Futuristic car of the Fifties finds a place in history

AN Alfa Romeo BAT 7 (Berlina Aerodinamica Technica), one of three cars built between 1953 and 1955 by Franco Scaglione of the coach-builders Bertone for Alfa. They were design excercises employing aerodynamic principles from aircraft design. They have drag coefficients lower than that of the current Ferrari Testarossa.

The cars are owned by a Japanese collector, who paid about dollars 18m (pounds 12.5m) to assemble the set in 1990.

They are to be sold by Coys of Kensington at Silverstone in July and are expected to make dollars 4m (pounds 2.8m).

(Photograph omitted)