1932 Alfa Romeo Type B P3

With an absence of riding mechanics from grand prix regulations, Alfa Romeo commissioned Vittorio Jano to design the Tipo A, their first single seat race car (Monoposto). Jano’s first design, the Tipo A, had dual inline-6 engines having two gearboxes & two propeller shafts. Jano abandoned this philosophy with the Tipo B which used a more conservative single-engine drive line.

As raced from 1932 till 1933, the P3 had a huge advantage thanks to its exceptional power to weight ratio. It also had a unique driveshaft system that sent power to each rear wheel individually. This split the torque evenly between two lightweight bevel boxes. Having both shafts running alongside the seat allowed the driver’s seating position to sit lower.

In 1934 the P3 was transformed to accommodate new Grand Prix rules. The regulations stated that the body must be at least 33.5 inches wide. The revised 1934 P3 had a larger chassis with larger bodywork that covered the blowers and front framerails. At this time, many of the original P3’s had been sold to private teams after Alfa Romeo retired from racing in 1933. Alfa sold some of the cars with a 2.9 litre engine that yielded around 220-260HP which was more competitive against the W25 and Auto Union Type C. Scuderia Ferrari took many of these cars and managed a private team with Tazio Nuvolari as their number one driver.

From 1923 to 35 the P3 racked up a number of Grand Prix victories. The most notable victory was the German GP race of 1935 in which Tazio Nuvolari, racing for team Ferrari, beat the combined efforts of Mercedes & Auto Union. This race is considered one of Nuvolari’s greatest victories as the P3 was much older and underpowered compared to the competition.

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