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Details
THE EX-SCUDERIA FERRARI, EX-LUIS FONTES
1934 ALFA ROMEO P3 GRAND PRIX MONOPOSTO
Chassis No. 50001 SF No.41
Engine No. 50004
Dark red with red leather seat and cockpit trim.
Engine: 8-cylinder in-line, 2.9 litre, twin overhead camshafts, twin Roots-type superchargers, 265bhp at 5,400rpm; Gearbox: three speed manual; Suspension: front, beam-axle with semi-elliptic springs and friction-type dampers, rear, live axle with twin torque tube drive to bevel-gears and quarter-elliptic reversed springs, friction-dampers assisted by telescopic shock-absorbers; Brakes: four-wheel mechanical drum. Monoposto.
Alfa Corse introduced the first production single-seater racing cars to the public in 1932 with a series of six cars built for the Factory Racing Team, managed by Enzo Ferrari. The car utilized the incredible Vittorio Jano-designed straight-eight engine enlarged to 2.6 litres, which had been developed in the Monza models racing with 2.3 litre engines. The new cars were a revelation, sweeping all before them in Grand Prix events with victories in Italy, France and Germany and backed up with a string of wins in other important European races.
Despite this initial success however, Europe was in the grip of recession and at the start of the 1933 season the works withdrew the monopostos, leaving Ferrari forced to run a team of older Monza models, albeit fitted with the newer 2.6 engines. As a result of this, their star driver Tazio Nuvolari defected to the rival Maserati firm, and following some success with the Bologna concern, almost certainly persuaded Alfa Corse to reconsider their actions, and the Tipo B monoposto cars were released back to Enzo Ferrari for the remainder of the season in an attempt to retrieve the situation.
At the beginning of 1934 Alfa announced that they would sell the monoposto cars to private buyers, causing several drivers to sell their existing cars and place orders, which the factory then cancelled. However, they changed tack again and proposed new cars and a revised driver line-up for the 1934 season under the newly-introduced 750kg Grand Prix Formula. Seven new cars were to be built (the series 2a cars) utilizing larger bored-out blocks increasing capacity to just under 3 litres. The compression ratio was raised along with increased supercharger pressure, so that the engine was now of 2905cc and gave 255bhp at 5400rpm, compared with the old unit output of 215bhp at 5600rpm from the 2.6 litre engines. Minor modifications were made to the bodywork, giving a wider cockpit and scuttle area, to conform to the new regulations. An innovative feature on all the P3s was the unique 'double-drive' system, consisting of a differential behind the gearbox with two propellor shafts enclosed by torque tubes coming out from it to form a V. Each of these led to a bevel gear in a small light alloy housing situated under the chassis frame. Jano utilized this complex but effective design to minimize unsprung weight, thus eliminating the conventional, but heavy live rear axle design.
The revamped team now comprised an impressive line up of drivers including Achille Varzi, Louis Chiron, Marcel Lehoux, Count Trossi and newcomer Guy Moll; Nuvolari remaining committed to Maserati. The team continued under the excellent guidance from Enzo Ferrari, and the cars now all bore his own prancing-horse logo painted on the bonnets, replacing the Alfa quadrifoglio motif.
A most promising season ensued with Guy Moll winning from Chiron at Monaco in the opening Grand Prix. Followed by another win, this time by Varzi winning from Chiron at Bordino in Alessandria. At Tripoli there followed a 1-2-3 victory for Varzi, Moll and Chiron thus placed. The Targa Florio race was won single-handedly by Varzi driving a road-equipped P3, while Chiron and Lehoux were first & third respectively at Casablanca. In none of these events however were the Alfas matched against the newly-developing German teams of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union. The first head-to-head came at Avus in May where Mercedes withdrew, leaving Auto-Union to provide the opposition. Guy Moll was driving an experimental streamlined version of the P3, with the engine bored out to 3.1 litres - ugly and bulbous bodywork nevertheless enabled Moll to achieve victory at an average speed of 127.57 mph over the 180 miles distance: Alfa team-mate Varzi was second and Momberger's Auto Union finished only third. In the Eifelrennen which followed Alfa Romeo tasted their first defeat of the season, with Chiron finishing third behind Von Brauchitsch's Mercedes W25 and Stuck's Auto-Union. Where there was no German opposition Alfa were still dominant such as a convincing 1-2-3 at the Penya Rhin Grand Prix at Barcelona by Varzi, Chiron and Lehoux, while Trossi was victorious at Montreux.
