I am proud to present to you the 1929 Alphi T10 Grand Prix car. This is a unique racing car because only one example of it was built and still exists. The Alphi was a very advanced design for its time, and due to its high development and construction cost made it three times more expensive than a Bugatti T35 in 1929.

But let’s start with a bit of history about the Alphi brand. A.L.P.H.I. is actually an abbreviation referring to the founders : Automobiles du Luart, Poniatowski, Hougardy, Ingénieurs. They wanted to build very exclusive custom-made cars for wealthy car enthusiasts in their studios in Paris - a bit like haute couture for cars.
To create name recognition, the first Alphi was built in 1928 and entered for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in that same year. The car was fitted with a CIME 1.5-litre six-cylinder engine producing around 50 hp. Unfortunately, they had to retire after 44 laps, and this Le Mans car immediately disappeared and was never seen again. Meanwhile, plans were forged to build a real Grand Prix car, to compete in the 1929 Grand Prix of France. Thus was born this T10 Grand Prix, about which more later. The first car for the road was then finished in 1930. This was a 4-seater convertible with very elegant bodywork and fitted with an American Continental six-cylinder engine of 2600 ccm. This Alphi No. 3 was also discovered by Serge Pozzoli in 1959 and ended up in his impressive collection. Finally, a fourth car was made, a large four-seater convertible in the style of the Blower Bentleys, and equipped with a large 5.0-litre eight-cylinder engine - also from Continental. No trace of this car has been found either. This fourth car was also the immediate end of the Alphi brand, as the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent financial crisis minimised the target market for these custom-made and extremely expensive cars, and production stopped here with a total of four cars built.

This brings us back to Serge Pozzoli, arguably the most legendary French collector and also owner of “Musée du Gérier” and founder of the magazine “L’album du fanatique de l’automobile” (which proudly featured this Alphi T10 Grand Prix on the front page of its first issue). Serge Pozzoli sees the Alphi T10 for sale for the first time in 1931 at the Porte de Vincennes in Paris, but at the time does not have the financial means to buy the car he has fallen so much in love with. After the war in 1947, he sees the car for sale again and just misses it which caused a lot of frustration. In 1961, however, he is tipped off by a friend that the car is in a garage in St.Brieuc. He finally manages to buy the Alphi, and brings it back to full working order. The car ends up in the Musée du Gérier, and remains Serge Pozzoli's favourite car until his death in 1992. In 1994, the entire collection was auctioned by Artcurial, and the Alphi entered several important collections.

We then came across the car several years ago as a static museum piece. The engine was not working, the brakes were stuck and the clutch had been disassembled. As this is a historically very important car, we then embarked on an almost three-year technical overhaul, with engine and Cozette compressor completely overhauled. A custom-made clutch was also built and the driving part was seriously taken care of. The Alphi is now back fully drivable, and what a thrill it is ! The six-cylinder makes a magnificent sound, and thanks to the newly-built Cozette compressor the CIME engine delivers around 75 bhp which is pretty impressive for a car nearly 100 years old. The Alphi has superb handling and drives very stable - even at higher speeds. The suspension is also very sophisticated with leaf springs in the front which are integrated in the chassis instead of underneath. This ensures a very low centre of gravity and thus great roadholding. The large brakes provide good braking power, and the steering is precise and direct.

The Alphi T10 Grand Prix was a progressive car for its time, and still looks reasonably sophisticated even today. The car’s construction had high-tech solutions at the time, and it is therefore a great pity that the constructor never had the opportunities to further improve this sensational design.

The car is very well documented with period pictures and articles, and also the sought after magazines “Le fanatique de l’automobile” are present (including the No.1 issue with this Alphi in the front page). All restoration invoices are in the file, and a list of all previous owners. The Alphi comes with a French “carte grise” and FIVA passport. This is a true collector’s item and the perfect candidate to take part in the most prestigious events in the world such as Concorso Villa d’Este, Chantilly Arts & Elegance or Pebble Beach Concours. Also a return to the racetrack is not out of the question for this technically highly advanced Grand Prix car.

It’s a phrase which is often used in a wrong context, but in this case it really is a unique opportunity for both a museum and collector to acquire this glorious one-off as an important addition to the collection. This was not the favourite car of the late Serge Pozzoli for nothing…..