ALFA ROMEO
Except otherwise stated, all results below include the premium.
See also : Cars II Cars 1930s Cars 1930-33 Cars 1934-35 Cars 1938-39 Post war cars Cars 1953-54
Chronology : 1933 1936 1938 1939 1953
See also : Cars II Cars 1930s Cars 1930-33 Cars 1934-35 Cars 1938-39 Post war cars Cars 1953-54
Chronology : 1933 1936 1938 1939 1953
1933 8C 2300
1
Monza
2016 SOLD for $ 12M by Gooding
Developed in 1931 by Vittorio Jano, the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 supercharged sports model is ahead of its time with its 2,300 cc straight 8 cylinder engine on a stiff chassis. About 188 cars were produced.
An 8C 2300 Monza was sold by Gooding for $ 6.7M on August 15, 2010, lot 117, and for $ 12M on August 21, 2016, lot 128. It had been illustrated in 2010 in the article shared by Sports Car Digest. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This Alfa Romeo is in an original condition which is quite rare for a car from that time, including its matching number engine and a great traceability of the other elements.
The qualifier Monza applied to the short chassis version of the 8C 2300 after a victory in the Italian Grand Prix in the first year of the model in 1931.
The build of many early Monzas had been entrusted to Scuderia Ferrari which was a subsidiary of Alfa Romeo. It is not the case for the car for sale which is a rare factory built of 1933 coachworked by Brianza. It belongs to the third series when the 8C 2300 Monza had become a regular variant with a further shortened frame.
1933 had been a pivotal year for Alfa Romeo.
The 8C 2300 model begins to be replaced by the 8C 2600. Alfa Romeo goes under the effective control of the Fascist government desiring to make it a flagship of Italian industry. The brand does not maintain any more a works racing team despite the great success of the two previous years and a repositionment of the Scuderia Ferrari will be necessary.
An 8C 2300 Monza was sold by Gooding for $ 6.7M on August 15, 2010, lot 117, and for $ 12M on August 21, 2016, lot 128. It had been illustrated in 2010 in the article shared by Sports Car Digest. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This Alfa Romeo is in an original condition which is quite rare for a car from that time, including its matching number engine and a great traceability of the other elements.
The qualifier Monza applied to the short chassis version of the 8C 2300 after a victory in the Italian Grand Prix in the first year of the model in 1931.
The build of many early Monzas had been entrusted to Scuderia Ferrari which was a subsidiary of Alfa Romeo. It is not the case for the car for sale which is a rare factory built of 1933 coachworked by Brianza. It belongs to the third series when the 8C 2300 Monza had become a regular variant with a further shortened frame.
1933 had been a pivotal year for Alfa Romeo.
The 8C 2300 model begins to be replaced by the 8C 2600. Alfa Romeo goes under the effective control of the Fascist government desiring to make it a flagship of Italian industry. The brand does not maintain any more a works racing team despite the great success of the two previous years and a repositionment of the Scuderia Ferrari will be necessary.
2
Cabriolet
2023 SOLD for $ 4.5M by Gooding
The road going version of the 8C 2300, sometimes referred as the 2.3, was released in 1931 as a successor to the 6C 1750.
A 2.3 comes from the third series of the 8C 2300, built in 1933 on a long chassis with a 3.1 m wheelbase. This elegant cabriolet was made by Carrozzeria Castagna in Milan, the period specialists of top luxury bodyworks. Working only on order, Castagna fitted eight 2.3 overall.
An owner relegated the car for four decades in storage after swapping some pieces of equipment with a 2.3 Zagato spider, so contributing with the beautiful preservation of the cabriolet. The next owner purchased both and cancelled the swap. The engine in matching numbers had been set in a rebuild with better performance than the factory claim.
Re-finished in a period correct dark blue and claret, it was sold by Gooding for $ 4.2M on August 2009, lot 139. and for $ 4.5M on August 18, 2023, lot 36 illustrated in the pre sale press release.
A 2.3 comes from the third series of the 8C 2300, built in 1933 on a long chassis with a 3.1 m wheelbase. This elegant cabriolet was made by Carrozzeria Castagna in Milan, the period specialists of top luxury bodyworks. Working only on order, Castagna fitted eight 2.3 overall.
An owner relegated the car for four decades in storage after swapping some pieces of equipment with a 2.3 Zagato spider, so contributing with the beautiful preservation of the cabriolet. The next owner purchased both and cancelled the swap. The engine in matching numbers had been set in a rebuild with better performance than the factory claim.
