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This Blooming Rare Alfa Romeo 8C Disco Volante is For Sale
One of just 10 Alfa Romeo Disco Volantes is being offered up by an owner in Tokyo, Japan.
The 2018 model was built by Carozzeria Touring and is resplendent in Rosso paintwork to echo the original C52 Disco Volante of 1952.
Alfisti will remember that the C52 was the first Alfa Romeo to be built with a monocoque chassis, and powered by the 1900 Sprint engine that delivered 160 hp. Its slippery styling (Disco Volante means Flying Saucer in Italian) enabled it to reach a top speed of almost 140 mph. Only five were made, with one later re-bodied as a coupe, which became the inspiration for a new Disco Volante in 2012.
For that, Touring turned to the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, the glorious carbon fiber-bodied, Ferrari V-8-powered coupe that made its debut as a concept in 2003, before going on sale in 2006. 500 were made and Touring turned ten examples into new Disco Volantes.
Unlike the 8C, the Disco Volante’s bodywork was hand-beaten in aluminum, with a cabin re-trimmed in leather, aluminum and carbon. Touring’s handiwork saw the Disco Volante win a host of awards including 2016 Zoute Grand Prix Concours d’Elegance, Best of Show at the 2014 Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille Concours d’Etat, and the Design Award for Concept Cars & Prototypes by Public Referendum at the 2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
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It was some six years after the first Disco Volante was shown that this example was completed by Touring, using an 8C Competizione that already had 4000 miles on the clock. It became the C52 Special Edition, with tributes to the 1952 Disco Volante in the form of a cross motif over the grille, quadrifoglio logos, and even a brown-leather trimmed steering wheel to get the look of the original car’s wood-rimmed item.
On receiving the car from Touring, its Japanese owner proudly displayed it at the 2018 Concorso d’Eleganza in Kyoto and took part in the Japanese leg of the Gumball 3000 rally. Rarity didn’t deter the owner from driving the Disco Volante and the odometer now shows more than 7000 miles.
It’s for sale now by RM Sotheby’s Private Sales with price upon application.
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