Felice Bianchi Anderloni, the man who founded the Milan-based Carozzeria Touring, had once said that “Weight is the enemy, air is the obstacle”. With a brief to design a car that would be “insensitive to the wind”, Touring’s designers created the now famous, Alfa Romeo 1900-based C52 Disco Volante racing concept back in 1952.Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the impressive concept, Touring Superleggera unveiled the Disco Volante 2012 at the 82nd Geneva Motor Show which will be produced in a limited number.
It’s a two-seater coupe with a front-central (i.e. placed behind the front axle) engine and a transaxle drivetrain.The new Disco Volante features an integrated front bonnet and wings and a distinctive rear end, while at the same time borrowing some details from the 1952 original like the partly covered front wheels and the pronounced waistline.
Like its famous predecessor, the Disco Volante 2012 is based on an Alfa Romeo. In this case, the donor car is the 8C Competizione.
Alfa’s supercar provides the steel space-frame chassis, the front and rear double wishbone suspension and most importantly, the 4.7-liter, 450PS and 470Nm (346.6 lb-ft) V8 that powers the rear wheels via a six-speed semi-automatic transmission.
Despite the modern underpinnings, the use of CAD design for each new component and IT tools and simulation, the body is still made in the traditional way, with Touring’s craftsmen hand-beating the aluminum panels that consist most of the bodywork, bar the carbonfiber bumpers.
Due to the meticulous work and attention to detail, each Disco Volante 2012 takes more than 4,000 hours to be constructed and, thus, customers will receive their cars after an eight-month waiting period.
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