of
Ugo Sivocci. Note the original square white background. in 1967, inserted next to the
Autodelta logo The four-leaf clover symbol appeared for the first time on one of the four
RL Targa Florio autos in 1923. This auto was specially prepared by
Giuseppe Merosi for the
Targa Florio in Sicily, considered the most prestigious auto racing competition at the time. Despite high aspirations, major success at racing eluded Alfa Romeo until this time. Alfa had won some class victories and minor competitions, but due to inexperience and misfortune Alfa had not won a major international event. For the
Targa Florio of 1923, Merosi developed four cars, entrusting them to
Antonio Ascari,
Enzo Ferrari,
Giulio Masetti and
Ugo Sivocci. Sivocci, Ferrari's discoverer and friend, was a pilot of great experience and technical competence, but had poor luck and was considered (Italian for 'the eternal second'). To ward away his misfortune, Sivocci had painted on the
grille of his car a
white square in which stood a green
four-leaf clover. The outcome of that Targa Florio race on the track in
Madonie convinced the superstitious the four-leaf clover ()
charm was effective. Towards the end of the race the chances of victory were limited to the leading trio, composed of Ascari and Sivocci, followed by
Minoia on a Steyr VI Klausen Sport. Just two hundred meters from the finish, the Alfa RL of Ascari went out. Ascari's lead allowed his mechanics to arrive in time to restart his engine, but in their euphoria they all got on board to cross the finish line with Ascari, causing a disqualification. So Ascari returned to the point where he had stopped his car to retrace that part of the track. He finished second behind Sivocci who, meanwhile, had crossed the finish line as a winner, assuring Alfa Romeo their first international victory. of 1964, the first production car to wear the As if to confirm the importance of the , a few months later on September 8, 1923, a tragic accident occurred in which Sivocci lost his life at the
Monza raceway. During practice for the
1st Grand Prix of Europe, Sivocci crashed in his
Alfa Romeo P1 No. 17. His P1 did not have the due to complications that had prevented the painting of the bodywork. The fact that he crashed in a vehicle that lacked the made a lasting impression among the pilots, mechanics and technicians of the world of competitions. For the same superstitious reasons the number 17 was no longer assigned to Italian racing cars after this crash. Even in the absence of official regulations, from the 1924 season the bodywork of racing Alfa Romeo autos were decorated with the green four-leaf clover. In memory of Sivocci, the white square was replaced by a triangle to signify his absence, and the symbol remains that way to this day. After
World War II the was used to distinguish particularly sporty versions of production Alfa Romeos, appearing for the first time on the side of the
Giulia TI Super of 1963, also called . This was a variant of the Giulia
sedan devised for competition but regularly put on sale; it had green four-leaf clovers on its front wings, without the triangle. == Nomenclature ==