Makes › Alfa Romeo › C52 Disco Volante · Factory competition Ultra Rare

Alfa Romeo
C52 Disco Volante

Touring-bodied 1900-based sports racers (spider, coupé, fianchi stretti, 6C 3000 spiders).

5BuiltFactory reported

0Chassis documentedin this archive

?SurvivingNot yet verified

Contents

01Overview
02Production & history
03Specifications
- Technical specifications
04Colours & options
- Factory colours & interiors
- Factory options & codes
05Individual cars
06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built: 5 Built
Years: Not yet verified
Engine: Front-mounted longitudinal inline-four · 1,997.4 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,997.4 cc
Power: 116 kW / 158 PSFactory: 158 PS
Top speed: Not yet verified
Body: Not yet verified
Designer: Carrozzeria Touring
In this archive: Not yet verified
Surviving: Not yet verified

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

The C52 "Disco Volante" (flying saucer) is regarded as one of Alfa Romeo's most fantastical models. It was a publicity car for the 1900 range, built while the company was cutting back racing and shifting to mass production, and it reused the 1900 mechanical underpinnings under a radical low-drag aluminium body.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Model rarityUltra Rare 5 · Built^1,2

Specification rarityNot yet assessed

Colour rarityNot yet assessed

Individual rarityNot yet assessed

Historical rarityNot yet assessed

Survival rarityNot yet assessed

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante (Wikimedia Commons: Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante in the Musée National de l'Automobile)
Photo: Frank Weber from Kaiserslautern, Deutschland · CC BY-SA 2.0
Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante (Wikimedia Commons: Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante in the Musée National de l'Automobile)
Photo: Alan Raine from Cheshire · CC BY 2.0
Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante (Wikimedia Commons: Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante in the Musée National de l'Automobile)
Photo: Alan Raine from Cheshire · CC BY 2.0

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is counted	Figure	Basis	Status
Total model productionDisco Volante cars made in total	5^1,2	Factory production	Factory reported

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The C52 was introduced at the 1952 New York International Motor Sports Show and developed with Carrozzeria Touring, which supplied its Superleggera tubular construction and an aluminium body. RM Sotheby's says only three 1.9-litre examples were built; one was reworked to counter lift from the swollen fenders and became the "Fianchi Stretti" (narrow-hipped) car, chassis AR.1359.00002, now in the Schlumpf collection in France.

The museum lists five cars under the Disco Volante heading: one spider, one coupé, one "Fianchi Spessi" and two spiders on the 6C 3000 engine.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard C52 Disco Volante.

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine family	Not yet verified
Engine code	Not yet verified
Layout	Front-mounted longitudinal inline-four¹
Cylinders	4¹
Displacement	1,997.4 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,997.4 cc¹RM Sotheby's describes the originals as 1.9-litre and its recreation as a 1.6-litre twin-cam; the museum figure is used.
Bore	85 mmFactory: 85 mm¹
Stroke	88 mmFactory: 88 mm¹
Compression ratio	Not yet verified
Valvetrain	2 valves per cylinder, 2 overhead camshafts (chain and gear drive)¹
Fuel system	2 twin-choke carburettors¹
Power	116 kW / 158 PSFactory: 158 PS¹Rating: manufacturerStated as CV.
Power at	6,500 rpm¹
Torque	Not yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

Gearbox	Not yet verified
Gears	4¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.
Driven wheels	Rear¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.

Chassis, body & dimensions

Chassis	Tubular frame with side members¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.
Front suspension	Independent, transverse wishbones, coil springs, hydraulic dampers¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.
Rear suspension	Rigid axle, upper triangle, lower struts, coil springs, hydraulic dampers¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.
Brakes	Hydraulic drum brakes on all four wheels¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.
Steering	Not yet verified
Body construction	Barchetta body by Touring¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.
Wheelbase	2,200 mmFactory: 2,200 mm¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.
Length	3,950 mmFactory: 3,950 mm¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.
Width	1,780 mmFactory: 1,780 mm¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.
Height	1,064 mmFactory: 1,064 mm¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page.
Front track	Not yet verified
Rear track	Not yet verified
Kerb weight	735 kgFactory: 735 kg¹Museum values are given for the Barchetta (Touring) shown on the page. The museum does not say whether dry or kerb weight.
Dry weight	Not yet verified

Performance

Maximum speed	Not yet verified
0–100 km/h	Not yet verified
Fuel tank	Not yet verified

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The original narrow-hipped car is chassis AR.1359.00002, held in the Schlumpf collection at the French National Automobile Museum. RM Sotheby's describes it as the sole surviving example of that model and notes it carries later changes, such as turn indicators and a full aluminium dashboard, not present when Alfa Romeo owned it in October 1954. Recreations exist, for example the fifth car built in 2019 by OHA Automobili of Buenos Aires, with a tubular frame and hand-formed aluminium body.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1
1900 C52 Disco Volante Level A Museo Storico Alfa Romeo
- Vetture Prodotte 5 (1 Spider + 1 Coupé + 1 "Fianchi Spessi" + 2 Spider 6C 3000)
- Anteriore, longitudinale verticale, 4 cilindri in linea (Dettagli vettura)
- 4 cilindri in linea (Dettagli vettura)
- 1997,4 cc (85x88 mm) (Dettagli vettura)
- 2 alberi a camme in testa con comando a catena e ingranaggi (Dettagli vettura)
- 2 carburatori doppio corpo (Dettagli vettura)
- 158 CV a 6500 giri/min. (Dettagli vettura)
- 4 marce + RM (Dettagli vettura)
- Trazione posteriore (Dettagli vettura)
- tubolare con longheroni laterali (Dettagli vettura)
- ruote indipendenti, quadrilateri trasversali, molle elicoidali (Dettagli vettura)
- assale rigido, triangolo superiore, puntoni inferiori (Dettagli vettura)
- Idraulici, a tamburo sulle 4 ruote (Dettagli vettura)
- Barchetta (Touring) (Dettagli vettura)
- Passo: 2200 mm (Dettagli vettura)
- lunghezza: 3950 mm (Dettagli vettura)
- larghezza: 1780 mm (Dettagli vettura)
- altezza: 1064 mm (Dettagli vettura)
- Peso 735 kg (Dettagli vettura)
Accessed 2026-11-12
2
Alfa Romeo Disco Volante | Stellantis Heritage Level A
- 5 Disco Volante cars made in total
Accessed 2026-11-12

Research coverage

Production figures1 recorded

Technical data21 verified values

Factory coloursNot yet researched

Option codesNot yet researched

Chassis documented0 of 5

Photographs3

Shows what this archive has recorded so far – not how much of the history is known.

Editorial status

Reviewed · 2026-11-12

Revision history (2)

2026-11-12 Basic profile published from discovery research; production figure re-checked against its source page.
2026-11-12 Research gaps filled from sources (27 values).

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Alfa Romeo
C52 Disco Volante

At a glance

Why it matters

How rare is it?

Photos

Production

History

Variants