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Delivered new to Philippe Etancelin in February of 1936, this is the third of four V8RIs built. The French privateer racer immediately drove the car to a debut victory at the Pau Grand Prix. In the following months, he campaigned the machine, liveried in his national racing colours, in most of the major Grands Prix in Europe. For a variety of reasons, 'Phi-Phi' was forced to retire from each of them. In October he scored an eighth place finish in the Vanderbilt Cup near New York. Shortly after the car was sold to American Henry J. Topping Jnr. Converted to a two-seater, it was subsequently raced in the 1937 Indy 500 by Babe Stapp. He was forced to retire on lap 36 with a clutch failure after qualifying in a lowly 31st position.
In the following years the sophisticated machine was extensively raced on the dirt tracks in Oregon. It was rediscovered in the 1970s in a rather derelict state. Sharing so few parts with its Maserati contemporaries, the V8RI was quite a challenge to restore. Fortunately the effort was made and the rare car has been brought back to the configuration in which it won the 1936 Pau Grand Prix. Today the car is owned by a German collector and historic racer, who gives the V8-engined machine regulars outings.
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