Evaluation: Very good clearcoat paint save for blisters on the right a-pillar. Good chrome and glass with minor scratches particularly on the side windows. Older gauge faces, beautiful upholstery and interior trim, flat panels and even gaps. Lightly crazed rear-window Plexiglas, dangling grille gasket.
Bottom line: B.A.T. 9 is the final iteration of the Bertone/Scaglione collaboration. It is more practical, with smaller, lower, rounded fins for better rear visibility (something neither B.A.T. 5 or 7 had in any practical degree) and an Alfa Romeo Giulietta shield grille element to recognize the origin of its chassis and driveline. Whereas the front wheels were still mostly hidden under the fenders, the rears were exposed in more conventional wheel arches. A chrome-accented mid-body beltline accented the doors and tail. Long owned by Northern Michigan dentist Dr. Gary Kaberle, who so regretted selling it that he later commissioned a B.A.T. 11 concept that was displayed at Pebble Beach in 2009. Only in the company of B.A.T.s 5 and 7 is B.A.T. 9 conventional. Sold as a group at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening auction, the B.A.T.s just nudged over their optimistic low estimate when the commission was included, a collection of three of the most important, vibrant and imaginative automobiles ever created or offered for sale as a group.