The real test came in the French Grand Prix at Montlhry, where Chiron's P3 fought off the challenge from Stuck's Auto Union, and made fastest lap in this gruelling race, seeing off all the German cars and giving yet another triple victory for Chiron, Varzi and Moll in the Alfas. Lesser events provided further wins at Vichy (Trossi), Grand Prix de la Marne (Chiron), Coppa Ciano & Nice (Varzi), and Comminges (Comotti). The next major Grand Prix at the Nrburgring provided a German home-win with the best placed Alfa (Chiron) third; and they were out of luck again at Spa where plug-troubles caused retirements. It is interesting to note that in the Coppa Acerbo at Pescara Chiron's P3 was timed over the flying kilometre at 168.7mph.
By August the long season was beginning to take its toll on the team, while the developing Germans took the ascendant, and finally defeated the Alfas on their home ground in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, relegating Trossi/Comotti and Chiron to third & fourth places respectively after nearly 5-hours endurance. They were also outclassed in both the following Spanish and Czech Grands Prix at the close of the season.
Neither Alfa Corse nor Scuderia Ferrari kept any proper records of the chassis numbers during their racing careers, so it is almost impossible to attribute sucesses to individual cars during factory ownership. It could be said that each would almost certainly have been victorious in one or more major events during 1934. However from the Scuderia Ferrari numbering system it is believed that this car SF No.41 can be identified from period photographs as the car driven by Lehoux at the Dieppe G.P. Notably a famous picture of the Lehoux car being worked on in the paddock appears on page 85 of Grand Prix Racing by George Monkhouse, clearly shows SF41 on the car. In this event he finished a creditable second place to Etancelin in his Monoposto 2.9 Litre Maserati, despite having to stop and change the plugs. Authorities such as Fusi indicate that 50001 is the first of the 2a cars, which was an all new car introduced in 1934 and not an updated and modified 2.6 model from the previous year.
In 1935 radical changes were required to update the cars to keep pace with the competition, especially as handling on the Alfas was letting them down. Some of the cars were modified with independent front suspension based on the Dubonnet principle, while the rear suspension was altered on all the 1934 cars to reversed short quarter-elliptic springing and piston-type rear shock-absorbers. They received a further boost with the return of Tazio Nuvolari to the team, and he scored an early season victory at Pau with the redesigned car, winning from Dreyfus in a less modified version. Dreyfus and Brivio came in second and third in the two remaining non-independent cars at Monaco, behind Fagioli's Mercedes.
With new 3.2 litre engines and a mixture of suspensions, it became more difficult to monitor all the changes and 1935 was a period of flux for the Scuderia. It did however provide the ultimate victory for the Monoposto Tipo B/P3 Alfa Romeo, where Nuvolari scored a magnificent and now legendary win against the might of both German teams in the Nrburgring Grand Prix. The car was fitted with the latest 3.8 engine, which provided the power unit for the new 8C-35 cars introduced for the latter part of the season, when some of the P3 cars were sold off to private entrants.
Following its Scuderia Ferrari racing career, Chassis no. 50001 (SF41) was sold to the successful driver Luis Fontes, who was of English extraction despite his Spanish sounding name, and who was famed for his victory in the Monaco Grand Prix driving his Alfa Romeo Monza a few years previously. It appears that 50001 was not raced during 1936 and later the engine was removed and installed into a racing hydroplane in 1937. Thereafter the car remained unused and untouched throughout the war until it was purchased from Fontes in 1955 by George Weaver, an American Air Force officer serving in Europe and enjoying club racing in sportscars in England during his tour of duty. Mr. Weaver was the well known owner of the American racing circuit of Thompson in Connecticut.
