Ferrari is now a household name as a luxurious and high performance carmaker, but for the brand to exist, we can thank Alfa Romeo. Founded by then-Alfa employee Enzo Ferrari in 1929, the Scuderia Ferrari team became the racing arm of Alfa Romeo in 1932 when the latter went through a financial difficulty. The Scuderia Ferrari team built and raced cars under the Alfa name until 1939. This explains why the 1934 Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3 being auctioned by Sotheby’s early next year features the prancing horse logo.
The P3 is an open-wheeled racer with a narrow centreline ‘slipper’ bodystyle, and is regarded as a key step in the design history for Grand Prix cars as it was one of the very first single-seaters. The model was launched in 1931 and came first at Monza and managed a 1-2-3 sweep in the French and German Grands Prix, while the exact unit being auctioned was one of nine Second Series cars created in 1934 due to a rule change.
With an estimated value of €3.6 million to €4.6 million, it will be an exciting auction when it goes under the hammer at Place Vauban in Paris on 8th February during the world-famous Rétromobile week. Other valuable vehicles being auctioned at the same event include a 1954 Osca MT4 1500 and a fully restored Ferrari Classiche-certified 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider.
