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Details
1951 LANCIA AURELIA B50 CONVERTIBLE
COACHWORK BY PININFARINA
Chassis No. B50 1285
Engine No. B10*2008
Grigio Conchiglia (shell grey) with chocolate gray leather and gray piping to the interior with black top
Engine: V6, overhead valves, 1,754cc, 56bhp at 4,000rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual; Suspension: sliding pillar to the front and independent with coil springs and semi-trailing link to the rear; Brakes: drums all around. Right hand drive.
Vincenzo Lancia left his job at FIAT at the turn of the last century and founded his automobile company 100 years ago, in 1906. From the start, he sought out elegant and some would say complicated solutions to design challenges and the products of Lancia quickly became known as trendsetting and superbly built. This culminated before World War II with the introduction of the Aprilia, a streamlined, unibodied V4 with a fully independent suspension in 1937. Unfortunately, Vincenzo died before the car was introduced and never was able to appreciate its success. The company was taken over by his son Gianni, who was to push the company to some of its greatest heights as well as to the first of its near collapses.
The first new post-war Lancia was the Aurelia. Designed by Vittorio Jano, late of Alfa Romeo, its specification is still impressive, and it was truly stunning for 1950. The first production V6 engine, a rear transaxle with a four speed synchromesh transmission, in-board mounted rear brakes and the first semi-trailing arm rear suspension, all in a clean, smooth, pillarless unit bodied, four door sedan. The original B10 sedan was joined in 1951 by a coupe, the B20GT, with a larger uprated engine, lighter weight, higher gearing and a shorter wheelbase. The B24 Spider America, an open variant, arrived in 1954 and after a short run of 240 units was replaced by the B24 convertible in 1955. The sedan also benefited from the engine enhancements, with a B21 model arriving in 1952 sharing the new larger power plant.
The number of custom bodied cars declined rapidly after World War II due both to the economic constraints of the post-war period as well as the rise of unit construction in the place of separate chassis. Although the Aurelia was designed with a unit body, Lancia also created a platform chassis upon which coachbuilders could place their work. The initial chassis was designated B50 and had a longer wheelbase than the B10 sedan but shared the single carburetor 1,754cc engine.
Most of the major Italian design houses built limited series of cars on the B50 platform, mostly coupes and a few sedans from Vignale, Allemano, Castagna, Bertone, Ghia, Boneschi and Viotti, among others. Usually produced in 5 to 25 examples, they dealt with the rather long wheelbase with varying degrees of success.
The first to body the B50 chassis however was Pininfarina, who arguably created the most attractive design to grace the platform. Their elegant 2+2 convertible was also the most popular of the coachbuilt Aurelias, with 265 built out of the 484 B50 chassis made. In fact, the Pininfarina convertible was offered as an official catalogue model of the factory through all their dealers.
The success of these top-of-the-line Aurelias, while the production of the coachbuilt Alfa Romeos steadily declined, made them the Italian prestige car of the moment. The classic lines, which Pininfarina adopted to at least one Rolls-Royce and several Bentley chassis, and the high level of detail, fit and finish made them the equal of any luxury touring car in the immediate post-war period.
This example was built in late 1950, the first year of production and is believed to be the Pininfarina Geneva Motor Show Car of 1951. Because the Pininfarina convertible was sold as a part of the Lancia line through dealers, the coachbuilder reserved the right to build some slightly more 'custom' examples which could be sold directly by design house. These were characterized by many special features as seen on this example, such as the perforated exhaust silencer covers as well as unique decorative chrome trim on the rear fender panels. Other stylish details include front turn signals with a 'cut glass' design in the lens.
The car was sold off the Geneva Show stand to a woman in England, who in 1953 sold it to a buyer in America. The car remained with him in Virginia until his death in 1995 at which time it was passed on to his son. A friend of the vendor purchased the car from the son in 1998 and sold it on to the current owner in running, unrestored condition in mid-1999. A slow and careful restoration was begun in 2000 and was finished just in time for the car to be shown at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. There, against stiff competition, it achieved a third place award in the Pininfarina class.
Having only been driven approximately 50 miles since the restoration, this example is superb and correct in all respects with absolutely no ascertainable flaws whatsoever. The 34,000km showing on the odometer is believed original, and with the limited and fully known provenance, is quite likely. The car retains its original tools, Marchal headlamps and foglamps. The soft colors of the car show the clean lines off to maximum advantage. It is in our opinion that this is arguably the finest example of the model extant.
The Lancia Aurelia is acknowledged to be one of the great post-war cars with engineering and design far ahead of its time. The Pininfarina convertible on offer here is one of the most elegant and sophisticated expressions of the Aurelia and would immediately be at home in the leading international concours displays of the world or a proud addition to any major collection.
