Alfa Romeo RL & RM

The Alfa Romeo RL & RM series comprised a family of six-cylinder automobiles produced by Alfa Romeo in the years immediately following the First World War. Introduced in 1919 and developed through the early 1920s, the RL and RM models represent Alfa Romeo’s first major post-war production efforts and laid important foundations for the marque’s later sporting and competition success.

Designed under the direction of Giuseppe Merosi, the RL and RM series combined robust touring capability with increasing performance development, ultimately giving rise to dedicated competition derivatives including the RLTF.

Historical context

Following wartime industrial production under Nicola Romeo’s control, Alfa Romeo resumed automobile manufacture in 1919. The RL series was conceived as a modern six-cylinder touring platform capable of restoring the company’s commercial position while preserving its sporting reputation.

The RL and later RM models were produced during a period of financial instability and industrial reorganisation, yet they demonstrated technical ambition and engineering competence that would define Alfa Romeo’s interwar identity.

Alfa Romeo RL (1919–1923)

The RL was introduced in 1919 as a six-cylinder touring chassis powered by an inline engine designed by Merosi. It was produced in several evolving specifications and wheelbase configurations.

Variants included:

RL Normale
RL Turismo
RL Sport
RL Super Sport

The RL series served as the basis for both refined touring cars and increasingly competition-focused developments. Shorter-wheelbase and higher-performance versions achieved notable success in endurance events.

RLTF and competition derivatives

The RLTF (Targa Florio) was developed as a lightweight, competition-oriented derivative of the RL series. Produced in limited numbers, the RLTF featured reduced weight, improved performance, and bodywork optimised for road racing.

The model achieved significant success in the Targa Florio and other major endurance events of the early 1920s, marking one of Alfa Romeo’s first major international racing achievements.

Additional sporting derivatives and special-bodied competition chassis were produced during this period, often adapted for specific events or private entrants.

Alfa Romeo RM (1923–1925)

The RM series followed the RL and represented a refined and updated six-cylinder touring chassis. While less competition-focused than certain RL variants, the RM maintained Alfa Romeo’s engineering principles of mechanical sophistication and balanced performance.

The RM series bridged the gap between the early Merosi-designed models and the later Jano-era developments, forming part of the evolutionary pathway that led to the 6C lineage.

Variants included:

RM Normale
RM Sport

Production numbers were comparatively modest, and surviving examples are significantly rarer than later Alfa Romeo six-cylinder models.

Technical characteristics

Across the RL and RM series, common technical features included:

Inline six-cylinder engine
Cast-iron block with aluminium components in later variants
Separate ladder-frame chassis
Mechanical drum brakes
Four-speed manual transmission

Competition-oriented variants featured shorter wheelbases, higher compression ratios, and weight reduction measures.

Coachwork

As was customary for Alfa Romeo during the period, the RL and RM chassis were supplied to independent coachbuilders for bespoke bodywork.

Coachwork ranged from formal touring bodies and saloons to lightweight sporting configurations and dedicated racing bodies. Surviving examples today reflect a wide diversity of period and later interpretations.

Competition history

The RL series, particularly the RLTF and related sporting derivatives, achieved early international recognition for Alfa Romeo in endurance racing.

Notable successes included participation and victories in the Targa Florio and other major European events of the early 1920s. These achievements contributed significantly to the company’s reputation and provided a competitive foundation for later developments under Vittorio Jano.

The RM series was less directly competition-focused but remained part of Alfa Romeo’s sporting heritage.

Production

Production of the RL series commenced in 1919 and continued through the early 1920s. The RM series followed shortly thereafter and remained in production until approximately 1925.

Exact production figures vary by source and by variant. Competition derivatives such as the RLTF were produced in particularly limited numbers.

Chassis Registry

A registry of known examples of the RL and RM series, including competition derivatives such as the RLTF, is maintained separately:

→ Alfa Romeo RL & RM/Chassis Registry

Individual chassis entries document factory specification, ownership history, registration records, competition participation, restoration history, and archival references.

Legacy

The RL and RM models represent Alfa Romeo’s first sustained post-war six-cylinder production effort and form an essential chapter in the marque’s pre-Jano development.

The RLTF in particular established Alfa Romeo as a competitive force in international endurance racing, paving the way for the marque’s dominant achievements in the later 1920s and 1930s.

Though overshadowed in public memory by the 6C and 8C series, the RL and RM family remains foundational to the technical and sporting identity of pre-war Alfa Romeo.