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{{Short description|1932 Grand Prix car}}
{| class="toccolours" style="float:right; margin-left:1em; width:30em20em; font-size:90%; text-align:left;"
|+ style="font-size: larger; margin: inherit;" | '''Alfa Romeo P3'''
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
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|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Team/s
| 1932 -1932– [[Alfa Corse]]<br />1933/1935 - [[Scuderia Ferrari]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Designer
| [[Vittorio Jano]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Predecessor
| [[Alfa Romeo Tipo A]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Successor
| [[Alfa Romeo 8C#1935 Monoposto 8C 35 Type C|1935 Monoposto 8C 35 Type C]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Drivers
| 1932 + [[Tazio Nuvolari]], [[Rudolf Caracciola]], [[Giuseppe Campari]], [[Baconin Borzacchini]] <br />1933 + [[Louis Chiron]], [[Luigi Fagioli]], [[Giuseppe Campari]] <br />1934 + [[Achille Varzi]], [[Louis Chiron]], [[Guy Moll]], [[Brian E. Lewis]], [[Carlo Felice Trossi]], [[Gianfranco Comotti]] <br />1935 + [[Tazio Nuvolari]], [[Raymond Sommer]], [[Louis Chiron]], [[Comte George Raphaël Béthenod de Montbressieux|Comte George de Montbressieux]], [[ShuttleworthRichard CollectionOrmonde Shuttleworth|Richard Shuttleworth]], [[René Dreyfus]], [[Vittorio Belmondo]], [[Mario Tadini]], [[Antonio Brivio]], [[Guido Barbieri]], [[Pietro Ghersi]], [[Renato Balestrero]], <br />1936 + [[Raymond Sommer]], [[Charles Edward Capel Martin|"Charlie" Martin]], [[Comte José María de Villapadierna]], [[Giovanni Battaglia]], [[Clemente Biondetti]], [[Austin Dobson]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Chassis
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! Suspension (front)
| Semi elliptic leaf springs, friction dampers<br />1935 independent [[Dubonnet suspension|Dubonnet system]] with trailing links
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Suspension (rear)
| Semi elliptic leaf springs, friction dampers<br />1935 reversed quarter elliptic leaf springs
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Engine
| Front mounted, Alfa Romeo,<br />[[Straight-8]] (two straight 4 blocks),<br />[[Roots type supercharger|Twin Roots]] [[Supercharged|Superchargers]]<br />
1932 - 2654&nbsp;cc, (65x100mm)<br />
1934 - 2905&nbsp;cc, (68x100mm)<br />
1935 - 3165&nbsp;cc, bored out for German Grand Prix
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Gearbox
| Alfa Romeo 4-speed [[Manual transmission|manual]]<br />c.1934 Alfa Romeo 3-speed manual
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
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! Tyres
| 1932 -1932– [[Dunlop Tyres|Dunlop]]<br />1933/35 - [[Englebert (tyre manufacturer)|Englebert]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Debut
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|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Race victories
| 46<br />1932 [[Italian Grand Prix]], Tazio Nuvolari<br />1932 [[French Grand Prix]], Tazio Nuvolari<br />1932 [[German Grand Prix]], Rudolf Caracciola<br />1932 [[Coppa Ciano]], Tazio Nuvolari<br />1932 [[Coppa Acerbo]], Tazio Nuvolari<br />1932 [[Monza Grand Prix]], Rudolf Caracciola<br />1933 [[Coppa Acerbo]], Luigi Fagioli, <br />1933 [[Grand Prix du Comminges]], Luigi Fagioli<br />1933 [[Marseille Grand Prix]], Louis Chiron, <br />1933 [[Italian Grand Prix]], Luigi Fagioli<br />1933 [[Masaryk Circuit]], Louis Chiron<br />1933 [[Spanish Grand Prix]], Louis Chiron<br />1934 [[Monaco Grand Prix]], [[Guy Moll]], <br />1934 [[Alessandria Grand Prix]], [[Achille Varzi]],<br />1934 [[Tripoli Grand Prix]], Achille Varzi,<br />1934 [[Moroccan Grand Prix|Casablanca Grand Prix]], Louis Chiron,<br />1934 [[Targa Florio]], Achille Varzi, <br />1934 [[Avus|Internationale Avus Rennen]], Guy Moll,<br />1934 [[Mannin Moar]], Hon. Brian Lewis <br />1934 [[Montreux Grand Prix]], Comte Trossi <br />1934 [[Penya Rhin GP]], Achille Varzi, <br />1934 [[French Grand Prix|Grand Prix de France]], Louis Chiron,<br />1934 [[Grand Prix de la Marne]], Louis Chiron <br />1934 [[Grand Prix de Vichy (motor race)|GP de Vichy]], Comte Carlo Trossi,<br />1934 [[German Grand Prix]], Tazio Nuvolari <br />1934 [[Coppa Ciano]], Achille Varzi, <br />1934 [[Grand Prix de Nice]], Achille Varzi, <br />1934 [[Grand Prix du Comminges|GP du Comminges]], [[Gianfranco Comotti]], <br />1934 [[Circuito di Biella]], Comte Trossi,<br />1935 [[Pau Grand Prix|Grand Prix du Pau]], Tazio Nuvolari<br />1935 [[Bergamo Circuit]], Tazio Nuvolari<br />1935 [[French Grand Prix|GP de France]], Raymond Sommer<br />1935 [[Biella Circuit]], Tazio Nuvolari<br />1935 [[Lorraine GP]], Louis Chiron<br />1935 [[Grand Prix de la Marne|Marne GP]], René Dreyfus<br />1935 [[Dieppe GP]], René Dreyfus<br />1935 [[Varese Circuit]], Vittorio Belmondo<br />1935 [[German GPGrand Prix]], Tazio Nuvolari<br />1935 [[Grand Prix du Comminges|GP du Comminges]], Raymond Sommer<br />1935 [[Coppa Ciano]], Tazio Nuvolari<br />1935 [[Nice GP]], Tazio Nuvolari<br />1935 [[Coppa Ciano|Coppa Edda Ciano]], Mario Tadini<br />1935 [[Donington Park|Donington GP]], Richard Shuttleworth<br />1935 [[Coppa della Sila]], Antonio Brivio<br />1935 [[Brooklands#BrooklandsThe Mountain Circuit|Brooklands Mountain Circuit]] Championship, Richard Shuttleworth<br>
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! Last season
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|}
 