Re-finished in a period correct dark blue and claret, it was sold by Gooding for $ 4.2M on August 2009, lot 139. and for $ 4.5M on August 18, 2023, lot 36 illustrated in the pre sale press release.
1934 Tipo B P3
1
2018 SOLD for £ 4.6M by Bonhams
The prestige of car competitions increased considerably in the mid-1920s. The Grand Prix racing was dominated by the Alfa Romeo P2 and the Bugatti Type 35. For safety reasons it was however not until the very early 1930s that the driver remained single on board, without an assistant.
Alfa Romeo designs a monoposto based on the characteristics of the P2. Constructed in 4 units in 1931, the Tipo A is too complex for working properly, with its dual engine of 6C 1750 each in parallel. None survives.
Tipo A is superseded a few months later by the Tipo B P3 with an 8C 2650 cc engine. This supercharged model dominates the season 1932 with its first series of six cars built.
In 1934 the modifications of the rules of the Grand Prix invite to heavier cars, changing the limit from 700 to 750 Kg. The Tipo B P3 model is then upgraded by a larger width and an extended bore size to a 2.9 liter engine volume.
It is also the time of the Great Depression. Alfa Romeo is put under receivership in 1933 by the Italian government which is reluctant to spend money for competitions. The Scuderia Ferrari company then becomes in 1933 an essential partner of Alfa Romeo, of which it will remain a subsidiary until 1940.
It is not possible to identify today a Grand Prix Alfa Romeo in full original condition. The traceability of the gradual installation of more efficient equipment on these cars is poorly documented. The identification of the chassis was not recorded by the administrations of the Grand Prix and in spite of the very limited number of Grand Prix cars it is impossible to identify which specific chassis had participated in which competition.
A Monoposto was sold for £ 4.6M by Bonhams on July 13, 2018, lot 352. Its known history underlines the evolution of the P3, in the range of uncertainties of the period.
Originally the vehicle number 49 in the Scuderia Ferrari, it was probably made from the 1933 second series of six chassis, or a seventh assembled by Ferrari from available parts. When it was sold by Ferrari in 1935 to Richard Shuttleworth, in the 1934 750 kg variant which had possibly been fitted to it during a rework after a crash. Shuttleworth drove it to victory in October 1935 in the Donington Grand Prix.
Alfa Romeo designs a monoposto based on the characteristics of the P2. Constructed in 4 units in 1931, the Tipo A is too complex for working properly, with its dual engine of 6C 1750 each in parallel. None survives.
Tipo A is superseded a few months later by the Tipo B P3 with an 8C 2650 cc engine. This supercharged model dominates the season 1932 with its first series of six cars built.
In 1934 the modifications of the rules of the Grand Prix invite to heavier cars, changing the limit from 700 to 750 Kg. The Tipo B P3 model is then upgraded by a larger width and an extended bore size to a 2.9 liter engine volume.
It is also the time of the Great Depression. Alfa Romeo is put under receivership in 1933 by the Italian government which is reluctant to spend money for competitions. The Scuderia Ferrari company then becomes in 1933 an essential partner of Alfa Romeo, of which it will remain a subsidiary until 1940.
It is not possible to identify today a Grand Prix Alfa Romeo in full original condition. The traceability of the gradual installation of more efficient equipment on these cars is poorly documented. The identification of the chassis was not recorded by the administrations of the Grand Prix and in spite of the very limited number of Grand Prix cars it is impossible to identify which specific chassis had participated in which competition.
A Monoposto was sold for £ 4.6M by Bonhams on July 13, 2018, lot 352. Its known history underlines the evolution of the P3, in the range of uncertainties of the period.
Originally the vehicle number 49 in the Scuderia Ferrari, it was probably made from the 1933 second series of six chassis, or a seventh assembled by Ferrari from available parts. When it was sold by Ferrari in 1935 to Richard Shuttleworth, in the 1934 750 kg variant which had possibly been fitted to it during a rework after a crash. Shuttleworth drove it to victory in October 1935 in the Donington Grand Prix.
2
2017 SOLD for € 3.9M by RM Sotheby's
RM Sotheby's sold on February 8, 2017 for € 3.9M the penultimate Tipo B P3 of the 1934 group, lot 161. It was registered as number 46 by the Scuderia Ferrari during the seasons 1934 and 1935.
