Alfa Romeo Dauphine 1st Generation

In the post-World War II period, the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo was under the management of the state-owned IRI (Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale) and faced serious difficulties in restructuring its industrial facilities and regaining financial profitability. The company, recognized worldwide for the artisanal manufacture of sports and luxury cars, needed to enter the market of popular, high-production-volume vehicles to ensure its survival, but lacked technical knowledge for this type of large-scale manufacturing. On the other side of the Alps, the French brand Renault, also state-controlled, was reaping the rewards of the enormous commercial success of its Dauphine model, introduced in 1956 as the natural successor to the small Renault 4CV. However, the high import tariffs charged by the Italian government acted as a strong block to the expansion of Renault's sales on the Italian peninsula.

The signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957, which launched the European Common Market, paved the way for a commercial rapprochement between the two companies, resulting in the signing of a cooperation agreement in 1958. The drawn-up plan established that Alfa Romeo would assemble the Dauphine under license on a CKD (Complete Knock Down, that is, the assembly of imported, fully disassembled part kits) basis at its traditional Portello plant in Milan, allowing the car to be marketed as a domestic product exempt from import customs duties. During the planning phase, the Italian board considered naming the popular vehicle "Monterosa", but ultimately decided to keep the original French nomenclature.

The assembly line dedicated to the Dauphine at Portello was installed next to the production lines of renowned models such as the Giulietta and the Alfa 1900. The official inauguration of the line took place on June 4, 1959, attended by the illustrious presence of Renault's president, Pierre Dreyfus. The vehicle hit the Italian market with a price tag of 890,000 lire, a highly aggressive strategy to compete directly with the dominant Fiat 600 and Fiat 1100, although parallel Renault dealers still imported units directly from France for 950,000 lire. In its debut year of 1959, Alfa Romeo sold 6,452 units of the popular sedan, even recording the delivery of one of the first preserved examples on October 17, 1959, bearing original license plates from the province of Brescia.

Although the basic mechanical structure and body panels were identical to those of the original French model, Alfa Romeo's engineers applied a series of aesthetic and technical modifications to adapt the sedan to Italian legislation and attract local buyers with a more demanding profile. The most relevant technical change consisted of entirely replacing the original 6-volt electrical system with a 12-volt system developed by the Italian manufacturer Magneti-Marelli, which provided greater reliability in starting the engine and considerably improved the illuminating power of the headlights.

On the outside, the Milan-built Dauphine featured mandatory differences required by the local traffic code, such as the installation of small, rounded turn signal repeaters on the sides of the front fenders, in addition to rectangular position lights embedded directly beneath the main headlights. The vehicle's body gained additional chrome trims to give it a more refined look and began proudly displaying the raised inscriptions "Dauphine Alfa Romeo" on the sides and on the rear engine compartment lid.

The interior of the cabin was also modified to distance the model from the simple vinyl finish used in France. The seats received superior-patterned fabrics produced in Italy and an exclusive range of upholstery colors developed by Alfa Romeo's styling team.

The Alfa Romeo Dauphine preserved the classic three-box, four-door body configuration, with an overhanging rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. The engine employed was the well-known inline four-cylinder water-cooled block called "Ventoux", with an 845 cc displacement, which had its origins tied to the old Renault 4CV. At the rear, the vehicle utilized a swing-axle pendular suspension, a mechanical solution praised for its comfort in absorbing ground irregularities and for optimizing the interior space of the passenger compartment thanks to the absence of a central transmission tunnel.

The model's technical and market evolution occurred through gradual mechanical modifications and the introduction of new trim levels. At its launch in 1959, the 845 cc engine came equipped with a single-barrel Solex 28 IBT carburetor, generating a maximum output of 26.5 horsepower. This setup worked connected to a three-speed manual transmission, with an unsynchronized first gear. The three-speed gearbox and the lack of power on climbs were met with reservations by Italian buyers, accustomed to the country's mountainous terrain.

Alfa Romeo acted quickly and, in May 1960, began installing the four-speed manual transmission (originally used in the French Gordini version). This more elastic gearbox became standard factory equipment at the end of that same year, significantly improving the utilization of engine power. In October 1960, to expand its market presence, the manufacturer launched the Ondine Alfa Romeo (Type R1090A), a luxury version of the sedan. The Ondine was distinguished by its superior finish, featuring a greater number of chrome trims on the sides, perforated steel wheels, rubber overriders on the rear bumpers, a fully carpet-lined front trunk, and a cabin with improved acoustic insulation and premium fabrics. To make the sale of the Ondine viable at 845,000 lire, Alfa Romeo reduced the sticker price of the entry-level Dauphine to 795,000 lire in December 1960.