On his return to the USA he took this car and installed the engine from the ex-Raymond Sommer car which remained in the States following the Vanderbilt Cup race of 1937, numbered 50004. This engine has remained in the car ever since. The car then passed on to another American collector, John Willock, in the early 1960s who used the car very sparingly and later dismantled the P3 for a thorough overhaul but never completed the work. It was purchased, still apart, in the early 1980s by another noted Alfa enthusiast Peter Giddings who restored the car with the help of experts John de Boer and Phil Reilly. Upon completion its first event was the 1985 Monterey Historic Races celebrating the Alfa Romeo marque. Driven by Peter Giddings, in an exciting race he came in a creditable third place behind David Black and Rodney Felton in their highly tuned P3s. It also ran at a Palm Springs event. In the 1986 Laguna Seca event, Phil Reilly drove 50001 and finished 2nd overall. Asked recently to recollect his thoughts about this drive, Phil fondly replied. That was the most fun drive I ever had, it was truly a revelation to experience the quality of the handling and power, I was really surprised. A short while later the P3 was sold to a prominent Japanese collector, and approximately ten years later the car passed to an eminent South American enthusiast before coming into its present ownership. In 1997, 50001 was demonstrated at the Torrey Pines hillclimb. It is evident this vehicle has had very little use since being sold by the factory, and apart from the ex-works race-used replacement engine, the car remains one of the most original specification (most major components bear original stamping numbers and virtually all bodywork is reported as authentic) examples of the more desirable 1934 configuration cars.
It is superbly presented and has recently been checked over by the renowned restoration expert Tony Merrick. Upon a recent test it ran and performed beautifully, and would appear to be ready for a renaissance in historic racing circles and is also eminently eligible for the Shell Ferrari Challenge series. To our knowledge, it is ten years since the last Alfa Romeo P3 was available at auction (Christie's Monaco 1989) when one of these great cars achieved $3.3 million. They are hugely important in the history of Alfa Romeo/Scuderia Ferrari racing cars and still rate as one of the most desirable of all pre-war racing cars. Chassis No. 50001 is one of only 12 P3s known to exist and most importantly it is one of the desirable second Series 2a 2.9 litre cars, with a continous and unblemished history. We are pleased and privileged to be able to offer this remarkable and historic car for sale today.
1934 ALFA ROMEO P3 GRAND PRIX MONOPOSTO
Chassis No. 50001 SF No.41
Engine No. 50004
Dark red with red leather seat and cockpit trim.
Engine: 8-cylinder in-line, 2.9 litre, twin overhead camshafts, twin Roots-type superchargers, 265bhp at 5,400rpm; Gearbox: three speed manual; Suspension: front, beam-axle with semi-elliptic springs and friction-type dampers, rear, live axle with twin torque tube drive to bevel-gears and quarter-elliptic reversed springs, friction-dampers assisted by telescopic shock-absorbers; Brakes: four-wheel mechanical drum. Monoposto.
Alfa Corse introduced the first production single-seater racing cars to the public in 1932 with a series of six cars built for the Factory Racing Team, managed by Enzo Ferrari. The car utilized the incredible Vittorio Jano-designed straight-eight engine enlarged to 2.6 litres, which had been developed in the Monza models racing with 2.3 litre engines. The new cars were a revelation, sweeping all before them in Grand Prix events with victories in Italy, France and Germany and backed up with a string of wins in other important European races.
Despite this initial success however, Europe was in the grip of recession and at the start of the 1933 season the works withdrew the monopostos, leaving Ferrari forced to run a team of older Monza models, albeit fitted with the newer 2.6 engines. As a result of this, their star driver Tazio Nuvolari defected to the rival Maserati firm, and following some success with the Bologna concern, almost certainly persuaded Alfa Corse to reconsider their actions, and the Tipo B monoposto cars were released back to Enzo Ferrari for the remainder of the season in an attempt to retrieve the situation.