The bodywork, narrowed in 1932 style by one of its owners, was rebuilt in its correct 1934 configuration by another one a few years later. The engine was changed but the lot for sale includes beside the car a ancient 3.2-liter engine that had previously been fitted to this chassis. The authenticity of this car can hardly be overcome by another example of its category.
The bodywork, narrowed in 1932 style by one of its owners, was rebuilt in its correct 1934 configuration by another one a few years later. The engine was changed but the lot for sale includes beside the car a ancient 3.2-liter engine that had previously been fitted to this chassis. The authenticity of this car can hardly be overcome by another example of its category.
1936 Tipo C 8C-35
2013 SOLD for £ 5.9M by Bonhams
In 1936, Germany and Italy are politically allied but are rivals for technology. The Grand Prix single-seater car is one of the symbols by which the Reich wants to show its strength. With the financial resources granted to them, Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union were no longer allowed to lose.
Clearly the acceleration of the German technological effort is annoying Alfa Romeo and the team sponsored by that brand, the Scuderia Ferrari. Fortunately for the greatness and excitement of sport, the skill of a great driver can reverse the situation. The public enjoys the feats of Tazio Nuvolari.
Nuvolari is the leader of the Scuderia Ferrari in a lesser annual race named the Coppa Ciano. His car, an Alfa Romeo 12C36, broke its transmission in the second lap. What follows is incredible when comparing with the conditions and constraints of today's competitions.
Nuvolari will not give up. He stops one of his teammates and takes his car, an Alfa Romeo Tipo C 8C-35. Despite the triple handicap of the time lost during the change, of the lower power of his new car and of a seat adjustment not suitable for this little man, Nuvolari wins the race.
The car used in this extraordinary sporting achievement was sold for £ 5.9M by Bonhams on September 14, 2013, lot 235.
Clearly the acceleration of the German technological effort is annoying Alfa Romeo and the team sponsored by that brand, the Scuderia Ferrari. Fortunately for the greatness and excitement of sport, the skill of a great driver can reverse the situation. The public enjoys the feats of Tazio Nuvolari.
Nuvolari is the leader of the Scuderia Ferrari in a lesser annual race named the Coppa Ciano. His car, an Alfa Romeo 12C36, broke its transmission in the second lap. What follows is incredible when comparing with the conditions and constraints of today's competitions.
Nuvolari will not give up. He stops one of his teammates and takes his car, an Alfa Romeo Tipo C 8C-35. Despite the triple handicap of the time lost during the change, of the lower power of his new car and of a seat adjustment not suitable for this little man, Nuvolari wins the race.
The car used in this extraordinary sporting achievement was sold for £ 5.9M by Bonhams on September 14, 2013, lot 235.
8C 2900 B
1
1938
2019 SOLD for € 16.7M by Artcurial
At the time of totalitarianism, motor racing became a major showcase of high-tech know-how. To compete with the Silver Arrows, Alfa Romeo develops a stiffened chassis and an independent suspension with which it equips the Tipo C for the grand prix and the 6C 2300 B for grand touring. Introduced in 1935 the 8C 2900 A targets the endurance racing.
In Milan also, Carrozzeria Touring patented its Superleggera technology : after advanced aerodynamic studies, this company offers all-metal bodies, a novelty at that time.
In 1937 Touring designs two bodies for the new 8C 2900 B : a spider for the short chassis and a berlinetta for the long chassis. The closed cockpit allows a body made entirely of aluminum unlike the spider which requires reinforcements in steel. For this reason the spider is heavier than the coupe. It will also be built for the long chassis.
The total population of 8C 2900 B Touring berlinettas is five units. The second, built in 1938, is titled 1939, the date of its registration in the United Kingdom. It was used sparingly except for a brief period in the 1950s and was carefully maintained by its successive owners without ever being disassembled.
Remaining since 1976 in a single collection, it was sold for € 16.7M by Artcurial on February 8, 2019, lot 20. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Two other 8C 2900 B berlinettas were awarded the highly prestigious Best Of Show of Pebble Beach's Concours d'Elegance, in 2008 and 2018 respectively.
In Milan also, Carrozzeria Touring patented its Superleggera technology : after advanced aerodynamic studies, this company offers all-metal bodies, a novelty at that time.
In 1937 Touring designs two bodies for the new 8C 2900 B : a spider for the short chassis and a berlinetta for the long chassis. The closed cockpit allows a body made entirely of aluminum unlike the spider which requires reinforcements in steel. For this reason the spider is heavier than the coupe. It will also be built for the long chassis.
