3 stunning 1950s-era concept cars have hit the market and are expected to rake in up to $20 million at auction

Alfa Romeo Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica concepts.Ron Kimball/RM Sotheby's

• Three beautiful midcentury concept cars are expected to rake in as much as $20 million at auction later this month.
• Alfa Romeo commissioned the BAT 5, 7, and 9d as studies in aerodynamic efficiency and revealed them in 1953, 1954, and 1955, respectively.
• A collector bought all three cars in 1989 and will sell them as a package October 28 through RM Sotheby's.

Three stunning Alfa Romeo concept cars from the 1950s will go up for sale on October 28, and they're expected to fetch up to $20 million at auction.

The trio of one-off vehicles — the Berlina Aerodynamica Tecnica 5, 7, and 9d — were studies in aerodynamic efficiency commissioned by Alfa Romeo and built by design studio Bertone from 1953 to 1955. In that pursuit of minimal drag and optimal efficiency, Bertone created some of the most elegant, beautiful concept cars of all time.

The models all sport futuristic styling that looks right out of "The Jetsons," with swooping lines, teardrop shapes, and giant wing-like fins that make the acronym BAT an apt description. RM Sotheby's is selling the striking cars as a set — not during a car auction, however, but alongside contemporary art.

The classic-car market is still going strong, despite the pandemic-fueled economic downturn. As auction houses moved their events online, they brokered some of the most expensive web-based sales ever. RM Sotheby's, for its part, sold a 2003 Ferrari Enzo sold for $2.6 million in June.

Take a closer look at the BAT concepts below: