AutoCult Alfa Romeo B.A.T. 9 (1955) (Italy)

About the Original:

Chapter III – The final Stage

The car presented with the type designation B.A.T. 9 in 1955 was the last of a total of three concept cars with aerodynamical bodywork on the chassis of an Alfa Romeo 1900 SS. The abbreviation B.A.T. stood for Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica. Background of the study and the three concept cars was to show how the drag affects the vehicle speed.

After the prototypes B.A.T 5 (1953) and B.A.T. 7 (1954) the B.A.T. 9 the one with the at least distinctive rear fins. Contrary to both previous concept cars the responsible designer of Bertone Franco Scaglione went for a more moderate design. Nevertheless also his third design met the target of a very low drag coefficient.

The whole B.A.T. series got huge media response that caused plenty of positive feedback back then and even today. After its presentation in 1955 the B.A.T. 9 was sold to Stanley Harold “Wacky” Arnolt II, who sold the unique car to an General-Motors dealer in Michigan, where it served as an eyecatcher in the showroom.

Today all three concept cars are united in a British car collection and are presented to the public at selected events.