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.

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