The Amazing Alfa Romeo Disco Volante

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The stunning Disco Volante from 1952 is one of the most photographed cars in Alfa Romeo's museum. Seventy years after its creation, its sheer flamboyance keeps inspiring the public's imagination.
Yet, for all the success it enjoyed as a design statement, this car's story is also one of wasted potential, as it never got the chance to fulfill its promise of racing victories. Here's the story of the fabulous Alfa Romeo Disco Volante... #AlfaRomeo #TouringSuperleggera #History
The Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 "Disco Volante" was the brainchild of Gioacchino Colombo, the same man who, a few years earlier, had designed the original Ferrari V12 engine.
However, very little from the production 1900 saloon actually remained in the C52 sports racer: the inline-four cylinders engine's block was cast in aluminum rather than iron to save weight, and it was installed in a bespoke tubular chassis frame. Fed by two sidedraft Weber carburetors, the unit produced around 160 HP, enough to propel this light (735 Kg) roadster up to 220 Km/h.
Another Colombo idea was the car's striking lenticular shape, with particularly wide and swoopy fenders concealing the four wheels. Devised to reduce aerodynamic drag and maximize top speed, it was designed and built by the Carrozzeria Touring using its trademark "Superleggera" method: a framework of small-diameter steel tubes covered by a thin aluminum skin.
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Lancia Gamma Berlina & Coupé 1976 - 1984
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