Alfa Romeo Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica B.A.T. 7 1954, Itália

 

Alfa Romeo Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica B.A.T. 7 1954, Itália

Fotografia

As is often the case with concept cars, the B.A.T. 5 was essentially mothballed after the 1953 show season as work commenced on an updated version, soon to be known as the B.A.T. 7. Running gear would once again be sourced from the Alfa Romeo 1900, but given the first car’s success, Scaglione was encouraged to emphasize various characteristics of the original. He obliged by narrowing the front air intakes, lowering the hood by over two inches, and lengthening the tailfins while adding increased angular pitch to the extremities. The rear wheel skirts and pronounced side vents remained.
Again, however, Scaglione judiciously avoided the trap of self-indulgence. Granted license to create a more extreme design, he also created one that was more extreme in terms of aerodynamics as well: The B.A.T. 7’s coefficient of drag was, at 0.19, even more remarkable than that of its predecessor. Consider that a Toyota Prius and a Tesla Model S, two paragons of modern efficiency, achieve a 0.24 Cd; Scaglione soundly bested both in an era without widespread wind tunnel testing or computer-aided design. Weight was reduced as well, from the B.A.T. 5’s roughly 2,400 pounds to just 2,200 pounds.
Scheduled to be unveiled at the Turin Salon in April 1954, the B.A.T. 7 required feverish preparation to complete, and it was finished so late that Nuccio Bertone and Franco Scaglione personally drove the car to Turin. Response at the show was unequivocally positive, as the B.A.T. 7 received even more enthusiastic praise from the media than its predecessor, making the cover of Swiss magazine Automobil Revue.
Following the 1954 show season, the B.A.T. 7 was acquired by Alfa Romeo in January 1955 and shipped to the United States for display by the manufacturer at the New York and Chicago Auto Shows. Shortly thereafter the car was purchased by the well-known San Francisco-based importer Charles Rezzaghi on behalf of Alfa Romeo enthusiast Al Williams, a flamboyant restaurateur whose Fairmont Hotel penthouse establishment hosted many of the day’s A-list celebrities. The B.A.T. 7 was soon transported to Southern California to run the SCCA races at Palm Springs in March 1955, and afterwards it was displayed at Bill Doheny’s Ferrari sales office in Los Angeles.
After returning to San Francisco, the B.A.T. 7 was modified with the removal of the fins; while this decision is no doubt shocking to a modern observer, it must be noted that these dramatic design features obstructed rear visibility and therefore made street use exceedingly difficult. Acquired then by Ken Shaff, the Alfa Romeo was repainted in Rolls-Royce sand and black, and presented at the 1958 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Passing to collector Col. James Sorrell, the B.A.T. 7 was entrusted to the Van Nuys shop of Sal di Natale, then one of the West Coast’s most respected Italian car specialists. After undergoing a sympathetic freshening, the Alfa Romeo sat uncollected for some time, prompting di Natale to eventually put a lien on it and assume ownership around 1969. The mechanic went on to retain possession for 17 years, eventually selling the car in 1986 to a private collector, at which time a two-year refurbishment was conducted of the coachwork, including reinstallation of the fins, to its original configuration.