The Amazing Alfa Romeo C52 “Disco Volante”
The stunning Disco Volante from 1952 is one of the most photographed cars in Alfa Romeo’s museum. Seventy years after its construction, its voluptuous curves keep amazing and inspiring the public’s imagination. Here’s the story of the fabulous Alfa Romeo Disco Volante…
Published in
4 min readApr 15, 2022
Yet, for all the success it enjoyed as a design statement, this Alfa’s story is also one of wasted potential, as it never got the chance to fulfill its promise of racing victories. Here’s the story of the fabulous Alfa Romeo Disco Volante…
The year was 1952.
Alfa Romeo had just retired from Formula One after winning two world championships, and the firm’s transformation from boutique manufacturer to volume producer was underway thanks to the 1900 saloon.
However, some indecision lingered on whether Alfa could somehow stay involved in motorsport, leaving the door open for a prototype to compete in the two-liter sports car class using production components.
The Flying Saucer
The Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 “Disco Volante” was the brainchild of Gioacchino Colombo, the same man who, a few…
