This Alfa Romeo 3000 ‘Disco Volante’ is utterly unique
The Alfa Romeo 3000 ‘Disco Volante’ was intended to be the Italian marque’s rival to the likes of the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR, but a crash at Monza in 1954 left the car wrecked and driver Consalvo Sanesi badly burned. A problem with the steering is cited as the reason for the crash, but the result was that Alfa Romeo, at the time not cash rich, pulled the plug on the project.
Consequently, what was the only 3.0-litre ‘Disco Volante’ was out of action. Despite the damaged bodywork, it went into a Brazilian museum as a static display. But the museum owner met his demise when he was shot, and his collection of cars was mothballed. It’s believed some cars are still in there, 40 years later. Colin Crabb, a friend of current owner Christopher Mann, bought the ‘Disco Volante’ and two other cars 35 years ago and suggested that the Alfa is something Christopher and his friend Henry Wessells should buy.
At the time, they had another ‘big Disco’ and thought this crashed car may provide a useful supply of spares. “We didn’t know it was the long lost missing 3.0-litre Disco Volante,” says Christopher. “It was only when we came to check the engine that we discovered it had a unique short stroke crank and a special 5-speed gearbox that we suddenly realised what we had. We had to rebuild it.”
Rebuilding the car was not the work of a moment. It took 20 years of work and research, and Christopher even met legendary Alfa Romeo engineer Guiseppe Busso who had worked on it originally. “We even met Sanesi himself, he remembered the car with not a great deal of affection.”
The bodywork needed rebuilding from scratch, and Christopher had it made in Italy using the original drawings. “You can see the hammer marks, which is fun,” he says. Mechanically, the car is very original. In the engine, the pistons are new, but everything else is from the 1950s: crank, rods, carburettors… even valves.
It was built by Hall & Hall fifteen years ago and hasn’t been touched since. “It’s a tough engine, but it’s the only one. There are no spares. Every time I race it, I think I mustn’t break it,” says Christopher. He’s not afraid to use it, though. As well as racing it, he also uses it on the road a lot, for everything from trips to Tesco to touring the Dolomites. “At the end of the day, it’s just a car…”
A very special one, which is enjoyed as intended.
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Photography by Tom Shaxson
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