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The Bat Alfa, which one did Sal DiNatali own?

Discussion in 'Other Italian' started by bitzman, Jul 28, 2012.

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  1. bitzman

    bitzman F1 Rookie
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    #1 bitzman, Jul 28, 2012
    I once visited a garage in the SF valley in LA where Sal DiNatili repaired cars.
    i was told he owned a BAT without the fins.
    I guess someone went to Italy and bought it , but I was wondering
    which of the restored ones it was? I think I saw all three at Concorso Italiano.
    Was the car generally pretty decrepit? Why would someone have cut off the fins?
    Are all the BATS owned by different parties?If so it's commendable that the owners can get together to show their cars together. Are they going to be at any of the Monterey events this year?
     
  2. Miltonian

    Miltonian F1 Veteran

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    #2 Miltonian, Jul 29, 2012
    Salvatore di Natale owned BAT 7.
     
  3. bitzman

    bitzman F1 Rookie
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    #3 bitzman, Jul 30, 2012
    I figure it must have been too low because he went
    to the expense of shipping it back to Italy.
    I am familiar with story of American buyer going
    to Italy and unearthing it. I wonder what it cost to restore it and what shop restored it?
    I figure $250,000 would be a good starting figure.
     
  4. anton

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    #4 anton, Jul 30, 2012
    I don't know how much it cost but the panelwork was all done by Sebastian Dominguez with assistance from Kenton Lotz, here in LA.
     
  5. davidedegiorgi

    davidedegiorgi Rookie

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    #5 davidedegiorgi, Aug 14, 2012
    From what I read around the fins were chopped off shortly after the car arrived in the States. The article I found said that the car was used in races for quite a few years and someone must have thought they were not effective.. sigh...
    Apparently so far no one managed to recreate the perfect symmetry of the finns.

    Is this true?
     
  6. velocetwo

    velocetwo F1 World Champ

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    #6 velocetwo, Aug 14, 2012
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  7. davidedegiorgi

    davidedegiorgi Rookie

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    #7 davidedegiorgi, Aug 14, 2012
    img_2075.jpg shows what I meant with the "lost symmetry" of the finns.
    What a shame.
     
  8. velocetwo

    velocetwo F1 World Champ

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    #8 velocetwo, Aug 14, 2012
    One of the cars was in San Francisco for a number of years my dad mentioned it to me when I was a kid back in the sixty's, I got excited because I thought it was "The Batmobile" like in Batman, but was disappointed to find out it was some strange Alfa Romeo from italy.
     
  9. davidedegiorgi

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    #9 davidedegiorgi, Aug 14, 2012
    eh eh eh.
    Sure is a catchy name for kids.
    I learned to love "Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica" even more thou. ;)
     
  10. anton

    anton Karting

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    #10 anton, Dec 29, 2012
    I don't see any "lost symmetry" I watched Sebastion and Ken as they recreated the fins and they look perfect to me. I took the late Strother Macminn to see it and he thought they were a work of art and perfect as well.
    TK
     
  11. tritone

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    #11 tritone, Dec 29, 2012
    me too......not seeing "the lost symmetry"......pls be more specific!
     
  12. davidedegiorgi

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    #12 davidedegiorgi, Dec 30, 2012
    Right finn seems lower that the left one. Just a tiny bit. Is it just the perspective?
    I might be wrong, obviously.
     
  13. jm2

    jm2 F1 World Champ
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    #13 jm2, Dec 30, 2012
    If Strother checked them out & said they were good..................then they're good!!!
     
  14. tritone

    tritone F1 Veteran
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    #14 tritone, Dec 30, 2012
    Yes; if SM blessed them, they were probably OK; he had a pretty good eye (for an old guy ;)

    But yes, I think it's down to the perspective of the lens....
     
  15. Ed Niles

    Ed Niles Formula 3
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    #15 Ed Niles, Jan 8, 2013
    Sal tried for years to sell it to the Alfa museum, but they wanted it free. Along the way he stored the windshield in the garage of an acquaintance and then lost the address! As prices rose he stored this car and his Maser Zagato in Sicily to get the "brokers" off his back. In the end he was smarter than the rest of us! I still have the recurring dream that I forgot a 250GT that was stored at Sal's, and rediscovered it to find that it was now a $3M car! Oh well.
     
  16. stevenwk

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    #16 stevenwk, Jan 9, 2013
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  17. messano

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    #17 messano, Feb 5, 2013
    I have a 1962 Maserati Sebring that is at Rick Fitzgerald's Restoration in El Segundo that he is painting for me. He is the man who painted the BAT 7 back in the mid 80's. He knows his craft and does it well.
     
  18. bitzman

    bitzman F1 Rookie
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    #18 bitzman, Feb 5, 2013
    And was it finless when sold?
    I guess its long sleep in Italy was worth it because for an American to go over there to see it would have taken a bucks up enthusiast.
     

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