1959 Fiat-OSCA 1500 Aerodynamica Berlinetta
Franco Scaglione’s B.A.T. series for Alfa Romeo remains one of the most radical aerodynamic exercises in postwar automotive design, and its influence is unmistakable on this Fiat-OSCA 1500 Aerodynamica Berlinetta.
One of two cars built to this Scaglione design at Carrozzeria Bertone, it presents dramatic rear fins, compound curves broken by sharp creases, and a low, compact silhouette finished in its original silver.
The oversized hood scoop (required to clear the twin-cam cylinder head) distinguishes it from the companion Fiat 1200-based car and announces the more potent specification beneath.
Power comes from the 1,491cc OSCA “Bialbero” double-overhead-camshaft inline four, developed by the Maserati brothers after founding OSCA in 1947 following their departure from Maserati.
Fed by a single downdraft Weber carburetor, the engine produces approximately 95 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and drives through a four-speed manual gearbox. The interior, trimmed in blue leather piped in white, is accessed through front-hinged doors and features a Nardi steering wheel and gold-faced instrumentation in metric units (details that reinforce its Italian origins and motor show provenance).
The car appeared at the 1959 Turin Auto Show and subsequently at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show before vanishing from public record for decades. As the sole OSCA-powered example of the two-car run, it occupies a singular position at the intersection of Italian racing engineering and mid-century coachbuilding.
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