Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 Disco Volante: The Flamboyant Four-Wheeled Flying Saucer

Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 Disco Volante at Museo Storico Alfa Romeo

The company’s U.S. importer intended to sell a few examples to customers, but Hoffman would ultimately get none. Alfa Romeo planned to enter the C52 at Le Mans that year, but upon returning to Italy, the Italian automaker discovered reliability and stability issues during testing. Nicknamed flying saucer due to its unconventional appearance, the Disco Volante was relegated from racing project to experimental test bed.

Although the 1900 uses a monocoque, the engineers behind the C52 decided on a tubular steel chassis with side rails. Dressed in light alloy, the C52 uses the double wishbones and live axle of the 1900 C Sprint that failed to impress at the Giro d’Sicilia and Mille Miglia. Originally equipped with Pirelli rubber boots wrapped around 16-inch wire wheels with duralumin rims, this flamboyant machine boasts drum brakes fore and aft.

Tipping the scales at 735 kilograms (1,620 pounds) and capable of hitting more than 220 kilometers per hour (137 miles per hour) with the right gearing, the C52 produces 158 ps (156 horsepower) at 6,500 revolutions per minute from a displacement of 1,997 cubic centimeters. The four-cylinder DOHC powerplant of the 1900 was understandably modified for this application. The compression ratio, for example, was raised from 7.7 to 8.7:1 to suit the 2.0-liter engine’s double-barrel carbs.

Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 Disco Volante at Museo Storico Alfa Romeo

Chassis 1359.00002 is one of the first three cars built with the aforementioned four-cylinder lump rather than the inline-six engine of the 6C 3000 CM. This example had its Touring coachwork replaced by a more conventional body in 1952. This change is why it’s known as Fianchi Stretti, translating to narrow hips.