“We’ll only build what we sell, and can be well off from one unit,” he adds.Īpproach the car for the first time and the timeless proportions of the 8C underneath remain obvious, but the body is as much a nod to the future as it is the past. “The Disco Volante is such a fascinating beautiful car, with proportions that inspired a generation of sports cars, so it was a natural car to reference.”Ī production run of eight was chosen as “a car built in eight units can be as rare as a one-off, but the passion is shared between people, adds value, and confirms you made a good choice,” according to Mancardi, but he isn’t fussed if all are sold. “If you go to the Alfa Romeo museum, half the cars are done by Touring,” says the firm’s incumbent chief designer and 2013 Disco Volante creator, Louis de Fabribeckers. Touring chose to pay homage to Alfa by reimaging the C52 Disco Volante of 1952. “Many people don’t know what Touring is,” Mancardi says, “but when they find out what we’ve done they’re amazed.” The Disco Volante is Touring’s way of using its history to promote its future. Two of the eight have been built, another is under construction and the sale of a fourth is close to being finalised. The production Disco Volante here closely follows a concept of the same name from the Geneva motor show in 2012. It’s this car for which I’ve come to Touring’s unassuming headquarters on the outskirts of Milan to find out more about and, providing I promise not to tell the chap who’s bought it, maybe even have a little drive in. Look closely on the DB5’s bonnet – and the DB4 before it and the DB6 after – and you’ll see the Touring logo. That most iconic of British cars has a Touring body that was licensed back to Newport Pagnell for manufacture. Founded as a coachbuilder in 1926, the company carved its niche by patenting Superleggera body construction – small tubes to form the body shape with alloy panels attached to strengthen and sculpt – that was lightweight and flexible, creating some of the most evocative car designs in history. It’s a very special car indeed, as we’ll discover, but that’s not a surprise when you consider Touring’s history. The result is a car with all the bits you can’t see being properly engineered Alfa Romeo jobs, and everything you touch, feel, see and admire being the lovingly hand-crafted work of Touring Superleggera. The 8C’s structural hardpoints remain intact inside and out, as does its 444bhp 4.7-litre V8 engine, but the body has been replaced with a Touring-designed one that mixes hand-beaten aluminium and carbonfibre-reinforced plastic panels. The price? Sorry, you find that out strictly on application.
Its latest creation is called Disco Volante, a striking new supercar based on the Alfa Romeo 8C. If your wallet is big enough, Touring Superleggera can build you a super high-end, bespoke luxury car with beautiful design, engineering and build quality. We are almost unique in being able to respond to this.” “More and more people are getting bored with mass production cars,” says Piero Mancardi, chief executive of Milanese coachbuilder Touring Superleggera, “so the wealthy are ready to do something different. That’s where coachbuilding comes in, and this small corner of the automotive industry, which includes companies such as Bertone, Pininfarina and Touring Superleggera, is witnessing a rise in demand.
2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio gain mid-life design updates.
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