The total population of 8C 2900 B Touring berlinettas is five units. The second, built in 1938, is titled 1939, the date of its registration in the United Kingdom. It was used sparingly except for a brief period in the 1950s and was carefully maintained by its successive owners without ever being disassembled.
Remaining since 1976 in a single collection, it was sold for € 16.7M by Artcurial on February 8, 2019, lot 20. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Two other 8C 2900 B berlinettas were awarded the highly prestigious Best Of Show of Pebble Beach's Concours d'Elegance, in 2008 and 2018 respectively.
2
1939 Lungo
2016 SOLD for $ 19.8M by RM Sotheby's
Under the direct control of the Italian government, Alfa Romeo improves the performance of its luxury and sports cars throughout the 1930s. The 6-cylinder version (6C) grows in several stages from 1750 to 2500 cc. Aimed at the high end, the 8-cylinder version (8C), created in 1931 with 2300 cc, is fitted with 2900 cc from 1935. The 8C 2900B is available in two lengths from 1937 : Corto and Lungo.
Alfa Romeo has special relationships with two body shops that offer dissimilar products. A 8C 2900B assembled by Pinin Farina in cabriolet was sold for $ 4.1M by Christie's on August 28, 1999, a great price for that time.
In Milan, Carrozzeria Touring patented in 1936 theSuperleggera technology. Alfa Romeo actively supports this development that must enable its Lungo variant to compete advantageously with the too massive Mercedes-Benz 540K. The war interrupted this activity. Note however that in 1939 Alfa Romeo is already offering the features that will make the success of sports cars after the war: the spider from as early as 1931, and the berlinetta.
On August 20, 2016, RM Sotheby's sold as lot 234 for $ 19.8M the culmination of this evolution : an 8C 2900B Lungo bodied in spider superleggera by Touring.
The authenticity of this car is the result of patient and painstaking work by the best specialists of the brand. The oldest traces of its eventful existence date back to the early 1950s in South America. As often, this car had been dismantled by owners seeking the best combination for their cars in competition.
In 1994, convinced that chassis 412041 and body 2027 may come from the same original car, the collector Sam Mann, passionate about automotive engineering, acquires both. The reassembly proves him right : the positions of the bolt holes are consistent, resulting from the work done by Touring workmen around 1939. Despite the extreme rarity of this model, Mann was able to complete this work by assembling an engine and a fuel pump from the original 8C 2900B series.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's TV and another videoshared by RM introducing five vehicles from the Mann collection.
Alfa Romeo has special relationships with two body shops that offer dissimilar products. A 8C 2900B assembled by Pinin Farina in cabriolet was sold for $ 4.1M by Christie's on August 28, 1999, a great price for that time.
In Milan, Carrozzeria Touring patented in 1936 theSuperleggera technology. Alfa Romeo actively supports this development that must enable its Lungo variant to compete advantageously with the too massive Mercedes-Benz 540K. The war interrupted this activity. Note however that in 1939 Alfa Romeo is already offering the features that will make the success of sports cars after the war: the spider from as early as 1931, and the berlinetta.
On August 20, 2016, RM Sotheby's sold as lot 234 for $ 19.8M the culmination of this evolution : an 8C 2900B Lungo bodied in spider superleggera by Touring.
The authenticity of this car is the result of patient and painstaking work by the best specialists of the brand. The oldest traces of its eventful existence date back to the early 1950s in South America. As often, this car had been dismantled by owners seeking the best combination for their cars in competition.
In 1994, convinced that chassis 412041 and body 2027 may come from the same original car, the collector Sam Mann, passionate about automotive engineering, acquires both. The reassembly proves him right : the positions of the bolt holes are consistent, resulting from the work done by Touring workmen around 1939. Despite the extreme rarity of this model, Mann was able to complete this work by assembling an engine and a fuel pump from the original 8C 2900B series.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's TV and another videoshared by RM introducing five vehicles from the Mann collection.
1939 Tipo 256
2014 SOLD for $ 4M by Gooding
Alfa Romeo developed in parallel two product lines for competition, in 6-cylinder and 8-cylinder. The engine volume increases over the years, for the 6C from 1.5 liters in 1926 to 2.5 liters in 1939.
In 1939, the new rules of competition no longer favor the supercharged cars that had built the glory of Alfa Romeo. The Italian manufacturer adapts its new 6C 2500 chassis to create a Super Sport model, also known as Tipo 256.
