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1952 Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante news, pictures, and information | ||
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The early 1950s was an exciting time for many marques. Some were finding a dominant foot hold in motorsports, other found success in exporting their products to other countries like the US, and for Alfa Romeo, they continued to push the limits of design and technology. At the close of the 1951 season, Alfa Romeo retired from racing and switched those racing resources to R&D. Their first example of futuristic design, aided by the legendary coachbuilding firm, Touring, was the C52.
The C52 was lightly based on the 1900, featuring a suspension from their prior cars, with the rest being completely new. The new design rested on a new tubular spaceframe chassis, where prior Alfa's had been given tubular ladder frames. Mounted in the front was a 1900 engine, bored slightly to 3.3-inches and displaced 2-liters. It featured a new aluminum block, the prior units used cast-iron, two twin-choke Weber carburetors, and produced nearly 160 horsepower.
The Touring design was unusual to say the least. The experimentation tried to limit wind resistant from all angles, be it from the front, rear or side. The car was given the nickname 'Disco Volante' meaning flying saucer. Top speed was achieved at around 220 km/h.
The car was given to Juan Manual Fangio, Froilan Gonzales and Franco Cortese for the 24 Hours of LeMans. Still a mystery, the Alfa Romeo team did not show up and the car was never raced.
In 1953 two similar cars were built, a coupe and a spyder. The Coupe was most like the original spider while the third example had narrower bodywork better suited for the restrictive demands and tight courses of hill climb competition. Even though prepared for various types of competition, the cars were never raced. The design and technology used in these rolling test beds did find their way into future Alfa Romeos, such as the 6C 3000 CMs and TZ's that raced with much success.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2007
The C52 was lightly based on the 1900, featuring a suspension from their prior cars, with the rest being completely new. The new design rested on a new tubular spaceframe chassis, where prior Alfa's had been given tubular ladder frames. Mounted in the front was a 1900 engine, bored slightly to 3.3-inches and displaced 2-liters. It featured a new aluminum block, the prior units used cast-iron, two twin-choke Weber carburetors, and produced nearly 160 horsepower.
The Touring design was unusual to say the least. The experimentation tried to limit wind resistant from all angles, be it from the front, rear or side. The car was given the nickname 'Disco Volante' meaning flying saucer. Top speed was achieved at around 220 km/h.
The car was given to Juan Manual Fangio, Froilan Gonzales and Franco Cortese for the 24 Hours of LeMans. Still a mystery, the Alfa Romeo team did not show up and the car was never raced.
In 1953 two similar cars were built, a coupe and a spyder. The Coupe was most like the original spider while the third example had narrower bodywork better suited for the restrictive demands and tight courses of hill climb competition. Even though prepared for various types of competition, the cars were never raced. The design and technology used in these rolling test beds did find their way into future Alfa Romeos, such as the 6C 3000 CMs and TZ's that raced with much success.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2007
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 1952
Alfa Romeo
models |
| Alfa Romeo 1900C |
| Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 |
| Similar Vehicles | |
 | 1953 Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante |
 | 2012 Alfa Romeo Disco Volante Concept |
| Similar Automakers | |
| Citroen | Fiat |
| Lancia | Morgan |
| Opel | Peugeot |
| Renault | Seat |
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| Similarly Sized Vehicles from 1952 |
| Allard J2X |
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| Connaught A-Series |
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| Alfa Romeo: 1951-1960 |
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| 147 156 164 1750 1900 SS | 2000 24HP 2600 6C 8C | 8C 2600 90 Alfetta Arna BAT | Giulia Giulietta Junior Zagato Milano Montreal | P3 RL Spider Sprint Zagato SZ | Tipo 158 Alfetta Tipo 33 TZ |
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