The '''Alfa Romeo P3''', '''P3 [[monoposto]]''' or '''Tipo B''' was a classic Grand Prix car designed by [[Vittorio Jano]], one of the [[Alfa Romeo 8C]] models. The P3 wasis considered to be the world's first genuine single-seat Grand Prix racing car<ref name="ddavid.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/alfap3.htm|title=Alfa Romeo P3|accessdateaccess-date=2007-09-04|work=ddavid.com| archiveurlarchive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070913053208/http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/alfap3.htm| archivedatearchive-date= 13 September 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurlurl-status= nolive}}</ref> and was Alfa Romeo's second [[Open wheel car|monoposto]] after the Tipo A monoposto (1931).<ref name="ultimatecarpage.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/3192/Alfa-Romeo-Tipo-A-Monoposto.html|title=Alfa Romeo Tipo A Monoposto|accessdateaccess-date=2007-09-04|work=ultimatecarpage.com| archiveurlarchive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083322/http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/3192/Alfa-Romeo-Tipo-A-Monoposto.html| archivedatearchive-date= 29 September 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurlurl-status= nolive}}</ref> It was based on the earlier successful [[Alfa Romeo P2]]. Taking lessons learned from that car, Jano went back to the drawing board to design a car that could last longer race distances.

==Description==
[[File:2009-08-15 Monterrey Alfa P3 5006 Giddings.webm|thumb|left|1932 Alfa Romep P3 s/n 5006 at Laguna Seca in 2009.]]
The P3 was the first genuine single seater racing car, and was powered by a supercharged eight-cylinder engine. The car was very light for the period, weighing just over 1,500&nbsp;lb (680&nbsp;kg) despite using a cast iron engine block.
 
The P3 was introduced in June,Introduced halfway through the European [[1932 Grand Prix season]] in EuropeJune, winningthe P3 won its first race at the hands of [[Tazio Nuvolari]], and goingwent on to win 6 races in total in that year, driven by both Nuvolari and [[Rudolf Caracciola]],. These victories includingincluded all 3three major Grands Prix in Italy, France and Germany.
 
