The snake and the Alfa Romeo 155 in the DTM
01/14/2012
The Alfa Romeo 155 used in the DTM embodied the new generation of the Type 75. While the 75 was rear-wheel drive, the 155 came with front or all-wheel drive.
After a commanding victory in the 1992 Italian Touring Car Championship with the 2-liter four-cylinder turbo, the V6 and the two drivers Alessandro Nannini and Nicola Larini switched to the German Touring Car Championship in 1993. Thanks to the new Class 1 regulations with engines up to a maximum of 2.5 liters and a maximum of six cylinders, Alfa had the perfect concept.
Liberal modifications to the engine, chassis and aerodynamics were also permitted. With the 155, Alfa Romeo was the first manufacturer to build a thoroughbred Class 1 touring car and was richly rewarded for it. Nicola Larini secured the championship title for himself and the 155 in the very first year with 261 points ahead of the two Mercedes 190s of Roland Asch (204) and Bernd Schneider (172).
To show how to destroy Mercedes piece by piece, a sticker of the snake with a Mercedes star instead of the child (see below) was placed on the driver's door for every race win. There were 11 of them at the end of the season. The green sticker meant an early championship win!
A few more thoughts on the Alfa Romeo brand emblem:
Alfa Romeo combines the coat of arms of the city and the Duchy of Milan in its emblem. The brand logo has remained virtually unchanged since its creation. On the left is the red cross on a white background and on the right the serpent with a dragon's head and crown, with a child in its mouth.
The cross of Christ corresponds to the coat of arms of the city of Milan, which unites the colors of the citizens (red) and the farmers (white). The snake was added later.
Ottone, a Visconti, the most powerful family in Milan at the time, killed a Saracen prince on a crusade at the gates of Rome. The princely coat of arms showed the serpent giving birth to a child from its mouth. It was thanks to Matteo Visconti that this depiction became part of Milan's coat of arms.
I am sure I am right in assuming that it was not Alfa Romeo's intention to use the sticker to symbolize a snake giving birth to a Mercedes!
