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Alfa Romeo BAT Concepts: Unparalleled Beauty Meets Humdrum Mechanicals

The middle of the 20th century was a period of renaissance for Alfa Romeo. Although the Italian automaker was recovering from the untold misery of that certain something called World War II, the Milan-based manufacturer kicked off the 1950s by dominating Formula 1’s inaugural seasons with the Alfetta racing car, raced by Farina and Fangio.
Alfa Romeo BAT concepts 29 photos
Photo: Ron Kimball for RM Sotheby's / edited by autoevolution
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Immediately after withdrawing from the Great Circus, Alfa Romeo treated us car nuts to the C52 series of experimental cars. Originally developed with racing in mind, the C52 would be relegated to an experimental project due to stability and reliability issues. Better known as Disco Volante, this family of design studies would be followed by another family of concepts, baptized BAT.

Milan-based Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera wasn’t contracted for the Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica. The Italian automaker didn’t intend to give the Milanese coachbuilder yet another contract in fear of a similar failure to the 1900 C52 Disco Volante, of which five units were manufactured. Merely four units exist today.

Alfa Romeo collaborated with Turin-based Carrozzeria Bertone for the BAT series, a trio masterminded by Giuseppe Bertone and Franco Scaglione. Nicknamed Nuccio, the one and only Giuseppe Bertone took over the business from his father Giovanni after World War II. As for Franco Scaglione, his best-known design is – hands down – the magnificent Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale.

Nuccio and Franco both dreamed of designing visually stunning vehicles that would also cut through the air with as little resistance as possible. Alfa Romeo gave them sufficient money and the all-important carte blanche to make their vision a reality. Also inspired by aeronautical themes, the BAT series would finally go official in 1953.

Alfa Romeo BAT concepts
Photo: Ron Kimball for RM Sotheby's
As mentioned earlier, BAT stands for Berlina (body style), Aerodinamica (aerodynamically-conscious design), and Tecnica (technique and/or technology). The rear ends of all three concepts and the BAT acronym go hand in hand. Ginormous tailfins reminiscent of bat wings define these pretty cars, which sadly feature ho-hum underpinnings.

Alfa Romeo launched the 1900 in 1950, the Milanese brand’s first car to be produced entirely on a production line. Also, the first unibody from the storied marque, the 1900, was the first Alfa Romeo to come in left-hand drive. Engineered by Orazio Satta Puliga, the 1900 served as the basis for all three concepts, starting with the BAT 5.

Unveiled in May 1953 in Bertone’s hometown of Turin, the 5 is named this way because Scaglione created no fewer than four models prior to it. Chassis AR1900.01396 draws a few design influences from the Scaglione-penned Abarth 1500 Biposto, although it’s on a wholly different level of radical in terms of aesthetics.

Born out of a dogged pursuit for aerodynamic efficiency, BAT 5 features a drag coefficient of 0.23 despite its Abarth 1500 Biposto-like dual air intakes. For the sake of reference, 0.197 is the drag coefficient of the Lucid Air, the most aerodynamic production car at press time.

Pictured in gray with red front grilles and red leather upholstery, the pontoon-fendered original was followed by the BAT 7 in April 1947 at the Turing Motor Show. A more outlandish interpretation of the BAT 5, the second model stands out with the help of narrower intakes, a lower hood, and crazier tailfins. The angular pitch of the extremities of the tailfins is eye candy in and of itself. But it’s not styling for styling’s sake, though…

Alfa Romeo BAT concepts
Photo: Ron Kimball for RM Sotheby's
BAT 7 flaunts a scarcely believable 0.19 drag coefficient, which is more impressive when you remember that computer-aided design wasn’t even a thing in the 1950s. Tipping the scales at circa 2,200 pounds (998 kilograms) versus 2,400 pounds (1,089 kilograms) for the BAT 5, the fabulous-looking second concept was displayed at the New York Auto Show and Chicago Auto Show in 1955.

Also known as BAT 9d, the final concept was designed to resemble production Alfa Romeo models of that era. More practical than its predecessors, BAT 9 is easily distinguishable thanks to smaller tailfins for improved rear visibility, no rear skirts for easier access to the knock-off nuts that fasten the rear wheels to the hubs, and the front grille of the Giulietta.

Once again based on the 1900, chassis AR1900.01600 premiered in April 1955 at… wait for it… the Turin Motor Show. BAT 9 sports glass-covered headlights integrated into the protruding front fenders, as well as a flat area designed for affixing the rear license plate. BAT 9 further boasts a square aerodynamic diffuser, negative-angle A pillars, and rounded corners for the rear windshield(s).

Chassis AR1900.01396, AR1900C.01485, and AR1900.01600 can be rightfully considered masterpieces of automotive design, a microcosm of Franco Scaglione’s love for art and science. All three enjoyed interesting lives, with all three auctioned in October 2020 by RM Sotheby’s for a staggering $14,840,000 without adjusting for inflation. The pre-auction estimate ranged between $14 and $20 million.

The Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica story didn’t end with BAT 9, though. Unveiled at a Swiss nightclub in downtown Geneva during the 2008 Geneva Motor Show due to the Italian coachbuilder’s deteriorating financial situation, BAT 11 is the unofficial fourth member of the family. A non-running concept designed around the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, the BAT 11 was intended for limited production. Commissioned by an American dentist who used to own and daily BAT 9, the fourth concept sadly remains a design study.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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