This week’s Good Find Friday post will be a bit of a quickie, as we are preparing to attend the European car show “Dubs at the Lake” this weekend. Another reason for brevity is that there just isn’t much information on this find, but it’s too cool not to feature in my opinion.

Nicknamed the “Flying Saucer” or Disco Volante in Italian, the Alfa Romeo 1900 C52 is the designation for a number of vehicles built in collaboration with the coachbuilder Touring. They were originally constructed as racing cars, but most never turned a wheel on a track in competition. The aerodynamic design informed future shapes for Alfa Romeo cars, and some might even say influenced the D-type and E-type Jaguars.

Each car was constructed of a superleggera aluminum body over a steel tube frame. Powertrains were derived from the four-cylinder engine in the Alfa Romeo 1900. Displacement was bumped to just under 2 liters and produced a rather potent 158 bhp considering the lightness of the chassis. The engine was mated to a 4-speed manual synchronized transmission. Braking was provided by drums on all four corners — a good thing, as the car could reach speeds of 140mph.

A total of just 3 Disco Volante were built, with one modified to coupe design and the other a slab-sided design with narrow hips called a “Fianchi Stretti.” The design of this car is rather conventional compared to the space-ship looking Disco Volante, and the fianchi stretti actually raced in-period. The three cars still exist today, and are housed in museums in Italy and France.

Today’s car is a hand-built replica of the eye-catching and unusual design of the Disco Volante, and is crossing the block at Henderson Auctions’ Spring Collector Motor Series Auction.

Henderson appears to be an auction house that specializes in real estate and heavy equipment, but I caught word of this collector vehicle auction somewhere along the way. The sale will take place at Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum — a heck of a venue.

Very little photos or information on this car are provided in the catalog description, meaning interested parties are probably best served by visiting the auction preview in person. What is shared is that the body is all hand-shaped aluminum over a tubular frame, as the original was.

It apparently has a carbureted Alfa Romeo powerplant under the hood, though this is not shown. The exterior shape and interior cockpit design are very faithful to the original Disco Volante car. No details are given on the suspension setup, wheels, or its roadworthiness.

Believe it or not, there are some comps for Disco Volante replicas, though not particularly recent. A Flying Saucer replica sold for $143,000 at RM Sotheby’s Gene Ponder sale back in 2022.

At the same sale, a Fianchi Stretti replica sold for an impressive $385,000. The slab-sided car is exceptionally pretty, and gives off early Ferrari vibes for certain. I can’t blame the high bidder there.

So what will our subject car sell for? Well it’s an auction so it’s anyone’s guess and the auction house has not published an estimate that provides us an indication of the seller’s expectations. I’m guessing somewhere in the low $100Ks is about right, given the lack of details and current state of the market.

I had the chance to see a Disco Volante replica at Amelia Island and it was a beautiful and unusual car, one I would be very excited to own. Given there are just 3 real Disco Volantes out there, a high quality replica like this one can provide 9/10s of the experience of the real deal. I can’t say the same about a fiberglass Porsche Speedster, I’m sorry to say.

Have a great weekend everyone! See you at Dubs at the Lake!

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and auction services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. We also provide importation services. Give us a call or drop us a line!