Major car maker forced to scrap 70-year tradition due to new EU safety rules

Italian car maker Alfa Romeo has been forced to scrap a 70-year design tradition on its stylish vehicles, due to a new safety law introduced by the European Union.

The manufacturer will no longer sell new models with off-centre front number plates, because they do not conform to pedestrian safety rules brought in by the EU.

It means the brand will have to revert to centrally-mounted plates, as used by the majority of car makers. 

Alfa Romeo’s customary offset registration plate on the front bumper dates back to the 1955 Giulietta Spider and is a design feature synonymous with the company and one that is still used on today’s cars, including the Giulia, Stelvio and Tonale.

For 69 years, Alfa Romeo has favoured the off-centre front number plate placement.

This allows for the brand’s iconic ‘Scudetto’ triangular grille to run from the top of the bonnet to the lowest section of the bumper without being obscured in any way.

But the cars in showrooms today are likely the last to have this unique feature, bosses said. 

Speaking to automotive specialist title Autocar, Alfa Romeo’s design chief, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, confirmed its next-generation models – and those beyond – will have conventional centrally-position front plates.

He told the publication that the offset plate has been outlawed by ‘homologation regulations’ introduced as part of the European Union’s General Safety Regulations to provide better protection for pedestrians if they are struck by a car.

‘Some die-hard Alfisti, who think an Alfa Romeo isn’t an Alfa Romeo unless it has the number plate on the side, won’t be happy,’ Mesonero-Romanos said.

The Italian manufacturer will no longer sell new models with off-centre front number plates because they do not conform to pedestrian safety rules brought in by the EU

Alfa Romeo’s customary offset registration plate on the front bumper dates back to 1955. It is a design feature synonymous with the company that is still used on today’s cars, including the Stelvio (pictured)

Some of Alfa Romeo’s most recognisable cars of previous eras feature the off-centre number plate, including the 156 family saloon (pictured) 

He added that there are ‘plenty of beautiful Alfa Romeos in history which have the number plate in the middle’.

Despite what fans might think, the chief designer says the move will have benefits.

‘[The regulation] will allow us to have symmetry anyway, so I am happy – I’m one of the guys who likes the plate in the middle,’ he told Autocar.

Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos, Alfa Romeo’s design chief, says there are a number of examples of models from the past with centrally-mounted front number plate, including the GTV (pictured)

Alfa Romeo has recently unveiled its first all-electric model, called the Junior (previously Milano, though this was vetoed by Italian law makers). As you can see, the brand has already switched away from its traditional offset number plate position

The Junior has a smaller version of Alfa Romeo’s shield-shaped ‘scudetto’ grille that’s available in two different designs. ‘Leggenda’ (left) is a traditional vented grille in a nod to classic models and ‘Progresso’ (right) is a sportier, contemporary look created by a blocky reinvention of the Alfa Romeo badge

Already, Alfa Romeo has made the change to centrally-positioned front plates on its new Junior – the company’s first fully-electric model that’s been engulfed in its own controversy.

The SUV was revealed in April, though it was dramatically vetoed by Italian lawmakers due to the fact calling it Milano breached domestic laws that block manufacturers from suggested products are built in Italy.

The electric SUV is being produced in Poland – the first Alfa to be made outside Italian borders – and therefore has been banned from using the name of the fashion capital where Alfa is based.

The Junior has a smaller version of the scudetto grille available in two different designs: ‘Progresso’ or ‘Leggenda’.

The former is a sportier, contemporary look created by a blocky reinvention of the Alfa Romeo badge while the latter is a more traditional ventilated design that pays homage to its historic vehicles.

The first Alfa Romeo to have its front plate set over to one side (which is almost always offset to the nearside) was the 750/101-Series Giuletta Spider debuted in 1955

Alfa Romeo engineers wanted the number plate moved away from the grille of the Spider to allow for more airflow to the radiator to cool the engine

The first Alfa Romeo to have its front plate set over to one side (which is almost always offset to the nearside) was the 750/101-Series Giuletta Spider debuted in 1955.

Because the radiator was placed directly behind the shield-shaped scudetto grille, Alfa’s design team positioned the number plate to the side to prevent it from compromising engine cooling, which could have triggered the car to overheat.

Given that car makers will soon be forced to sell only electric cars, there typically will no longer be a need for vented grilles to provide cooling for internal combustion engines. 

Alfa Romeo is likely the only major car firm affected by the EU’s changes to pedestrian safety rules.

Bugatti also uses off-centre front plates on its hypercars, while models from the past – such as the Mercedes-Benz SLR and Mitsubishi Lancer – have also deployed side-mounted front registration plates.

Back in 2017, British car maker Land Rover hit headlines for its controversial offset rear plates on its Discovery 4×4.

Having traditionally placed the plate on the nearside section of the boot door, the current version has it only slightly off-centre to the left.

Why the asymmetrical design of the latest model was a tip of the hat to previous-generation Discoveries, its designer Gerry McGovern in 2017 blamed car dealers for making it look worse by fitting larger number plates.