Makes › Alfa Romeo › Disco Volante Coupé by Touring · Coachbuilt One-off
Alfa Romeo
Disco Volante Coupé by Touring
Touring Superleggera rebodied 8C Competizione.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 1 Built
- Years
- Not yet verified
- Engine
- Inline-4, front, longitudinal, light-alloy block and head · 1,997.4 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,997.4 cc
- Power
- 116 kW / 158 PSFactory: 158 PS
- Top speed
- 220 km/hFactory: 220 km/h
- Designer
- Carrozzeria Touring
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 1 (independently researched)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The 1900 C52 "Disco Volante" was Alfa Romeo's 1952 sports-racing prototype, styled by Touring around a lightweight tubular chassis and 2-litre twin-cam engine. Its saucer-shaped, wind-tunnel-tested body gave it the nickname "Flying Saucer", and a coupé was one of the five cars built.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionCoupe among the five Disco Volante cars listed by the museum (1 Spider, 1 Coupe, 1 "Fianchi Spessi", 2 Spiders on the 6C 3000) | 11,2Strongest evidence | Factory production | Factory reported |
| Total model productionall Disco Volante cars made (Spider, Coupé, narrow-side version and two Spiders with 6C 3000 mechanics); the Touring Coupé is one of them | 54 | Manufacturer reported | Factory reported |
| Total model productionChassis 1359.00003, the berlinetta rebuild, is at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo in Arese | 13 | Surviving examples | Independently researched |
1 counts the Touring Coupé alone; 5 counts every Disco Volante built.
1 counts the Touring Coupé alone; 5 counts every Disco Volante built.
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Alfa Romeo left Formula 1 after 1951 and planned a sports-car programme around a car loosely based on the 1900. The C52 was developed with Gioacchino Colombo and Touring, and was unveiled at the New York show in spring 1952, partly because the US importer Max Hoffman wanted small-series versions. Racing was not a success: the cars suffered high-speed instability and the Le Mans effort was abandoned.
One car, chassis 1359.00003, started as a Disco Volante spider and was rebuilt as a berlinetta with a fastback cabin, shown at the Turin show in April 1953. It stayed with Alfa Romeo and is displayed at the museum at Arese.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Disco Volante Coupé by Touring.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Inline-4, front, longitudinal, light-alloy block and head4 |
| Cylinders | 41Value from the museum page for the C52 Disco Volante Barchetta; the coupé is not listed separately. |
| Displacement | 1,997.4 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,997.4 cc1Value from the museum page for the C52 Disco Volante Barchetta; the coupé is not listed separately. |
| Bore | 85 mmFactory: 85 mm1Value from the museum page for the C52 Disco Volante Barchetta; the coupé is not listed separately. |
| Stroke | 88 mmFactory: 88 mm1Value from the museum page for the C52 Disco Volante Barchetta; the coupé is not listed separately. |
| Compression ratio | 8.7:14Raised from 7.7:1 on the 1900 Sprint engine. |
| Valvetrain | DOHC, two valves per cylinder, chain and gear driven camshafts5 |
| Fuel system | Two double-barrel carburettors4 |
| Power | 116 kW / 158 PSFactory: 158 PS1Rating: manufacturerValue from the museum page for the C52 Disco Volante Barchetta; the coupé is not listed separately. Stated as CV. |
| Power at | 6,500 rpm1Value from the museum page for the C52 Disco Volante Barchetta; the coupé is not listed separately. |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | 44 |
| Driven wheels | Rear4 |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Tubular steel spaceframe4 |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Independent, transverse quadrilateral, coil springs and hydraulic shock absorbers4 |
| Rear suspension | Rigid axle with upper triangle and lower struts, coil springs4 |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | 2,220 mmFactory: 2,220 mm6 Independently researchedC52 four-cylinder chassis. |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | 735 kgFactory: 735 kg4Heritage gives this for the Spider. |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 220 km/hFactory: 220 km/h4"in excess of 220 km/h". |
|---|---|
| 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 cars use a tubular spaceframe with a 2,220 mm wheelbase and a 1,997 cc light-alloy twin-cam four. Chassis numbers carry the 1359 series, as in 1359.00003, the car rebuilt as a berlinetta with wraparound screen and sliding windows.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
1900 C52 Disco Volante Level A Museo Storico Alfa Romeo
- 5 (1 Spider + 1 Coupé + 1 "Fianchi Spessi" + 2 Spider 6C 3000)
- 4 cilindri in linea (Dettagli vettura)
- 1997,4 cc (85x88 mm) (Dettagli vettura)
- 158 CV a 6500 giri/min. (Dettagli vettura)
-
2
Alfa Romeo Disco Volante Coupé by Touring – carrozzieri-italiani.com – Italian coachbuilder car database Level C
- 8 Disco Volante coupés
-
3
Alfa Romeo C52 chassis 1359.00003 Level B Supercar Nostalgia
- Chassis 00003 was retained by Alfa Romeo and remains on display
-
4
Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 Disco Volante Level A Stellantis Heritage
- Only five were made in total
- Inline-4, anterior, longitudinal, DOHC
- compression ratio from 7.7 to 8.7:1
- two double-barrel carburettors
- four-speed gearbox
- rear-wheel drive
- tubular steel chassis with side rails
- Independent quadrilateral transversal front suspension
- rigid rear axle with upper triangle and lower struts
- just 735 kilograms of weight
- top speed in excess of 220 km/h
-
5
1900 C52 "Disco Volante" Coupè - 1952 Level A Museo Storico Alfa Romeo
- 2 overhead camshafts with chain and gear control, 2 valves per cylinder
-
6
Guide: Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante Level B Supercar Nostalgia
- spaceframe chassis with a 2220mm wheelbase
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