Twenty Tipo 256 are manufactured simultaneously. They aim to be used in race by both teams sponsored by Alfa Romeo, the Alfa Corse and the Scuderia Ferrari, some cars being also promised to their best customers including the Duce, Benito Mussolini. Note that the recent creation of the Alfa Corse competing with the Scuderia is one of the causes of the final quarrel between Enzo Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.
Some customers prefer to have the Tipo 256 as a cabriolet. One of these cars rebodied in July 1939 by Pinin Farina was perhaps the most expensive Italian car of its time.
Pinin Farina had probably entrusted the design of this one of its kind Alfa Romeo to the most innovative stylist of his time, Count Mario Revelli de Beaumont. Certainly very proud of this masterpiece, Pinin Farina published it as an ad in the July 1940 issue of the Auto Italiana magazine.
This particular car is a true precursor of the admirable postwar Italian cars. Piero Dusio, who created Cisitalia in 1946, owned it from 1940 to 1946.
Well preserved, the Tipo 256 bodied by Pinin Farina was sold for $ 4M by Gooding on August 17, 2014, lot 144.
In 1939, the new rules of competition no longer favor the supercharged cars that had built the glory of Alfa Romeo. The Italian manufacturer adapts its new 6C 2500 chassis to create a Super Sport model, also known as Tipo 256.
Twenty Tipo 256 are manufactured simultaneously. They aim to be used in race by both teams sponsored by Alfa Romeo, the Alfa Corse and the Scuderia Ferrari, some cars being also promised to their best customers including the Duce, Benito Mussolini. Note that the recent creation of the Alfa Corse competing with the Scuderia is one of the causes of the final quarrel between Enzo Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.
Some customers prefer to have the Tipo 256 as a cabriolet. One of these cars rebodied in July 1939 by Pinin Farina was perhaps the most expensive Italian car of its time.
Pinin Farina had probably entrusted the design of this one of its kind Alfa Romeo to the most innovative stylist of his time, Count Mario Revelli de Beaumont. Certainly very proud of this masterpiece, Pinin Farina published it as an ad in the July 1940 issue of the Auto Italiana magazine.
This particular car is a true precursor of the admirable postwar Italian cars. Piero Dusio, who created Cisitalia in 1946, owned it from 1940 to 1946.
Well preserved, the Tipo 256 bodied by Pinin Farina was sold for $ 4M by Gooding on August 17, 2014, lot 144.
1948 6C 2500
2013 SOLD for $ 4.84M by Gooding
After the war, Italians rediscover their passion for motor racing. The Mille Miglia restarts in 1947, followed in 1948 by the Targa Florio which takes the form of a tour of Sicily. Several city-to-city competitions are also organized.
Alfa Romeo is competing with Maserati and also with two new Italian brands, Cisitalia and Ferrari. Aerodynamic improvements revive the popularity of coupes. In parallel, new developments of single-seaters anticipate the Formula 1 which will be created in 1950.
The production of Alfa Romeo had been interrupted by the bombing of the plant in 1944. The evolution of the traditional 6C range of models equipped with a 6-cylinder in line engine is however not forgotten. Alfa Romeo builds in 1948 for competition a small series of three coupes 6C 2500 with a 2.5 liter engine assembled on a chassis 8C 2900 that was shortened and lightened. The bodywork is not subcontracted.
Only one of these three cars survives. It has a rich competition history including four successive participations in the Mille Miglia. It was later one of the Sleeping Beauties of the Dovaz collection where it waited for four decades under the dust a renewed interest in classic cars.
A later collector found, restored and reinstalled its original engine, and re-established this car close to its original configuration. It was sold for $ 4.84M by Gooding in August 2013 from a lower estimate of $ 2.8M and for $ 3.5M by Bonhams on August 24, 2018, lot 99.
Please watch the video prepared by the auction house. The image at Retromobile is shared by Wikimedia with attribution By Thesupermat [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Alfa Romeo is competing with Maserati and also with two new Italian brands, Cisitalia and Ferrari. Aerodynamic improvements revive the popularity of coupes. In parallel, new developments of single-seaters anticipate the Formula 1 which will be created in 1950.
The production of Alfa Romeo had been interrupted by the bombing of the plant in 1944. The evolution of the traditional 6C range of models equipped with a 6-cylinder in line engine is however not forgotten. Alfa Romeo builds in 1948 for competition a small series of three coupes 6C 2500 with a 2.5 liter engine assembled on a chassis 8C 2900 that was shortened and lightened. The bodywork is not subcontracted.