At the beginning of 1934 Alfa announced that they would sell the monoposto cars to private buyers, causing several drivers to sell their existing cars and place orders, which the factory then cancelled. However, they changed tack again and proposed new cars and a revised driver line-up for the 1934 season under the newly-introduced 750kg Grand Prix Formula. Seven new cars were to be built (the series 2a cars) utilizing larger bored-out blocks increasing capacity to just under 3 litres. The compression ratio was raised along with increased supercharger pressure, so that the engine was now of 2905cc and gave 255bhp at 5400rpm, compared with the old unit output of 215bhp at 5600rpm from the 2.6 litre engines. Minor modifications were made to the bodywork, giving a wider cockpit and scuttle area, to conform to the new regulations. An innovative feature on all the P3s was the unique 'double-drive' system, consisting of a differential behind the gearbox with two propellor shafts enclosed by torque tubes coming out from it to form a V. Each of these led to a bevel gear in a small light alloy housing situated under the chassis frame. Jano utilized this complex but effective design to minimize unsprung weight, thus eliminating the conventional, but heavy live rear axle design.
The revamped team now comprised an impressive line up of drivers including Achille Varzi, Louis Chiron, Marcel Lehoux, Count Trossi and newcomer Guy Moll; Nuvolari remaining committed to Maserati. The team continued under the excellent guidance from Enzo Ferrari, and the cars now all bore his own prancing-horse logo painted on the bonnets, replacing the Alfa quadrifoglio motif.
A most promising season ensued with Guy Moll winning from Chiron at Monaco in the opening Grand Prix. Followed by another win, this time by Varzi winning from Chiron at Bordino in Alessandria. At Tripoli there followed a 1-2-3 victory for Varzi, Moll and Chiron thus placed. The Targa Florio race was won single-handedly by Varzi driving a road-equipped P3, while Chiron and Lehoux were first & third respectively at Casablanca. In none of these events however were the Alfas matched against the newly-developing German teams of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union. The first head-to-head came at Avus in May where Mercedes withdrew, leaving Auto-Union to provide the opposition. Guy Moll was driving an experimental streamlined version of the P3, with the engine bored out to 3.1 litres - ugly and bulbous bodywork nevertheless enabled Moll to achieve victory at an average speed of 127.57 mph over the 180 miles distance: Alfa team-mate Varzi was second and Momberger's Auto Union finished only third. In the Eifelrennen which followed Alfa Romeo tasted their first defeat of the season, with Chiron finishing third behind Von Brauchitsch's Mercedes W25 and Stuck's Auto-Union. Where there was no German opposition Alfa were still dominant such as a convincing 1-2-3 at the Penya Rhin Grand Prix at Barcelona by Varzi, Chiron and Lehoux, while Trossi was victorious at Montreux.
The real test came in the French Grand Prix at Montlhry, where Chiron's P3 fought off the challenge from Stuck's Auto Union, and made fastest lap in this gruelling race, seeing off all the German cars and giving yet another triple victory for Chiron, Varzi and Moll in the Alfas. Lesser events provided further wins at Vichy (Trossi), Grand Prix de la Marne (Chiron), Coppa Ciano & Nice (Varzi), and Comminges (Comotti). The next major Grand Prix at the Nrburgring provided a German home-win with the best placed Alfa (Chiron) third; and they were out of luck again at Spa where plug-troubles caused retirements. It is interesting to note that in the Coppa Acerbo at Pescara Chiron's P3 was timed over the flying kilometre at 168.7mph.
By August the long season was beginning to take its toll on the team, while the developing Germans took the ascendant, and finally defeated the Alfas on their home ground in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, relegating Trossi/Comotti and Chiron to third & fourth places respectively after nearly 5-hours endurance. They were also outclassed in both the following Spanish and Czech Grands Prix at the close of the season.
Neither Alfa Corse nor Scuderia Ferrari kept any proper records of the chassis numbers during their racing careers, so it is almost impossible to attribute sucesses to individual cars during factory ownership. It could be said that each would almost certainly have been victorious in one or more major events during 1934. However from the Scuderia Ferrari numbering system it is believed that this car SF No.41 can be identified from period photographs as the car driven by Lehoux at the Dieppe G.P. Notably a famous picture of the Lehoux car being worked on in the paddock appears on page 85 of Grand Prix Racing by George Monkhouse, clearly shows SF41 on the car. In this event he finished a creditable second place to Etancelin in his Monoposto 2.9 Litre Maserati, despite having to stop and change the plugs. Authorities such as Fusi indicate that 50001 is the first of the 2a cars, which was an all new car introduced in 1934 and not an updated and modified 2.6 model from the previous year.
