The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
By Paul Wilson
The doors and body sides of my BAT were the last major areas to be built, and not an appealing job–lots of mechanical puzzles and fitting, no real design decisions. So all work and no play.
Well, almost. I did have some fun considering the addition of 300SL-like louvered vents behind the front wheels. They look great on the Mercedes, and would nicely fit that panel behind my car’s front wheels. Both BAT 7 and the 300SL appeared in 1954, so they’re just right for the period.
Story by Paul Wilson
From the Archives, April, 2023
I’ve decided to build an Alfa BAT. Yes, I know it’s a crazy idea. The Men in White Coats, always worried about my sanity, will come for me if they find out. I hope they don’t read VeloceToday.
We’re all familiar with BAT 5, BAT 7, and BAT 9, experimental cars built on Alfa 1900 chassis in the ‘50s. Of course they were presented as studies in aerodynamics; the air flow theme dominates the designs. But this was just an excuse for making the wildest, most extravagant sculpture ever put on four wheels. It’s their function as expressive forms, not their drag reduction features, that gives them their status today.
Everybody agrees that they’re exciting, original, and eye-catching. But are they beautiful?
Story and photos by Paul Wilson
Those breaking-wave fins are the feature that I love best about BAT 7, and with just minor changes, I wanted similar ones on my BAT. For better side vision, mine would rise from slightly further back. I don’t think that large slot in the tall areas has enough thematic connection with the overall design. And on the sides, did I want the crease extending back from the top fender line to fully disappear, as it does on BAT 7, or continue all the way to the rear? Yet again, I had the rare advantage of being both the designer and fabricator. I could make up something, see if I liked it, and change it if I thought it could be improved. [Read more…] about Building BAT Better Part 5
Story and photos by Paul Wilson
To have any hope of finishing my BAT, I needed to take as many shortcuts as possible. An obvious one was to use parts from other cars if they were near-duplicates of the vision in my mind. The roof of a VW Karmann-Ghia, for example, was all but perfect. I couldn’t improve on the side window profile, and it was the right height and width. A windshield with more slope, and a rounded base at the cowl, would have been ideal. But making a custom roof, getting glass to fit, finding seals, just for minor improvements? It didn’t make sense. I got a K-G roof, which looks just fine.
Story and photos (except as noted) by Paul Wilson
When designing and building my BAT, I started with the front fenders. I liked BAT 7’s fender profile, but not the enclosed wheels. So, what would it look like with full wheel openings? Starting with a photo of the original, I got to work with Photoshop. The result was an improvement, I thought, but a bit bland. A BAT should be radical. How about borrowing the Lotus Mark 9’s sweeping line, with an air exit behind the wheel for brake cooling?
By Paul Wilson
Enclosed wheels, fins, and teardrop shapes, the defining elements of the BATs, were the height of fashion in the early ‘50s. Even then, all were controversial, and no other cars took them to such extremes. We need to look at this design environment to appreciate how the BATs expressed their times.
Story by Paul Wilson
I’ve decided to build an Alfa BAT. Yes, I know it’s a crazy idea. The Men in White Coats, always worried about my sanity, will come for me if they find out. I hope they don’t read VeloceToday.
We’re all familiar with BAT 5, BAT 7, and BAT 9, experimental cars built on Alfa 1900 chassis in the ‘50s. Of course they were presented as studies in aerodynamics; the air flow theme dominates the designs. But this was just an excuse for making the wildest, most extravagant sculpture ever put on four wheels. It’s their function as expressive forms, not their drag reduction features, that gives them their status today.
Everybody agrees that they’re exciting, original, and eye-catching. But are they beautiful?