The three Alfa Romeo BAT concepts, or Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica, were sold at Sotheby's for $ 14.84 million.
The sale took place a few days ago at the auction included in a Contemporary Art Evening, held in New York.
The three cars were sold together, in a single lot, for a record amount that, translated into euros, exceeds twelve million and six hundred thousand.
The three concepts are those designed by Franco Scaglione and produced by Carrozzeria Bertone in the 1950s and which before the auction had been estimated for a total value of between 14 and 20 million dollars.
The concepts BAT 5, 7 and 9, those object of the auction, were produced by Bertone for the 1953, 1954 and 1955 editions of the Turin Motor Show, where they caused a sensation for their unprecedented aerodynamic qualities, different for each model.
The first, called BAT 5, is covered with an anthracite livery and its peculiarity lies in being able to benefit from an air penetration coefficient of 0.23, which allowed it to run at 200 km / h at maximum speed, despite the relatively powerful power of a 90 hp 4-cylinder engine.
The BAT 7 concept, from 1954, the one with the blue livery, is proposed instead as an evolution of the BAT 5 model and shows a cx of 0.19 even better than that of the BAT 5.
The Alfa Romeo BAT 9, on the other hand, offers Franco Scaglione's vision of a GT more suitable for everyday use on the road, born from the synthesis of the other two models.
The famous Alfa Romeo trio are considered to be among the most important examples of 20th century vehicle models and have established themselves among the most spectacular and memorable automotive designs ever produced.
The three cars were more than just design studios, but rather a showcase of what the best manufacturers in the world could create.
At the same time, the three BAT models were also an effective demonstration of the forward-thinking design engineering of advanced aerodynamics.
Though designed around modest Alfa Romeo road chassis, the cars wowed audiences with a hitherto unknown blend of design and mechanical efficiency, all peppered with more than just a hint of fantasy and science fiction.