Alfa Romeo Disco Volante Touring Concept



The Disco Volante 2012 by Touring Superleggera, designed as a two-seater coupé with front-central engine and transaxle drivetrain, was presented at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in the form of a full scale style model. The car will be produced as a very limited series for discerning customers: collectors, sporting drivers and design aficionados with appreciation for a tailor-made car based on individual passion and taste.



There exist very few models that rouse fascination like the Alfa Romeo C52 'Disco Volante'. The briefing at Carrozzeria Touring in 1952 mentioned the need for a shape that was 'insensitive to wind'. The unique basic design, featuring an oval cross section, evolved in different versions, and was even registered as 'design patent'.


Using Alfa Romeo 1900 C elements, the car received a new aluminium crankcase, a new tubular chassis, and a very light, striking and efficient aluminium body.

Initially aimed at races in the Sport category, the C52 Disco Volante soon reached the status of design icon. It is one of the most important models in the history of Touring, so innovative that it influenced the automotive design for decades. It also is one of the best examples to illustrate the credo of Touring's founder Felice Bianchi Anderloni "Il peso è il nemico, la resistenza dell'aria è l'ostacolo" (weight is the enemy, air resistance the obstacle).

So significant is the Disco Volante in the history of automobile design, that Alfa Romeo has chosen this Touring design to celebrate its own 100th anniversary with a bronze sculpture now exhibited in Milan.


The light and compact V8 engine with 4.7 litre displacement delivers 450 PS and 470Nm peak torque. It is coupled to a 6-speed sequential transaxle gearbox with electronic control and paddle-shift gear selection. A limited slip differential and a state-of-the-art brake system with large diameter, ventilated discs complete the package to endorse precise, dynamic and proactive drive.

The Disco Volante 2012 is a tribute to the best Italian sports car philosophy: refined mechanics dressed with light and exciting bodywork.

The weight advantage of aluminium is one of the assets of Touring Superleggera's construction methods. However, carbon fibre is used for specific components such as bumpers and a number of substructures for further weight saving and strength gains.


The original 8C interior is basically maintained, but modified and upgraded according to the personal preferences and taste of the customer - as an exponent of Touring's automotive tailoring philosophy.