Alfa Romeo does not build many cars like the A.L.F.A 12 HP with 2.4 L I4, built from 1910 to 1911 as the assembly line was turning motoring into an industry.
The story
The A.L.F.A. 12 HP was the second car produced by ALFA, a manufacturer who would later become Alfa Romeo. The car was launched in the markets following the success of the 24 HP, first car made by A.L.F.A. It was a smaller car with a four-cylinder engine, 2,413 cc of displacement and 22 hp of power at 2,100 rpm (12 HP in model name referred instead to the fiscal horsepower. Bore and stroke were, respectively, 80 and 120 mm (3.1 and 4.7 in).
The engine was at the front, while the traction was at the back. It had a four speed gearbox and drum brakes. Both engine and body were derived from 24 HP model. The track was 1,300 mm (51.2 in) and it was available as a torpedo and saloon bodystyles. It was designed by Giuseppe Merosi. The car reached a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) and was on sale at 9,500 lire.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 2.4 L I4. Kerb weight is 920 kg. The gearbox is a 4-speed manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2920 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Alfa Romeo's history is not in doubt: the A.L.F.A 15 HP followed it; it was built at Portello, Milan, Italy. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Ford Model T, the Lancia Gamma-20HP, the Fiat S76. Nearby in the Alfa Romeo catalogue sit the A.L.F.A 15 HP and the A.L.F.A 15-20 HP.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the A.L.F.A 12 HP has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.