Only one of these three cars survives. It has a rich competition history including four successive participations in the Mille Miglia. It was later one of the Sleeping Beauties of the Dovaz collection where it waited for four decades under the dust a renewed interest in classic cars.
A later collector found, restored and reinstalled its original engine, and re-established this car close to its original configuration. It was sold for $ 4.84M by Gooding in August 2013 from a lower estimate of $ 2.8M and for $ 3.5M by Bonhams on August 24, 2018, lot 99.
Please watch the video prepared by the auction house. The image at Retromobile is shared by Wikimedia with attribution By Thesupermat [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
1953-1954-1955 Three Concept Cars
2020 SOLD for $ 14.8M by Sotheby's in association with RM Sotheby's
The concept car is a marketing operation promoted post war by Harley Earl for General Motors. Production chassis are fitted with futuristic bodies and displayed in the Motor Shows to elicit reactions from the public and the journalists.
Franco Scaglione is a stylist with an experience in clothing. The car is his passion. Before the war, he had a training in aeronautics and his project is to design an aerodynamic car. Of course he will have to cooperate with a coachbuilder.
Manufacturers have their own design offices and their sub-contractors and are reluctant to hand over such major tasks to an ambitious newcomer. Bertone finally accepts. On the Fiat stand at the Turin Motor Show in 1952, the Abarth 1500 Biposto is a concept car designed by Scaglione and built by Bertone.
In the same year, Alfa Romeo chooses Carrozzeria Touring over Bertone for the design of its new racing car, the Disco Volante. The Bertone-Scaglione team persevers however and develops the B.A.T. (Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica) based on the road going Alfa Romeo 1900.
Three concept cars are exhibited by Bertone at the Turin Motor Show : the B.A.T. 5 in 1953, the B.A.T. 7 in 1954 and the B.A.T. 9d in 1955. The B.A.T. 5 has already reduced the drag coefficient below 0.25, making it possible to push the modest Alfa to nearly 200 km/h. The B.A.T. 7 is a further improvement in aerodynamics while the B.A.T. 9d responds to a request from Alfa Romeo to provide a road version.
These performances are all the more remarkable as they are solely due to Scaglione's pencil and Bertone's know-how, without wind tunnel tuning and of course without a computer. With such simplification of forms, the three B.A.T. are works of art.
Each of these prototypes was sold after its Salon. They were brought together for the first time in their history at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1989 in the presence of Bertone, following which a keen collector managed to acquire all three vehicles. The trio was sold for $ 14.8M on October 28, 2020 by Sotheby's in association with RM Sotheby's, lot 38. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
The image is shared by Wikimedia. The licensing tag was added to this file as part of the GFDL licensing update.
Franco Scaglione is a stylist with an experience in clothing. The car is his passion. Before the war, he had a training in aeronautics and his project is to design an aerodynamic car. Of course he will have to cooperate with a coachbuilder.
Manufacturers have their own design offices and their sub-contractors and are reluctant to hand over such major tasks to an ambitious newcomer. Bertone finally accepts. On the Fiat stand at the Turin Motor Show in 1952, the Abarth 1500 Biposto is a concept car designed by Scaglione and built by Bertone.
In the same year, Alfa Romeo chooses Carrozzeria Touring over Bertone for the design of its new racing car, the Disco Volante. The Bertone-Scaglione team persevers however and develops the B.A.T. (Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica) based on the road going Alfa Romeo 1900.
Three concept cars are exhibited by Bertone at the Turin Motor Show : the B.A.T. 5 in 1953, the B.A.T. 7 in 1954 and the B.A.T. 9d in 1955. The B.A.T. 5 has already reduced the drag coefficient below 0.25, making it possible to push the modest Alfa to nearly 200 km/h. The B.A.T. 7 is a further improvement in aerodynamics while the B.A.T. 9d responds to a request from Alfa Romeo to provide a road version.
These performances are all the more remarkable as they are solely due to Scaglione's pencil and Bertone's know-how, without wind tunnel tuning and of course without a computer. With such simplification of forms, the three B.A.T. are works of art.
Each of these prototypes was sold after its Salon. They were brought together for the first time in their history at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1989 in the presence of Bertone, following which a keen collector managed to acquire all three vehicles. The trio was sold for $ 14.8M on October 28, 2020 by Sotheby's in association with RM Sotheby's, lot 38. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
The image is shared by Wikimedia. The licensing tag was added to this file as part of the GFDL licensing update.
