Less than a week after it was first revealed, the Milano is no more. It will now be known as the Junior.
During one of the most important weeks for Alfa Romeo’s future, an Italian government official declared that the use of the name “Milano” – chosen by the Brand for its recently unveiled new compact sports car – is banned by law.
This is because the Milano is made in Poland. Italy’s industry minister, Adolfo Urso, told Reuters “A car called Milano cannot be produced in Poland,” “[The] law stipulates that you cannot give indications that mislead consumers. So a car called Milano must be produced in Italy. Otherwise, it gives a misleading indication which is not allowed under Italian law.”
This legislation was introduced in 2003 and protects and differentiates Italian products like parmigiano from parmesan cheese which could be made anywhere.
“Despite Alfa Romeo believing that the name met all legal requirements and that there are issues much more important than the name of a new car, Alfa Romeo has decided to change it from “Milano” to “Alfa Romeo Junior” in the spirit of promoting mutual understanding.”
Alfa Romeo originally asked the public to help name its new car. However, after the aforementioned issue was raised, it was not difficult to go back and pick from one of the other names suggested by the public.
“With a unique story and an endless list of names to choose from, the name change was not an issue. Indeed, it was a pleasure to go over the list of names selected as favourites from the public’s suggestions, one of which was “Alfa Romeo Junior.”
“The Alfa Romeo team would like to thank the public for the positive feedback, the Italian dealer network for their support, journalists for the enormous media attention given to the new car, and the government for the free publicity brought on by this debate.”
Ironically, the Milano er… Junior, is the only Alfa Romeo not made in Italy. Building the car in Poland car saves Alfa Romeo about 10,000 euros per vehicle, according to Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.
At least Alfa Junior sounds better than the Alfa Warsaw and who knows, maybe some mint-condition Milano badges might start showing up on eBay?
The name Junior comes from the 1966 GT 1300 Junior which replaced the 105 Giulia and Giulia Sprint GT.
“On September 26, 1966, the GT 1300 Junior was unveiled in Balocco and, despite the lack of the name “Giulia,” it was the leader of a new Alfa Romeo generation. Indeed, similar versions of the Spider range will also be identified with the Junior.”
“The main mechanical variant is the adoption of the 1290‑cc twin-cam engine, which – thanks to the single power supply and new timing – delivers 89 hp for a top speed of over 170 km/h, only slightly less than the 1600’s, as well as the fact it can deliver high-level performance and driving pleasure. The bodywork has also been updated with a dedicated and more youthful trim.
With sales of over 92,000 units, the GT 1300 Junior soon became the overall best seller in the line-up, and a true status symbol of its time.”
