The Three Original BAT cars. From left: BAT 5, BAT 7, BAT 9 Alfa Romeo BAT 7 Alfa Romeo B.A.T. 9

Alfa Romeo contacted Giuseppe “Nuccio” Bertone of the Bertone design house and commissioned three concept vehicles to research the effects of drag on a vehicle. The idea was to create vehicles with the lowest possible drag coefficient. The cars were named BAT for “Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica.” All the cars featured large rear bumpers and curved fins. They were built upon the Alfa Romeo 1900 chassis. Each of the three cars was presented at the Turin Auto Show, in 1953, 1954 and 1955 respectively.

The lowest of the three cars’ drag coefficient was 0,19, an achievement even by today’s standards. For each of the cars, Alfa Romeo provided a five-speed gearbox and a powerful four-cylinder engine that produced more than 90 horsepower (67 kW), good enough to propel the car to a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h).

Tags: #Italian #Franco Scaglione #1953 #1954 #1955 #50s

The 1956 Buick Centurion was an aerodynamic four-seat coupe with a patented rear-mounted television camera to provide a rear view to the driver. Front seats automatically slid back when the doors were opened for easier entry and also moved forward to provide entry and exit to the back seats. A cantilevered steering wheel positioned the steering shaft down the centre of the car, allowing more legroom for the driver.

Tags: #American #Chuck Jordan #bubble top #1956 #50s

The Ford Nucleon is a concept car designed by Jim Powers as a future nuclear-powered car, one of a handful of such designs during the 1950s and ’60s. The concept was only demonstrated as a scale model. The design did not include an internal-combustion engine; rather, the vehicle was to be powered by a small nuclear reactor in the rear of the vehicle, based on the assumption that this would one day be possible by reducing sizes. The car was to use a steam engine powered by uranium fission similar to those found in nuclear submarines

Tags: #American #Jim Powers #1958 #50s

Designed by Marcello Gandini of Bertone, it was created to supply Ferruccio Lamborghini with a true four-seater car for his lineup which already included the 400GT 2+2 and the Miura. It was distinguished by amply glazed gull-wing doors and an equally amply louvered rear window. Propulsion was by a 2.0 L 175 bhp (130 kW) inline-six engine, actually a split-in-half version of Lamborghini’s 4.0 L V12, mated to a 5-speed transmission.

Tags: #Italian #Marcello Gandini #1967 #60s

Alfa Romeo Carabo is a concept car first shown at the 1968 Paris Motor Show. It was designed by Marcello Gandini, working for the Bertone design studio. The Carabo name is derived from the Carabidae beetles, as evoked by the car’s iridescent green and orange coloring.

The wedge design came into fashion in the late 1960s. The Carabo is often considered the winner of the ‘Wedge War’ award of 1968 and as the direct predecessor of the Lamborghini Countach and having heavily influenced many car designs to follow well into the next decade. It was never intended for production but was fully functional and showcased features never expressed in any other car design of its day, including its wedge design and scissor doors.

The prototype was built on the chassis of an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, which features a mid-mounted 2.0 L V8 engine mated to a 6-speed Colotti manual transmission. The Carabo engine made 230 bhp (172 kW; 233 PS) at 8,800 rpm and 200 N⋅m (150 lb⋅ft) of torque at 7,000 rpm. This allowed it to be able to reach a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph)

Tags: #Italian #Marcello Gandini #1968 #60s

The Ferrari 512S Modulo is a concept sports car designed by Paolo Martin of the Italian carozzeria Pininfarina, unveiled at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show.

The Modulo has an extremely low and wedge-shaped body, with a canopy-style glass roof that slides forward to permit entry to the cabin of the car. All four wheels are partly covered. Another special feature of the design are 24 holes in the engine cover that reveal the Ferrari V12 engine which develops 550 hp (410 kW) to propel the Modulo to a top speed of 220 mph (354 km/h) and from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.1 seconds

Tags: #Italian #Paolo Martin #1970 #70s

The Mercedes-Benz C111 was a series of experimental automobiles produced by Mercedes-Benz in the 1960s and 1970s. The company was experimenting with new engine technologies, including Wankel engines, diesel engines, and turbochargers, and used the basic C111 platform as a testbed. Other experimental features included multi-link rear suspension, gull-wing doors and a luxurious interior with leather trim and air conditioning.

Tags: #German #Bruno Sacco #1969 #1970 #1977 #60s #70s