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08/08/2020 9:31 am
A little earlier some mention was made about the Alfa Romeo BAT cars. And it reminded me of seeing three of them in a showroom window in Illinois probably around 1957 or so. It was a Sunday cruise with my brothers in our folks car (we were skipping church) We were in Oak Park on Madison Avenue. The three were all Alfa Romeo BAT(s) and each one a little more swoopy than the one next to it. Maybe two were the same color but they were like silver or a soft metallic blue. Does anyone know how many BAT's were built? At that time we were car lovers but not foreign cars. Not that long ago. And also what companies make BAT models?
08/08/2020 10:47 am
08/08/2020 11:17 am
1/43 - SMTS, Looksmart, Bizarre, Autocult... Did I miss one? pics
MAR Online article: The BATS Are Back!
BAT 5:photo no longer available
BAT 7:
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BAT 9:
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08/08/2020 12:00 pm
Neat story Karl - I kept missing out on the BATs until the Autocult ones ...
came along then it was touch and go whether I managed to get all three.
Chris
Autominologist residing in the Robin Hood County
Nottinghamshire England UK
08/08/2020 12:28 pm
And Provence Moulage.
08/08/2020 3:32 pm
I also saw them at the Frist. What an amazing show that was!
Retired in Dunedin, Florida.
08/08/2020 5:05 pm
And Design Studio (Pic)
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08/08/2020 5:30 pm
I once had the built version of the Design Studio.
08/08/2020 5:33 pm
As Karl says, I have a few BATs, specifically the three AutoCults (pics).
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09/08/2020 12:22 am
Karl, what’s the story behind the Bizarre's red BAT 9?
Autominologist residing in the Robin Hood County
Nottinghamshire England UK
09/08/2020 2:58 am
Design Studio SMTS BAT 5 and 7 -pic
I thought Design Studio was just a brand of SMTS but maybe they were independent? I have their built 5 and 7.
BAT 7:
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09/08/2020 3:59 am
Red BAT - from what I have read, all three BATS ended up in the US because...
Wacky Arnolt (corrected) bought them all and sent them to the US. There are photos online of BAT 7 and 9 in red, probably in the US, so I assume he painted them both (or all 3?). See https://www.jackshepherdson.com/automotive/2018/4/24/the-life-of-the-alfa-romeo-bats
Here is the 16 yr old in front of BAT 9 he purchased in Mchigan, USA!
(source: https://michigantoday.umich.edu/2015/06/16/the-real-batman/)
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09/08/2020 5:12 am
Hey let's get that spelling right Karl! 🙂
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09/08/2020 8:39 am
I do believe that Arnolt owned or rented that store. My memory isn't too clear of what year it was but it would be nice to know what colors the cars were at that time. And I am also surprised that there were only three BATs. I think possibly they were in town for that year's Chicago Auto Show. But I can't remember if he was an Alfa Romeo dealer then either. I think he acquired them from his association with Mr. Bertone. But that's a guess.
09/08/2020 2:46 pm
I have a book on Bertone that has a picture of BAT 5 at the Turin show in 1953.
At the upper right of the picture can be seen the Bertone-bodied MG that would become the Arnolt-MG. This was the show where Arnolt placed his order for 200 of the special-bodied MG TDs. So yeah, he definitely knew about the BATs.
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