Pete05
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- Melbourne, Australia
Vittorio Jano designed many noteworthy cars but none of them is as famous as the Tipo B, I unofficially known as the P3.
The P3 was designed for the 1932 GP Formula and it embodied many features also found on the versatile Monza designed by Jano in 1931. Another name for the P3 was 'Monoposto', Italian for single seater, as it was the first single seater racer in regular GP use.
Even though there was no engine capacity limit, Jano opted for the 2.6 litre engine while their closest rivals, Maserati, already deployed a 2.8 litre engine in the 1931 season. The straight 8 cylinder engine was helped by two Roots-Type Superchargers mounted on each side of the drive. The final drive featured Jano's 'bifurcated' drive, which transmitted the power from a differential mounted centrally right behind the gearbox to each rear wheel individually through two propellor shafts in a triangular shape. The two propellor shafts ran on either side of the seat allowing the driver to sit lower in the chassis. The advantages were a lower unsprung weight as there was no need for a heavy differential and easier access to change the final drive ratio.
Nothing could match it in the 1932 season with with the two highly talented drivers Tazio Nuvolari and Rudolf Caraciola winning almost everywhere Jano's cars were entered. Internal economic difficulties saw the P3s grounded for the first half of the 1933 season, but they were released to Scuderia Ferrari in time to see Luigi Fagioli and Louis Chiron score three victories each. The 1934 season saw the introduction of the 750kg Formula, this meant Jano had to modify the P3s. The 1934 P3 had a wider body and used a larger 2905cc engine. Most of the 1932 cars were converted to 1934 spec as well. The modifications resulted in a 1-2-3 finish in the opening round, the French GP. This was to be the last dominating victory for the P3 as the German cars proved far more powerful and found reliability as well. When the German cars were absent, the Alfas did manage to win, scoring 8 victories in 1934 including the defeat of the Auto Union at Avus with a special streamline bodied P3.
The P3 was further updated for the 1935 season with an even larger engine (3165cc), but the P3 was no match anymore for the Nazi backed Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz teams. Except for that unforgettable July afternoon on the Nurburgring, possibly the most famous of all GPs ever. A crowd of almost 300,000 had gathered to see one of the two German cars win and a total of 9 Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz started the race. Nuvolari however had other plans and found himself in second place on the 14th lap, 88 seconds behind the leading Mercedes-Benz of Manfred Von Brauchitsch. Six laps later he had closed the gap to 35 seconds, it was the final lap. Von Brauchitsch tyres were in very poor condition and finally gave up in the Karousel section of the track, he managed to limp home to finish fifth. This left Nuvolari to score one of the very best victories in his career as he managed to beat 8 German cars in front of a crowd of Nazi officials. It was a suitable climax of the career of one of the greatest racing cars ever, Jano's capolavoro (masterpiece).
Produced from: 1932-1935
Numbers built: 15
Predecessor: Alfa Romeo Tipo A Monoposto
Successor: Alfa Romeo 8C 35
ENGINE
Configuration
Straight 8 cylinder
Location
Front, longitudinally mounted
Displacement
2654 cc / 162 cu in
3165 cc from 1935
Bore / Stroke
65 mm (2.6") / 100 mm (3.9")
71 mm from 1935
Compression
6.5:1
Valvetrain
2 valves per cylinder, DOHC
Fuel feed
2 x Memini Carburettors
Aspiration
Twin Roots-Type Superchargers
Power
215 BHP / 160 kW @ 5600 rpm
265 BHP / 194 kW @ 5400 rpm from 1935
DRIVETRAIN
Chassis
Body on ladder frame, pressed steel channel section side members, cross braced
Suspension (F/R)
Rigid axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, friction dampers
Steering
Worm-and-sector
Brakes
Drums, all-round
Gearbox
4 speed manual
DIMENSIONS
Weight
703 kg / 1549.8 lbs
Length
3840 mm (151.2")
Height
1165 mm (45.9")
Wheelbase
2642 mm (104")
Track (F/R)
1397 mm (55") / 1346 mm (53")
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z9024/Alfa-Romeo-Tipo-B-P3.aspx
http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/c1.htm
http://www.supercars.net/cars/37.html
http://www.finecars.cc/en/editorial/article/news/alfa-romeo-tipo-b-p3/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_P3
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