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Geneva-bound Alfa Romeo Disco Volante 2012 by Touring

This teaser image previews the Disco Volante 2012, which will be fully revealed by Touring Superleggera at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. Based on the 8C Competizione’s mechanicals, the car will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1952 Alfa Romeo of the same name.

The original car inherited the Disco Volante name – which is Italian for ‘Flying Saucer’ – due to its space-age shape, which made it one of the most aerodynamic cars ever when launched in 1952. Now, a Milan-based coachbuilder has reimagined the legendary curves (which many believe inspired those of the Jaguar E-type) with a modern twist.

Fear not; Touring Superleggera (the company with which Alfa Romeo collaborated on the design of the original) hasn’t taken the meaning of the car’s name too literally – the sketch above simply hints at the basic forms of the car. The Geneva show car will actually be based on the space-frame underpinnings of an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.

The 4.7-litre V8 from the 8C is also retained, while the chassis is dressed in hand-beaten aluminium panels with carbonfibre elements. At last year’s Geneva show, the company performed a similar exercise by creating the Gumpert Tornante from the mechanical package of the madcap Apollo.

The car on display in Geneva will be a static model, but Touring Superleggera has confirmed that production of a limited number of coachbuilt examples has already been given the green light.

 


Photos: Touring Superleggera

You can find many classic Alfa Romeos for sale in the Classic Driver Market.