Back in March Touring Superleggera wowed the car world by unveiling an open-top version of their magnificent Disco Volante at the Geneva Motor Show. We didn’t hear much about this beauty, simply called Alfa Romeo Disco Volante Spyder, until it reappeared at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

So let’s not waste any more time in getting intimate with this Italian diva and go check it out up close and personal and listen to what she has to say:

We have discussed the technical details of Alfa Romeo Disco Volante Spyder in the previous post, so here let’s have a brief history listen and learn more about this car’s heritage:

The Alfa Romeo Disco Volante Spyder is inspired by the 1952 Alfa Romeo C52 also present on the Touring stand courtesy of Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile “Giovanni Agnelli” of Turin. The Museo will host a retrospective exhibition encompassing the whole history of Touring in autumn 2016.

On its way to the 1953 New York motor show, the C52 had already gained the Disco Volante nickname, Italian for ‘Flying Saucer’. Once again, Touring had sparked the public’s imagination with a groundbreaking shape on what was the eve of space age.

As usual with Touring Superleggera, the lines and volumes were dictated by a strict functional requirement: the new car had to be “insensitive to wind”. The Disco Volante was to become the best example of Touring’s founder, Felice Bianchi Anderloni’s philosophy: “Weight is the enemy, air resistance the obstacle”.

Using Alfa Romeo 1900 C elements, the car received a new tubular chassis, and a lightweight, striking and efficient aluminium body.

The public embraced the Disco Volante and its revolutionary streamlined contours, though the car’s impact went far further: the bodywork was so innovative that it influenced for decades numerous celebrated sports cars.

Chosen by Alfa Romeo to mark its centenary celebration with a bronze sculpture now displayed in Milan, the C52 Disco Volante is one of the most significant models in automotive history.