Ferrari makes its own cars under its own name for both road and race, and has for nearly 70 years now. But that wasn’t always the case. The Scuderia actually started out campaigning Alfa Romeos before the Second World War, and now one of those racers is going up for auction.

The model you see here is a 1934 Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3, “rated by many,” according to RM Sotheby’s, “as the most beautiful and effective racing car of its era.”

This particular example is the second of only nine examples made in the Second Series, made to comply with revised regulations. It was one of the first single-seaters after grand-prix racing did away with the old ride-on mechanics.

Designed by the legendary Vittorio Jano, it packs a 2.9-liter twin-supercharged inline-eight engine. And this example features a rare IFS Dubonnet front axle and reversed-quarter-elliptic rear springs.

It’s been over a decade since one of these sought-after Alfas came up for auction, and RM Sotheby’s estimates it will fetch between €3.6 and 4.6 million when the gavel drops at Place Vauban in Paris during Rétromobile early next February.

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