Concept Car of the Week: Alfa Romeo BAT 7

This week sees the Concept of the Week title go to Alfa Romeo and Bertone for their collaboration on the Alfa Romeo BAT 7, the second addition to the BAT series that began in 1953 and finished in 1955. First seen at the 1954 Turin motor show, this wildly futuristic ‘dream' car came about after Alfa Romeo contacted Giuseppe "Nuccio" Bertone of the Bertone carrozeria to commission three concepts with the lowest possible drag coefficient. The cars were named BAT for "Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica." Built upon the Alfa Romeo 1900 chassis, the BAT cars featured large rear bumpers and curved fins, and the concepts achieved a drag coefficient of just 0.19 - an impressive result.

Shelby-Prudhomme Super Snake Ford Mustang takes another chomp

This isn't a wheels-and-wings, limited-edition Mustang kit. Horsepower entrepreneur Carroll Shelby and drag-racing legend Don Prudhomme teamed up to produce the Prudhomme Edition Shelby Super Snake, an 800-hp monster Mustang based on 2007 and later Shelby GT500s. The Snake features a Kenny Bell/Shelby supercharger under a custom forward-tilting fiberglass hood.

Businessman opens private toll road

THE BUSINESSMAN behind a private toll road by-passing a closed commuter route is confident he will not have to sell his home if the venture fails. Mike Watts, 62, has until Christmas to recoup his £300,000 investment or face losing his house. He is charging motorists £2 per journey to use his bypass made from rolled chippings and avoid the closed section of the A431 between Bath and Bristol.