The Concorso di Eleganza di Villa d’Este, is the prestigious event that for years has been honouring the world’s finest historic vehicles, in addition to bestowing awards on the most appealing prototypes through a public referendum in the Villa’s gardens.
And in the “Concept Cars & Prototypes” class the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante by Touring distinguished itself this year. This two-seater coupé was crafted by the Milanese atelier on the base of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and shares its chassis and engine.
The alluring car blends aesthetic quality, sporty highlights and the search for the essential, as well as employing cutting-edge materials (carbon fibre and aluminium) for minimal weight. Each example requires more than 4000 hours of highly qualified labour, and is built only on request: car number 01 was on show at the Concorso. Another two will shortly be completed.
The car pays homage to the Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 “Disco Volante”, a coupé with unique characteristics that sees its 60th anniversary this year. Designed by Carrozzeria Touring in 1952, the C52 boasted the characteristics of extremely light weight and aerodynamic efficiency, making a great impact in the collective imagination and earning itself the nickname of ‘Disco Volante’ (Flying Saucer). It immediately became an icon of automotive design.
The backbone of the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante by Touring is the chassis of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, selected for its light, rigid structure, perfect as the basis for redesigning a high-performance car. In detail, the architecture features a mid-front engine, transaxle gearbox and rear-wheel drive: this layout offers an optimal 49-51% load distribution between the front and rear ends. It features double-wishbone suspension, with forged aluminium uprights and supports and additional strut at the rear for toe-in control.
The compact, light engine is a 450 HP, 4.7-litre V8 with 480 Nm of maximum torque. The gearbox is electrically operated with 6 speeds and paddle control, while the limited-slip differential and self-ventilating brakes are marked by their generous dimensions. With this equipment, the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante by Touring accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds and reaches 180 mph.
This is the second time in a row that Alfa Romeo has earned the prestigious ‘Design Award for Concept Cars & Prototypes’ from the Concorso di Eleganza di Villa d’Este: in the 2012 edition, the public bestowed the accolade on the Alfa Romeo 4C, the compact supercar born from the brand’s experience with the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and the 8C Spider.
