1932 Alfa Romeo P3 Tipo B Monoposto

This is the first P3 made by Alfa Romeo. Only 6 were made in 1932; 7 were made in 1934.

Race History: Chassis # B5001 (SF 34)
1932-33 Numerous Grand Prix races
1934 Grand Prix Monaco (Guy Moll) 1st Place
Criterium de Roma (P. Taruffi) 1st Place
1934 IXth Mille Miglia (Pintacuda) 1st Place
Targa Florio (Pintacuda) DNF
Tripoli Grand Prix (Pintacuda) DNF
Sorrento-Saint'Agata (Pintacuda) 3rd Place
Corsa del Kesselberg (Pintacuda) 4th Place
Circuito di Torino (Pintacuda) 3rd Place
Corsa del Grossglockner (Pintacuda) 2nd Place
(1st in its class)
Corsa dello Stelvio (Pintacuda) 4th Place
(1st in its class)
Circuito di Lucca (Pintacuda) 3rd Place
1936 xth Mille Miglia (Biondetti) 4th Place

A stop for a new set of tires on the Roma-Perugia stretch cost Blondetti the lead.

In late 1933 the P3s were transferred to Scuderia Ferrari. This is the only P3 with a shortened wheelbase and the only one with a 'biposto' (two-seater) sports car body. This is also the P3 that won the 1935 Mille Miglia setting a new speed record of 14.04'47' and making its driver, Carlo Pintacuda, an overnight celebrity! The P3 biposto's 1935 victory in the Mille Miglia was to prove of immense historic importance as it marked a change in the course of sports car design. It established a trend to design such cars as developments of Grand Prix engineering, rather than to approach the problem from the other direction and improve production touring designs.

More about P3s:
The P3 was designed by Alfa Romeo's star engineer at the time, Vittorio Jano. The engine design was derived from the extremely successful Monza with careful alterations made to raise the power slightly. The stroke was lengthened from 88 mm to 100mm, increasing the capacity from the standard 2336 cc to 2654cc. The valve size was increased from 29 mm to 34 mm and the supercharging was revised too. The single blower of the P2 and Monza was replaced by 2 smaller blowers sharing a common drive, each one supplying a block of four cylinders through its own downdraft carburetor. This more efficient design raised the power of the engine to a peak of 215 brake horsepower with more to come.

The first P3 was designed as a 'monoposto.' With the new narrow body, the driver had to sit on top of the transmission, which made the car much higher and bulkier. Jano solved this problem by shifting the differential from the rear axle to the middle of the car thus reducing the unsprung weight of the rear axle and differential and improving the handling of the car. By replacing the single centre-line propeller shaft with an open Vee, it allowed the driver's seat to be placed slightly lower in the body, in the dip between the two angled shafts. The improvement was amazing: with outward chassis dimensions similar to the Monza, the P3 was almost 500 lbs lighter thanks also to the use of light-alloy cylinder blocks and exotic aircraft-type duralumin alloys in the chassis frame work itself.

The first P3 was designed as a 'monoposto.'