The [[1933 Grand Prix season]] brought financial difficulties to Alfa Corse, so the cars were simply locked away and Alfa attemptedintended to rest on their laurels. Enzo Ferrari had to run his breakaway 'works' Alfa team as Scuderia Ferrari, using the older, less effective Alfa Monzas. Alfa procrastinated until August and missed the first 25 events, and only after much wrangling was the P3 finally handed over to [[Scuderia Ferrari]]. P3s then won six of the final 11 events of the season including the final 2 major Grands Prix in Italy and Spain.
 
The regulations for the [[1934 Grand Prix season]] brought larger bodywork requirements, so to counteract this, the engine was bored out to 2.9 litres. Louis Chiron won the French Grand Prix at Montlhery, whilst the German [[Silver Arrows]] dominated the other four rounds of the European Championship. However, the P3s won 18 of all the 35 Grands Prix held throughout Europe.
The P3 was introduced in June, halfway through the [[1932 Grand Prix season]] in Europe, winning its first race at the hands of [[Tazio Nuvolari]], and going on to win 6 races that year driven by both Nuvolari and [[Rudolf Caracciola]], including all 3 major Grands Prix in Italy, France and Germany.
 
By the [[1935 Grand Prix season]] the P3 was hopelessly uncompetitive against the superior German cars in 6 rounds of the European Championship, but that didn't stop one final, legendary works victory. The P3 was bored out to 3.2 litres for Nuvolari for the [[1935 German Grand Prix]] at the [[Nürburgring]], in the heartland of the [[Mercedes-Benz in motorsport|Mercedes]] and [[Auto-Union]] empire. In the race, Nuvolari punctured a tyre early on while leading, but after thehis next pitstop he carved back through the field until the last lap when [[Manfred von Brauchitsch]], driving the farmore superiorpowerful Mercedes Benz W25, suffered a puncture, leaving Nuvolari to win the race in front of 300,000 stunned Germans.
The [[1933 Grand Prix season]] brought financial difficulties to Alfa Corse so the cars were simply locked away and Alfa attempted to rest on their laurels. Enzo Ferrari had to run his breakaway 'works' Alfa team as Scuderia Ferrari, using the older, less effective Alfa Monzas. Alfa procrastinated until August and missed the first 25 events, and only after much wrangling was the P3 finally handed over to [[Scuderia Ferrari]]. P3s then won six of the final 11 events of the season including the final 2 major Grands Prix in Italy and Spain.
 
The P3's agility and versatility enabled it to win 16 of the 39 Grands Prix in 1935., The P3 had earnedcementing its placestatus as a truly great racing car.
The regulations for the [[1934 Grand Prix season]] brought larger bodywork requirements, so to counteract this the engine was bored out to 2.9 litres. Louis Chiron won the French Grand Prix at Montlhery, whilst the German [[Silver Arrows]] dominated the other four rounds of the European Championship. However the P3s won 18 of all the 35 Grands Prix held throughout Europe.
 
By the [[1935 Grand Prix season]] the P3 was hopelessly uncompetitive against the superior German cars in 6 rounds of the European Championship, but that didn't stop one final, legendary works victory. The P3 was bored out to 3.2 litres for Nuvolari for the [[1935 German Grand Prix]] at the [[Nürburgring]], in the heartland of the [[Mercedes-Benz in motorsport|Mercedes]] and [[Auto-Union]] empire. In the race, Nuvolari punctured a tyre early on while leading, but after the pitstop he carved through the field until the last lap when [[Manfred von Brauchitsch]], driving the far superior Mercedes Benz W25 suffered a puncture, leaving Nuvolari to win the race in front of 300,000 stunned Germans.
 
==Technical data==
The P3's agility and versatility enabled it to win 16 of the 39 Grands Prix in 1935. The P3 had earned its place as a truly great racing car.
 
