Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica - 'B.A.T.'
In spite of having been a car enthusiast all these years, there is always some model we are yet to discover. Of all the brands, makes, and models out there, our sphere of knowledge can never be fully complete; one of my aims when looking at automotive websites is to keep going until I add something to the knowledge base, find a car we never heard of. This was one such occasion - well, 3 in one go. These incredibly rare Alfa Romeos were in fact concept cars, yet at some point one was even raced and later they were consolidated into one complete set, which is how they were last sold at auction in 2020 for millions. They're so special, they deserve a place here on NewtonClassics so others may discover them too.
Advanced Aero - Form AND Function
The main objective when these cars were displayed as concepts, was to showcase Italian design of Alfa Romeo & Bertone. These cars utilized engines of just 1500cc capacity yet set speed and fuel consumption records thanks to their incredible aerodynamic forms. They weren't just built for visual impact. They might be some of the most beautiful rolling artworks ever created - perhaps also the only 'triptych' of automobiles every made. Yet they were also a technological tour de force, before computers were involved - they were in fact hand drawn, yet it would take computer design until the 90's to catch up to the same level of aerodynamics achieved by the pen and paper designer of all three cars, Franco Scaglione. [wiki].
Read More
Of course we could repeat it all here, however the following links already covered every detail in far more consistency, so we simply lifted a few quick facts and figures here. If you want to read more about these, then searching for 'alfa bat' online will get you to the info pretty quick.
Designed and showcased as concept cars, the Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica series was a collaboration between Alfa Romeo and design house Bertone. BAT 5 was the first (and our favorite) in 1953, BAT 7 in 1954 and finally BAT 9 in 1955. The idea was to come up with the most aerodynamic form possible, and the research would pay off in racing and road cars.
Enjoy
Words don't help any further in the pictures below, they are left without comments so you can enjoy the visual treat, in it's purity. Thanks for reading, and hope these were a pleasant discovery for you as much as they have been for us.
FYI
- BAT 5, 1953, Silver
- BAT 7, 1954, Blue
- Bat 9 3/4, 1955, Grey
All images courtesy of R.M. Sotheby's auction house. We believe it to be fair use, and good publicity, so hopefully permission is acceptable 2 years after they sold this lot of 3 cars for over $12m USD. link
