Alfa Morning

Alfa Morning

Designed by Italian engineer Vittorio Jano the Alfa Romeo P3 was introduced during the 1932 European Grand Prix season. Ace driver Tazio Nuvolari won on the cars debut and another 6 races including the Italian, French and German Grand Prix. In 1933 Alfa Corse was in financial difficulties and the P3 put into storage. Enzo Ferrari had established Scuderia Ferrari and was in-effect the Alfa Romeo works team. The Scuderia was making do with the Alfa Monzas and in August of that year that the factory P3 were released to Ferrari. The Scuderia won the Italian and Spanish Grand Prix and multiple smaller events.

The Nazi backed German teams became the dominate force for the major European Championship races in 1934, but the Alfa P3 was successful in the many smaller events. The German teams were again dominate in 1935 as the P3 became increasingly uncompetitive. Scuderia Ferrari increased the engine displacement for Nuvolars entry in the German Grand Prix. The 1935 German race has gone down as one of the most epic in Grand Prix history. Nuvolari driving the P3 suffered a fire failure early in the race and after a pitstop the inspired Italian completed the drive of the ages to regain second place. Manfred von Brauchitsch was driving a Mercedes-Benz W25 comfortably in the lead until he too suffered a puncture and Nuvolari took the victory in front of 300,000 stunned Germans. The Nazi propaganda machine was prepared to promote another brilliant German victory and legend has it the organizers did not have a recording of the Italian national anthem to play. Ever resourceful, the winning Italian driver produced a copy for the organizers to play.

Alfa Morning was shot the morning of the 1985 Pebble Beach Concours de Elegance. I arrived early and was walking across the polo field and the Alfa P3 was sitting alone. With the worn fence and trees the setting is timeless.