In 1935 radical changes were required to update the cars to keep pace with the competition, especially as handling on the Alfas was letting them down. Some of the cars were modified with independent front suspension based on the Dubonnet principle, while the rear suspension was altered on all the 1934 cars to reversed short quarter-elliptic springing and piston-type rear shock-absorbers. They received a further boost with the return of Tazio Nuvolari to the team, and he scored an early season victory at Pau with the redesigned car, winning from Dreyfus in a less modified version. Dreyfus and Brivio came in second and third in the two remaining non-independent cars at Monaco, behind Fagioli's Mercedes.
With new 3.2 litre engines and a mixture of suspensions, it became more difficult to monitor all the changes and 1935 was a period of flux for the Scuderia. It did however provide the ultimate victory for the Monoposto Tipo B/P3 Alfa Romeo, where Nuvolari scored a magnificent and now legendary win against the might of both German teams in the Nrburgring Grand Prix. The car was fitted with the latest 3.8 engine, which provided the power unit for the new 8C-35 cars introduced for the latter part of the season, when some of the P3 cars were sold off to private entrants.
Following its Scuderia Ferrari racing career, Chassis no. 50001 (SF41) was sold to the successful driver Luis Fontes, who was of English extraction despite his Spanish sounding name, and who was famed for his victory in the Monaco Grand Prix driving his Alfa Romeo Monza a few years previously. It appears that 50001 was not raced during 1936 and later the engine was removed and installed into a racing hydroplane in 1937. Thereafter the car remained unused and untouched throughout the war until it was purchased from Fontes in 1955 by George Weaver, an American Air Force officer serving in Europe and enjoying club racing in sportscars in England during his tour of duty. Mr. Weaver was the well known owner of the American racing circuit of Thompson in Connecticut.
On his return to the USA he took this car and installed the engine from the ex-Raymond Sommer car which remained in the States following the Vanderbilt Cup race of 1937, numbered 50004. This engine has remained in the car ever since. The car then passed on to another American collector, John Willock, in the early 1960s who used the car very sparingly and later dismantled the P3 for a thorough overhaul but never completed the work. It was purchased, still apart, in the early 1980s by another noted Alfa enthusiast Peter Giddings who restored the car with the help of experts John de Boer and Phil Reilly. Upon completion its first event was the 1985 Monterey Historic Races celebrating the Alfa Romeo marque. Driven by Peter Giddings, in an exciting race he came in a creditable third place behind David Black and Rodney Felton in their highly tuned P3s. It also ran at a Palm Springs event. In the 1986 Laguna Seca event, Phil Reilly drove 50001 and finished 2nd overall. Asked recently to recollect his thoughts about this drive, Phil fondly replied. That was the most fun drive I ever had, it was truly a revelation to experience the quality of the handling and power, I was really surprised. A short while later the P3 was sold to a prominent Japanese collector, and approximately ten years later the car passed to an eminent South American enthusiast before coming into its present ownership. In 1997, 50001 was demonstrated at the Torrey Pines hillclimb. It is evident this vehicle has had very little use since being sold by the factory, and apart from the ex-works race-used replacement engine, the car remains one of the most original specification (most major components bear original stamping numbers and virtually all bodywork is reported as authentic) examples of the more desirable 1934 configuration cars.
It is superbly presented and has recently been checked over by the renowned restoration expert Tony Merrick. Upon a recent test it ran and performed beautifully, and would appear to be ready for a renaissance in historic racing circles and is also eminently eligible for the Shell Ferrari Challenge series. To our knowledge, it is ten years since the last Alfa Romeo P3 was available at auction (Christie's Monaco 1989) when one of these great cars achieved $3.3 million. They are hugely important in the history of Alfa Romeo/Scuderia Ferrari racing cars and still rate as one of the most desirable of all pre-war racing cars. Chassis No. 50001 is one of only 12 P3s known to exist and most importantly it is one of the desirable second Series 2a 2.9 litre cars, with a continous and unblemished history. We are pleased and privileged to be able to offer this remarkable and historic car for sale today.