Geneva 2012: Alfa Disco Volante

It's back! Carrozzeria Touring's mental fifties Disco Volante - that's flying saucer in Italian - gets remixed for this year's Geneva motor show.

Like its forbear, it's an off-the-peg Alfa Romeo - the completely-sold-out 8C Competizione in this case - that's been rebodied with a hand-beaten aluminium husk. Unlike the original, there are some carbon fibre bits and it won't be used for racing.

See more pics of the Carrozzeria Touring Alfa Romeo Disco Volante concept

Instead of the track-focused hellion of yore, the Milan-based coachbuilder (which also invented Superleggera lightweight construction, as it goes) has created this rather pretty chap's grand tourer. It doffs its hat to the '52 original with a boattail rump, tiny rear lamps, shrouded front wheel and a chrome pinstripe.

All of the oily bits are lifted from a "normal" 8C. That means there's a 450bhp 4.7-litre V8 - built at the Ferrari factory, no less - automated manual ‘box, top speed of 181mph and 4.2sec 0-62mph time hiding under the skin.

Rumours suggest that a very limited number will be sold (Touring only made three of the original C52 DVs) for what we can only assume will be considerably more than the £111k 8C.

Prefer this to the original Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, TopGear.comrades?