|
The great Lancia Aurelia GT and Spider
From the earliest models, most Lancias have been light an compact cars with very original design and original and refined mechanics. From the superbly elegant Astura, clothed among others by Farina and Touring, up to the great Aurelia discussed here briefly, many of the Lancias were beautifully designed and most thoughtfully engineered.
 |
When the Aurelia B20 GT was introduced in 1951 it set new standards as the first real GT. Designed by Boano while still working at Ghia, design was passed, after the first 100 cars were made, to Pinin Farina. In the seven years of production there were six series. Only from the 4th series left hand drive was offered! The B20 GT offered a V6 engine, independent rear suspension with semi trailing arms and hydraulic shock absorbers, rear placed transaxle, compact elegant styling and performance and excellent roadholding to match. Maybe it was this form of over-engineering that started the end of Lancia. The engine was a 1991 cc 60 degree V6 in the first two series cars and from the third series it was enlarged to 2451 cc. Power output was a modest 75 bhp at 4500 rpm in the first series car in 1951, but still giving 160 km top speed, up to 118 bhp at 5000 rpm and 185 km/hr in the third series.
 |
Aurelias have no high revving engines like Alfaīs or Ferrariīs but have maximum torque between 3000-4000 rpm and thus are best driven in between this range.
Many competition successes were achieved from the first outing in 1951 in the Giro di Sicilia where the B20 won the GT class over 1500 cc, to a 3 rd place in the 1952 Mille Miglia or a 2nd place in the 1954 Liege-Rome-Liege rally with driver Olivier Gendebien. The list of good results in races and rallies is long and many famous drivers as Mike Hawthorn and Fangio used the Aurelia. Therefore well known tuners as Abarth and Nardi designed several options for the Aurelias as a sports exhaust system, twin Weber carburettors and hot camshafts and race pistons. From the factory one could order 2 types of Borrani wire wheels, a Nardi steering wheel and Nardi floorchange instead of the column gear change.
The B20 was build over a 7 year period and the platform chassis went from the Lancia factory to Pinin Farina to have the fastback style body fitted. All cars were hand made with hand beaten panels ! and with excellent built quality they were quite expensive.
In 1954 Pinin Farina designed the sensational Aurelia B24 Spider, which was shown first in Brussels in January 1955. The B24 Spider is best known for its panoramic front screen, and intended to sell in America. Hence the later extension America in its name. The wheelbase was shortened from 2660mm for the B20 GTīs to 2450 mm. The mechanics were similar to the 4th series B20 with 118 bhp and have the de Dion rear axle, which was introduced on the 4th series, for better roadholding and handling. This was and is a very striking car with good performance and built in very limited numbers (240 pieces).
Due to complaints of leaking softtops and uneasy to fit plexiglass side windows Lancia decided to build a more refined car. This model was called the convertible and had a nice hood and wind-up windows. The body has very clean lines with a bit less sporting appearance but very chique indeed. As always small differences could be found in the 3 years these cars were made. From the place of the petrol tank to the curves of the rear wings and the thin bumpers for the early cars, to a different bootlid giving more luggage space for the late cars. Mechanically they were similar to the B20 5th and 6th series.
The B20 GT is a rare car but is quite popular in Italy and England and is hardly seen on the road. I think it is a highly usable sports car which is reliable if correctly set up. In Holland a few cars are prepared and used for historic rallies as the Monte Carlo or Liege-Rome-Liege and the Mille Miglia. Results show the cars are reliable and hopefully we will see more of them in action!
The Spider and convertible are a very rare sight, not only on Dutch roads
|
