Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio
The competition RL associated with Ugo Sivocci’s 1923 victory and the Quadrifoglio’s origin.
The RL behind the first Quadrifoglio victory
The RL Targa Florio belongs to one of Alfa Romeo’s defining competition stories. In 1923, Ugo Sivocci won the Sicilian race with the green four-leaf clover painted on his car. The museum treats that success as the beginning of the Quadrifoglio’s enduring association with the marque. The museum’s racing history establishes its significance.
The right subject is the competition configuration and its event history. It is separate from the RL Normale touring car and from later road cars carrying a Quadrifoglio badge. A symbol can connect them historically without making their specifications interchangeable.
The competition RL and its road-car relatives
The RL racing story grew from a broader six-cylinder family. Heritage describes a two-seater spider configuration for the 1923 Targa Florio result. The manufacturer’s origins account also discusses purpose-prepared Corsa versions, with reduced weight for competition.
A racer’s configuration should be connected to the year and event in question. Later Super Sport figures are useful for understanding development, but they do not automatically establish the displacement, power or braking specification of Sivocci’s winning car. Those fields remain open here until an exact 1923 primary specification can be attached.
The 1923 result
The Heritage account records an Alfa Romeo one-two finish and another RL in fourth place. It also explains the dramatic late interruption to Antonio Ascari’s run and Sivocci’s victory. The Heritage race account provides the event narrative.
For a chassis profile, a finishing result is only the beginning. The car, driver, race number and mechanical configuration need to be linked by documentation. A familiar driver’s name on a display card is less informative than a clearly cited chain connecting the individual chassis with its competition appearances.
Production scope and rarity
The RL family’s 2631-car total cannot be assigned to the Targa Florio subset. Similarly, the number of cars entered in one race is not the total number of original factory competition chassis. The inventory’s competition-run description remains more appropriate than an unsupported exact tally.
A complete register would need to separate original racing cars, later conversions, replacement components and replicas. One chassis can also appear in many races, so an event-by-event list must be reconciled before it becomes a count of cars. This draft preserves those boundaries in its structured data.
Authentication and the meaning of the badge
For an alleged Targa Florio car, start with physical identity and documentary provenance. Match period photographs to body details and compare entry records with the ownership file. Ask which season the current configuration represents and which parts survive from that period.
The Quadrifoglio alone cannot authenticate the car. It is a historical symbol that has been widely reproduced. Its significance becomes stronger, rather than weaker, when the car’s individual history is supported by independent records. A careful collector file should distinguish the verified event story from any claim about a specific survivor.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 1923 Targa Florio for Alfa Romeo?
Ugo Sivocci, driving an RL competition car.
Why is the car associated with the Quadrifoglio?
The winning car carried the green four-leaf clover that became a lasting Alfa Romeo symbol.
How many RL Targa Florio cars were made?
The cited sources do not establish an exact original competition-chassis total.
Can later RL Super Sport figures be used for it?
Only when a source specifically identifies the same configuration; family specifications should stay separate.
Related vehicle profiles
Primary references
Photo and credit
1923 Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio displayed at Museo Alfa Romeo in Arese. Photo: Zairon / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and JPEG-compressed for web display; no content retouching. Website layouts may crop the image.
Why this machine matters
The RL Targa Florio belongs to one of Alfa Romeo’s defining competition stories. In 1923, Ugo Sivocci won the Sicilian race with the green four-leaf clover painted on his car. The museum treats that success as the beginning of the Quadrifoglio’s enduring association with the marque. The museum’s racing history establishes its significance.
Built in limited numbers
Competition subset: exact tally and 1923-specific specification pending. RL-family totals are not a subset count.
Gallery
Specifications
Factory specifications may vary by model year, market and configuration.
Identity & production
- Official model
- Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio
- Country of manufacture
- Italy
Powertrain & performance
- Engine
- RL-derived competition inline-six
- Drivetrain
- Rear-wheel drive