{| class="prettytable"
|----- bgcolor="#DDDDDD"
! width="19%"|Technical data
! width="27%"|1932
! width="27%"|1934
! width="27%"|1935
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Engine:&nbsp; || colspan="3" align="center" |[[Front engine|Front mounted]] 8-cylinder [[Straight engine|in-line engine]]
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|[[Engine displacement|displacement]]:&nbsp; || align="center" |2654 cm³|| align="center"|2905 cm³|| align="center"|3822 cm³
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Bore x stroke:&nbsp; || align="center" |65 x 100mm|| align="center"|68 x 100mm|| align="center"|78 x 100 mm
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Max power:&nbsp; || align="center" |215 hp|| align="center"|255 hp|| align="center"|330 hp
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Valve control:&nbsp; || colspan="3" align="center" |2 overhead [[Camshaft|camshafts]], 2 [[Multi-valve|valves]] per cylinder
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|[[Upload]]:&nbsp; || colspan="3" align="center" |2 [[Roots-type supercharger|Roots compressor]]s
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|[[Gearbox]]:&nbsp; || align="center" |4-speed manual|| colspan="2" align="center" |3-speed manual
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|[[Car suspension|suspension]] front:&nbsp; || colspan="2" align="center" |[[Beam axle|Stiff front axle]]|| align="center" |Individual, type Dubonnet
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Front suspension:&nbsp; || colspan="2" align="center" |Longitudinal leaf springs|| align="center" |Coil springs
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|[[Car suspension|suspension]] rear:&nbsp; || colspan="3" align="center" |[[Beam axle|Stiff rear axle]]
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Rear suspension:&nbsp; || colspan="2" align="center" |Longitudinal leaf springs|| align="center" |Cantilever Suspension
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|[[Brake]]s:&nbsp; || colspan="3" align="center" |Hydraulic drum brakes
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|[[Wheelbase]]:&nbsp; || colspan="2" align="center" |264 cm|| align="center"|267 cm
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|[[Dry weight]]:&nbsp; || colspan="3" align="center" |About 700 kg
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|Top speed:&nbsp; || align="center" |230 km/h|| align="center"|? km/h|| align="center"|? km/h
|----- bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
|}
 
== Drivers==
* '''1932:''' [[Tazio Nuvolari]], [[Rudolf Caracciola]], [[Giuseppe Campari]], [[Baconin Borzacchini]]
* '''1933:''' [[Louis Chiron]], [[Luigi Fagioli]], [[Giuseppe Campari]]
* '''1934:''' [[Achille Varzi]], [[Louis Chiron]], [[Guy Moll]], [[Brian E. Lewis]], [[Carlo Felice Trossi]], [[Gianfranco Comotti]]
* '''1935:''' [[Tazio Nuvolari]], [[Raymond Sommer]], [[Louis Chiron]], [[Comte George de Montbressieux]], [[Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth|Richard Shuttleworth]], [[René Dreyfus]], [[Vittorio Belmondo]], [[Mario Tadini]], [[Antonio Brivio]], [[Guido Barbieri]], [[Pietro Ghersi]], [[Renato Balestrero]]
* '''1936:''' [[Raymond Sommer]], [["Charlie" Martin]], [[José Padierna de Villapadierna]], [[Giovanni Battaglia]], [[Clemente Biondetti]], [[Austin Dobson]]
 
<gallery widths="250px" heights="180px" perrow="32">
Alfa Romeo P3, Bj 1932, de Cadenet - 1977-08-14 B.jpg|[[Alain de Cadenet]] with Alfa Romeo P3.
Alfa P3 B.jpg|Engine of the Alfa P3 Tipo B - Note the twin gear driven superchargers.
File:Car Musée Enzo Ferrari 0054.JPG|The Tipo B Aerodinamica variant with [[Guy Moll]] won the [[AVUS|Avus]] G.P.GP in 1934.
File:Car Musée Enzo Ferrari 0057.JPG|The Tipo B Aerodinamica in Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena.
Goodwood FoS 2011 2.JPG|1932 Tipo B Don Lee Special in Goodwood FoS 2011
Tazio Nuvolari passing at the 1935 Grand Prix de Pau.jpg|Tazio Nuvolari passing at the 1935 [[Grand Prix de Pau]].
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== Notes ==
{{reflistReflist}}
 
==References==
*[http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/rcg.htm Profile of P3 at Grand Prix History]
*[http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/ The Golden Age by Leif Snellman] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103000034/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/ |date=2019-01-03 }}
 
==External links==
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[[Category:Alfa Romeo racing cars|P3 1932-35 Grand Prix racer]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1932]]
[[Category:1930s automobilescars]]
 
[[de:Alfa Romeo P1/P2/P3]]