Hardly anyone remembers the Alfa Romeo Dauphine
01/28/2011
Who can still remember it? From 1959 to 1964, Alfa Romeo built the Renault Dauphine under license for the Italian market.
The vehicles were technically identical to the Renault Dauphine, but some Italian accessories were used. Licensed productions were nothing unusual and still are today, but in the 1960s hardly anything was invested in brand identity and recognition; instead, the vehicle design and construction were adopted 1:1 from the licensor.
From today's perspective, it may seem surprising that the sporty Alfa Romeo brand used Renault's rear-engined car, but the Dauphine was a thoroughly sporty vehicle that even won the 1958 Monte Carlo Rally. However, the illustration from the sales brochure of the time is definitely a gem. The question remains as to how the Italians pronounced the name "Dauphine", as it doesn't sound the least bit Italian ...
