In
early 1952, Alfa Romeo contacted Nuccio Bertone of the Stile
Bertone design house and Carrozzeria in Turin, Italy. Bertone
was commisioned to design and build three cars for research
and development purposes, looking at streamlining and the effects
of drag on a vehicle. Alfa Romeo supplied three of their Alfa
1900 Sprint chassis and running gear, along with powerful four-cylinder,
90hp engines mated to a five-speed gearbox.
The cars were designated BAT, standing for Berlinetta Aerodinamica
Tecnica. The BAT 5 was the first of these cars and was designed
by Franco Scaglione and followed on neatly from his Fiat based
1952 Abarth 1500 Biposto Coupé. The design was a beautiful study
in aerodynamics. He styled the front with the aim of eliminating
the disruption of airflow produced at high speeds and creating
a shape which would cause the fewest possible air vortexes.
The unique rear fins tapered in at the tip to give a Bat-like
appearance befitting the cars name. Scaglione and Bertone came
up with was an incredibly light (1100kg) but stable car which
could achieve an impressive 125mph. It was first shown at the
Turin Auto Show in 1953 and was followed the next year by the
BAT 7 and BAT 9 in 1955. Although the designs were radical for
the era, they were much acclaimed by the press and public. The
BAT design was developed further and led to a prototype Giulietta
Sprint Speciale in 1957 and limited production in 1959.
Text by Peter Grist
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