New evolutions emerged at the end of 1961, when the four-speed transmission received full synchronization for first gear. Simultaneously, the powerplant adopted the Solex 28 IDT carburetor, which raised the maximum working power to 32 horsepower. Historical records also point out that Alfa Romeo made available a high-performance version in a limited series of 2,200 units between 1961 and 1962, dubbed the Dauphine Rallye 1093 (Type R1093). This version featured a tuned 845 cc engine fed by a twin-choke Solex PAIA-3 carburetor and a higher compression ratio, generating 49 horsepower. The sporty model came with a complete instrument panel, sporty decorations, and, sporadically, was offered in a low-run convertible body style.

In September 1962, the luxurious Ondine version was discontinued at Portello after an estimated production of about 2,000 examples. From that point on, manufacturing operations focused solely on the base berlina. For the 1964 model year, Alfa Romeo carried out the only and discreet facelift in the model's trajectory, updating details of the instrument panel and applying new exterior chrome trims. Mechanically, the engine received the Solex 28 IFT carburetor, maintaining the 32 horsepower, but optimizing fuel consumption. The great technical innovation of this final facelift was the installation of disc brakes on all four wheels as standard, a significant engineering advancement compared to the drum brakes common in the category, guaranteeing the Dauphine much safer and more stable braking.

The detailed mechanical characteristics of the variants assembled under the Alfa Romeo brand are consolidated in the table below:

The industrial activity of the Dauphine line at the Portello complex ended definitively at the end of October 1964. In the overall tally of its production, 73,841 units were assembled, adding the Dauphine and Ondine versions together. Although the manufacturing process at Portello was closed in 1964, the physical sale of new units remained active throughout 1965 and 1966 with the aim of draining the remaining stock stored in the factory yards.

The sales performance and the most remarkable moments of the annual operation are presented in detail in the following table:

The process of liquidating the remaining stock in 1965 involved a controversial commercial episode. In a rush to free up physical space in its yards, Alfa Romeo's sales management sold a final batch of 60 new Dauphine cars to ITIS, an importing company based in Israel. The negotiation caused serious political-commercial hurdles, culminating with the Israeli Ministry of Commerce denying the official entry visa and prohibiting the cars from landing in the country. Alfa Romeo slowly concluded the delivery of the remaining units in the Italian market over the course of 1966, quietly ending the model's commercial life.

The sharp commercial decline starting in 1962 and the consequent decision to end assembly at Portello in October 1964 were conditioned by several conflicts of interest and technical impasses between the two automakers. The main obstacle in the domestic market was the strong dominance exerted by Fiat, which held a wide advantage in the sale of compact vehicles due to low prices and an extensive service network, which suffocated Alfa Romeo's sales pace.

Mutual dissatisfaction in the partnership grew rapidly. According to the initial agreement, Alfa Romeo was to operate exclusively in the Italian market, while Renault would maintain exclusivity in the French territory. However, Renault violated this commitment by directly exporting French-made Dauphine units to competing Italian dealerships, in addition to retaining for itself all sales rights to the coveted Gordini sports version on Italian soil.

The decisive factor for the definitive rupture of the alliance was technical in nature. Realizing the need to give the vehicle greater agility, Alfa Romeo's engineering formally requested permission from Renault's board to make internal alterations that would significantly increase the displacement and horsepower of the 845 cc engine. Renault emphatically refused the proposal, under the justification that it did not have any superior compact-sized engine available for the project.

Without obtaining a powerful and dynamic engine that lived up to the sporty fame of the Milanese brand, the Dauphine with the Biscione logo (the serpent symbol of Alfa Romeo) began to suffer criticism from purists and admirers, who considered the presence of a docile and underpowered French sedan in the dealerships a drastic departure from Alfa Romeo's performance values. The end of the Dauphine at Portello also marked the gradual dismantling of the partnership, which between 1962 and 1964 still included the licensed assembly of the Renault 4 at Portello and at the aeronautical facilities in Pomigliano d'Arco before the definitive end of all joint operations between the two manufacturers.