifoglio Verde 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 "Quadrifoglio Oro" or "Gold Cloverleaf". The Alfasud, Alfetta, Alfa 6, 90 and 33 had Quadrifoglio Oro versions. In recent times the quadrifoglio was revived on the 2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and Spider eight-cylinder sports cars. With the current Alfa Romeo MiTo and Giulietta the Quadrifoglio Verde was reinstated as the sportiest trim level in the range, and green four-leaf clovers on the front wings are once again the hallmark of high-performance Alfa Romeos.


All said, its great to note the Logo after all is not a marketing gimmick, it has a glorious 92 year old history associated to it.
Some pics associated to the cars carrying the same.







P.S.: What AMG is to Mercedes-Benz, M-division is to BMW, S-line is to Audi and Abarth is to Fiat , The Quadrifoglio Verde is to Alfa Romeo

Top Gear says " You aren't a Petrohead unless you have owned an Alfa", and I quite agree to it.
Alfa Romeo - 'La meccanica delle emozioni'

[DieselWheels]

Lungo dal vivo Alfa, bellisimo. Quadrifoglio Verde - the four cloverleaves, symbolize Faith, Hope, Love and Luck. The purpose of the cloverleaf was not just decorative, it served the purpose to identify the alfa even from a distance, because the participating cars in the Targa Florio, were getting dust and muck laden. Owing to the dusty track and decrease in visibility, the Alfa RL-tf was marked with the Cloverleaf(An idea initiated by Ugo Sivocci). Beautiful write up @Sudeep_Kimster. You don't just drive a car, you also enjoy the lineage that follows

[Jeroen]

Thanks, nice write up.

Technically speaking my 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider is a QV too.
Mine is one of the last Serie 3 Spider before the Serie 4 Spider was introduced. In this case the QV was added to, as mentioned, have it stand out as 'top of the line'. So on the Spider QV Serie 3 that meant electrical windows and mirrors, AC, sports chairs and a lot of body kit. I had all the body kit removed so mine looks like a regular Serie 3. In essence, all cosmetics, no difference in engine, chassis between the Spider QV and regular QV. But the electrical windows are nice and even the AC is great on a open top Sports car.

Jeroen

[amvj]

I think it is a performance version to the brand what Abarth or AMG to Fiat and Merc. However, I cannot find any such info in the net. :P

On a different note, from Wiki

The four-leaf clover is an uncommon variation of the common, three-leaved clover. According to tradition, such leaves bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally. In addition, each leaf is believed to represent something: the first is for faith, the second is for hope, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-leaf_clover

[Sudeep_Kimster]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Thanks, nice write up.

Technically speaking my 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider is a QV too.

Thanks Sir for having a read,

I must confess you are one lucky individual to own an Alfa.

Isn't your model similar to one Richard Hammond drove in an episode of Top Gear, as Alfa Special episode?

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by amvj

I think it is a performance version to the brand what Abarth or AMG to Fiat and Merc. However, I cannot find any such info in the net. :P

l]

No, not really. The QV version with Alfa is not necessarily about performance at all. Just added luxury and options in many cases. An Abarth and or AMG are brands in their own rights, focussing on high performance.

My Spider QV is just as fast, or slow if you like, as a regular Spider.

QV you pick from the option list for your regular Alfa model. Abarth and AMG are not on the option list of Fiat or Mercedes.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Sudeep_Kimster

Thanks Sir for having a read,



I must confess you are one lucky individual to own an Alfa.



Isn't your model similar to one Richard Hammond drove in an episode of Top Gear, as Alfa Special episode?

Thanks. They are both Alfa Spiders Serie III. I seem to recall that Richard's Spider had the two distinct dials, speedo and tacho, in front of the driver, whereas mine has one instrument binnacle. Which means his is probably a few years older, carburetor whereas mine has a Bosch L-tronic injection system. On the older Spiders there was also a 1600cc engine, next to the 2.0L such as in my Spider.

But at first glance they look very, very similar. Bodywork, chassis is identical.

Jeroen

[DieselWheels]

@Jeroen you are lucky enough to have one of those Italian babe's in your lap. These things exude style and aura. Unparalleled design and robust build. Infact had the Uno 1.7D which used to share parts with the Alfa Romeo brera. And those magnetto marellis rarely give up before their complete lifetime. You must have had some really spirited runs with your Alfa, please do share your experiences. Your info would be absolutely valuable, as it comes from someone familiar with Alfas.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by DieselWheels

You must have had some really spirited runs with your Alfa, please do share your experiences. .

Have a look:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...es-eiffel.html