ALFA ROMEO TIPO C Tazio Nuvolari’s epic drive in the 1935 German Grand Prix aside, by mid-year it was evident that Alfa Romeo’s illustrious, but aging, Tipo B model was in need of replacement; particularly so in the face of increasingly potent opposition from Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union.

Against this backdrop, Vittorio Jano set about the design of a new car—the Tipo C—which initially featured an enlarged 3.8-liter engine, fitted with a pair of superchargers each feeding a bank of four cylinders, mated to a rear-mounted transaxle, and housed in an all-new, independently-sprung chassis.

Dubbed the 8C 35, it debuted at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September 1935, with Nuvolari sharing Dreyfus’ car to finish an encouraging 2nd behind Hans Stuck’s Auto Union.

Informed opinion, led by marque historian Simon Moore in his book The Magnificent Monopostos , together with Luigi Fusi’s earlier writings, suggest that approximately a dozen Tipo C chassis were completed.

The same basic Tip...