COACHWORK BY PININFARINA
Chassis No. B50 1285
Engine No. B10*2008
Grigio Conchiglia (shell grey) with chocolate gray leather and gray piping to the interior with black top
Engine: V6, overhead valves, 1,754cc, 56bhp at 4,000rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual; Suspension: sliding pillar to the front and independent with coil springs and semi-trailing link to the rear; Brakes: drums all around. Right hand drive.
Vincenzo Lancia left his job at FIAT at the turn of the last century and founded his automobile company 100 years ago, in 1906. From the start, he sought out elegant and some would say complicated solutions to design challenges and the products of Lancia quickly became known as trendsetting and superbly built. This culminated before World War II with the introduction of the Aprilia, a streamlined, unibodied V4 with a fully independent suspension in 1937. Unfortunately, Vincenzo died before the car was introduced and never was able to appreciate its success. The company was taken over by his son Gianni, who was to push the company to some of its greatest heights as well as to the first of its near collapses.
The first new post-war Lancia was the Aurelia. Designed by Vittorio Jano, late of Alfa Romeo, its specification is still impressive, and it was truly stunning for 1950. The first production V6 engine, a rear transaxle with a four speed synchromesh transmission, in-board mounted rear brakes and the first semi-trailing arm rear suspension, all in a clean, smooth, pillarless unit bodied, four door sedan. The original B10 sedan was joined in 1951 by a coupe, the B20GT, with a larger uprated engine, lighter weight, higher gearing and a shorter wheelbase. The B24 Spider America, an open variant, arrived in 1954 and after a short run of 240 units was replaced by the B24 convertible in 1955. The sedan also benefited from the engine enhancements, with a B21 model arriving in 1952 sharing the new larger power plant.
The number of custom bodied cars declined rapidly after World War II due both to the economic constraints of the post-war period as well as the rise of unit construction in the place of separate chassis. Although the Aurelia was designed with a unit body, Lancia also created a platform chassis upon which coachbuilders could place their work. The initial chassis was designated B50 and had a longer wheelbase than the B10 sedan but shared the single carburetor 1,754cc engine.
Most of the major Italian design houses built limited series of cars on the B50 platform, mostly coupes and a few sedans from Vignale, Allemano, Castagna, Bertone, Ghia, Boneschi and Viotti, among others. Usually produced in 5 to 25 examples, they dealt with the rather long wheelbase with varying degrees of success.
The first to body the B50 chassis however was Pininfarina, who arguably created the most attractive design to grace the platform. Their elegant 2+2 convertible was also the most popular of the coachbuilt Aurelias, with 265 built out of the 484 B50 chassis made. In fact, the Pininfarina convertible was offered as an official catalogue model of the factory through all their dealers.
The success of these top-of-the-line Aurelias, while the production of the coachbuilt Alfa Romeos steadily declined, made them the Italian prestige car of the moment. The classic lines, which Pininfarina adopted to at least one Rolls-Royce and several Bentley chassis, and the high level of detail, fit and finish made them the equal of any luxury touring car in the immediate post-war period.
This example was built in late 1950, the first year of production and is believed to be the Pininfarina Geneva Motor Show Car of 1951. Because the Pininfarina convertible was sold as a part of the Lancia line through dealers, the coachbuilder reserved the right to build some slightly more 'custom' examples which could be sold directly by design house. These were characterized by many special features as seen on this example, such as the perforated exhaust silencer covers as well as unique decorative chrome trim on the rear fender panels. Other stylish details include front turn signals with a 'cut glass' design in the lens.
The car was sold off the Geneva Show stand to a woman in England, who in 1953 sold it to a buyer in America. The car remained with him in Virginia until his death in 1995 at which time it was passed on to his son. A friend of the vendor purchased the car from the son in 1998 and sold it on to the current owner in running, unrestored condition in mid-1999. A slow and careful restoration was begun in 2000 and was finished just in time for the car to be shown at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. There, against stiff competition, it achieved a third place award in the Pininfarina class.
Having only been driven approximately 50 miles since the restoration, this example is superb and correct in all respects with absolutely no ascertainable flaws whatsoever. The 34,000km showing on the odometer is believed original, and with the limited and fully known provenance, is quite likely. The car retains its original tools, Marchal headlamps and foglamps. The soft colors of the car show the clean lines off to maximum advantage. It is in our opinion that this is arguably the finest example of the model extant.
The Lancia Aurelia is acknowledged to be one of the great post-war cars with engineering and design far ahead of its time. The Pininfarina convertible on offer here is one of the most elegant and sophisticated expressions of the Aurelia and would immediately be at home in the leading international concours displays of the world or a proud addition to any major collection.