Alphi was a car manufacturer in France from 1929 to 1931. Only four cars were made. The name Alphi was short for Automobiles du Luart, Poniatowski, Hougardy, Ingėnieurs. The three engineers set up their business in the rue de l'Universitė in the

7th arrondissement of Paris The 7th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''le septième''. The arrondissement, ca ...

. The first two cars sat on a wheelbase and used a 6-cylinder side-valve 1485 cc C.I.M.E. engine. They came with a stylish racing body incorporating two seats, positioned side by side. One raced at the

1929 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1929 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 7th Grand Prix of Endurance that took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe on 15 and 16 June 1929. In the most dominant display in the race to date, Bentley achieved a comprehensive victory taking the first f ...

, driven by Sosthènes de La Rochefoucauld but it retired during its 45th lap and never returned to the Le Mans circuit. The other was

supercharged In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...

in anticipation for the 1929

French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...

(which that year was held at the Le Mans circuit on 30 June): however it was not ready in time for the race and did not participate. It was notably heavy for the available power. The other two were touring cars, powered by

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (al ...

engines, one a 2.6-litre 6-cylinder and the other a 5.0-litre 8-cylinder. They had an independent rear suspension with transverse rear axles, and rigid front axles. Only two Alphis were surviving as of 1968; the supercharged race car and the 6-cylinder touring car.

References

{{reflist *

Georgano, G.N. George Nicolas "Nick" Georgano (29 February 1932 – 22 October 2017Nick Georgano
Alvis Archive Bl ...

, "Alphi", in G.N. Georgano, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars 1885–1968 (New York: E.P. Dutton and Co., 1974), pp.37. Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Manufacturing companies based in Paris 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars