Italy's idea of a fast touring motor car, the 115 mph, 2.5-liter Lancia Aurelia "provides rapid, effortless, and very secure travel for two and masses of luggage in a car which is responsive, stable and well braked." So pronounced "Motor Sport" when they
Italy's idea of a fast touring motor car, the 115 mph, 2.5-liter Lancia Aurelia "provides rapid, effortless, and very secure travel for two and masses of luggage in a car which is responsive, stable and well braked." So pronounced "Motor Sport" when they
Italy's idea of a fast touring motor car, the 115 mph, 2.5-liter Lancia Aurelia "provides rapid, effortless, and very secure travel for two and masses of luggage in a car which is responsive, stable and well braked." So pronounced "Motor Sport" when they road tested a Lancia Aurelia B20 GT in February 1956.
The Aurelia was designed by Gianni Lancia and Vittono Jano and first appeared in 1.8-liter form in 1951. The Gran Turismo Aurelia won the two-liter class in the 1951 Le Mans at 82.14 mph for 1,971 miles, came second in the Mille Miglia and dominated the Pescara Six Hour Race. The advanced, beautifully engineered Aurelia (its engine was the first production V6 in the world) was developed in subsequent years, the engine being enlarged to 2,451 cc as in this model.
The Aurelia pictured here is described as a superb driver quality restoration. Prior to restoration this convertible was a solid, rust-free, undamaged vehicle which was believed to have covered very few miles from new. Recent cosmetic work has included new paint, new leather upholstery, Wilton wool carpets and covers, tonneau cover, shoulder harness/lap belts to match the upholstery, a new battery and new rubber weatherstrips and seals. The vehicle is also supplied with a Beverly Hills car cover.
Thousands of dollars' worth of work has gone into the mechanical upkeep and improvements since the current owner purchased the car a few years ago as a newly finished restoration project which required final sorting and detail work. The vendor describes the car as being in excellent condition except for the top which is original from new and a few small stone chips and blemishes in the paintwork. The car has also proven its mechanical reliability by completing about five Mille Miglia-type road events, including the California Mille Miglia three times, in which it performed faultlessly. It is constantly maintained by the present owner who is a surgeon and car enthusiast and has just over 32,000 miles on the odometer which the owner believes is from new.
SCM Analysis
Detailing
| Vehicle: | 1957 Lancia Aurelia B24S |
If memory serves, this is the car that came from British Colombia, through SCM subscriber Barry Russinof to the current owner.
The gavel fell at $65,000 at Christie’s Pebble Beach auction on August 17, 1997. While the Aurelia Spyder, with its curved windshield, represents a more pure visual statement, Lancia enthusiasts ten to agree that the convertible is actually much more pleasant to live with on vintage events, due to its superior weather sealing. Not, of course, that it ever rains on a a vintage event.
This price, while at the top of the market for a convertible, was appropriate for the condition and fettled nature of the car. – ED.