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1956 Lancia Aurelia B24 news, pictures, and information

Convertible Roadster
Coachwork: Pininfarina
Chassis Num: B24S1131
 
Sold for $550,000 at 2007 RM Auctions.
In 2007 this 1956 Lancia Aurelia B24S America Spyder was brought to the Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction presented by RM Auctions, where it had an estimated value of $375,000-$450,000. It is powered by a 60-degree V6 engine with overhead valves and capable of producing nearly 120 horsepower. There is a rear mounted clutch and four-speed manual gearbox. Braking is by four-wheel hydraulic drums with inboards at the rear.

As the post-War era progressed, it became evident that American's were excited about powerful cars, built with open coachwork, and finished in attractive bodies. Ferrari have proven this concept and by 1954, Lancia decided to follow suite with their B24S Spider. The 'S' represented sinistra or 'left', in reference to the left hand drive chassis. The design was created by Pininfarina featuring a bold grille in Lancia tradition. It had an aggressive hood scoop which concealed the 2.5-liter V6 engine, curvaceous body, and mild wheel flares. There was a wrap-around windshield with removable side glass units and a convertible top that fit snug.

These elegant and sporty vehicles carried a hefty sticker price, as their semi-custom bodies and high degree of build quality made them expensive to build. Over a ten year timeframe, around 5,000 were constructed. Around 159 or so, were the B24S American Spyder. Twenty were lost when the Andrea Doria sank. Few remain in modern times as the steel unit bodies and Italian build practices of the time did little to slow the process of corrosion resistance.

This example was treated to a cosmetic restoration in 1992. During the restoration, the original Weber carburetor was replaced by a period correct Nardi twin-carburetor conversion setup. It also features Borrani center lock wire wheels and Nardi steering, completing the Nardi package.

It is finished in the correct dark Navy Blue. The original lug wrench and jack can be found in the trunk.

Very few, if any, Lancia Aurelia B24S America Spyder's cross the auction block. They were rare during the years of production, and even more rare in modern times. Their rarity is evident by the estimated value, having a high value of $450,000. Bidding revealed just how rare they are, and complimented the vehicles excellent restoration, as the high bid quickly surpassed the estimated value. When the gavel struck, the lot had been sold for $550,000.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2007
Convertible Roadster
Coachwork: Pininfarina
Chassis Num: B24S-1083
 
The 1956 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider boasts a race-developed V6 engine, outstanding handling and beautiful Pininfarina styling. This car also incorporates sought after options such as the Nardi carburetor kit and Borrani wire wheels. The original car was a gift to the current owner in the 1970s from Walter Farley, noted author of the Black Stallion Series. Only 181 left-hand drive models were produced. They are rare and desirable. This car, serial number B24S-1083, was exhibited at the Amelia Island Concours in 2009 after being restored in Oakdale/Pittsburgh, PA by Bob Williams, Will's Garage with the interior completed by Tom Pearce and the engine work was accomplished by Walt Spak. The great thought given to the weight distribution and wheel articulation make the Spider light and agile to drive.
Convertible Roadster
Coachwork: Pininfarina
Chassis Num: B24S-1205
Engine Num: B24 1321
 
Sold for $561,000 at 2012 Gooding & Company.
The Aurelia was the first production car to be powered by a V6 engine. It was one of the most sporting cars of its day, having state-of-the-art construction techniques, a rear mounted transaxle and the Vittorio Jano-designed engine. These cars proved successful in sports car racing, endurance events and rallies throughout the 1950s.

Lancia introduced a sporting Pinin Farina-designed Spider in 1954, intended for the American market. The Spider was replaced after a brief production run with a more developed Convertible.

Between 1956 and 1958, Lancia built just 521 B24 Convertibles of which approximately 160 were constructed on the Fifth Series platform.

This B24S-1205 was sold new in southern California. In 1960, it blew a head gasket at 38,000 miles. It was stored until 2005 when an effort was made to restore the car, but this was soon abandoned. It was purchased by the current owners in 2008 and restored, with Steve Beckman's shop doing the body and paint. Tony Nicosia did the mechanical work, and the owners carried out the remaining work in the second assembly.

The car was finished in metallic silver-gray and the interior was reupholstered in red leather. Inside, the car was equipped with Jaeger instruments, correct Carello lamps, Michelin X radial tires and period Nardi twin-carburetor conversion kit. It has its original tool kit and jack, as well as a correct owner's manual and top instructions.

In 2012, this car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona. It had a pre-auction estimated value of $350,000 - $450,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $561,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.
Convertible Roadster
Coachwork: Pininfarina
Chassis Num: B24S-1297
Engine Num: B24 1399
 
Sold for $242,000 at 2012 Gooding & Company.
Between 1956 and 1958, Lancia produced 521 B24 convertibles, of which approximately 160 were constructed on the Fifth series platform. When new, these cars sold for $5,500.

This example was reportedly sold new to Otis Chandler and has likely been a resident of Southern California since new. After about three years of ownership, the car was sold to a young man who was employed as a detailer by Briggs Cunningham as a gift for his wife. The couple enjoyed the car throughout most of the 1960s. The car was parked during 1968 and has been kept in storage at the family home ever since.

The car was discovered in 2012 and was moved from its long-term storage location in Southern California. This well preserved B24S shows just 60,000 miles that are thought to be original.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, California. It was estimated to sell for $200,000 - $275,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $242,000, inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2012
Convertible Roadster
Coachwork: Pininfarina
Chassis Num: B24S 1123
Engine Num: B24 1092
 
Sold for $803,000 at 2013 Gooding & Company.
Lancia was founded in 1906 and built a reputation for their imagination and engineering excellence. After World War II, many manufacturers, including Lanica, looked to their pre-war designs to inspire and develop their first post-war cars.

The Aurelia B10 sedan was introduced in 1950, Lancia's first new post-war car, and included a V-6 engine, four-speed rear transaxle, and inboard brakes. It was soon joined by the B50, a chassis for chachbuilders, and then the B20 GT coupe in 1951. A sporting open variation followed in 1955. The intended market was obvious by the vehicle's name - the B24 Spider America. The body was designed by Pinin Farina and given a wraparound windshield. It did not have roll-up windows and external door handles, as was the style of the time for roadster.

In total, there were 240 Spider Americas built, with 181 having a left-hand drive configuration. In late 1956, the B24 convertible replaced the Spider American.

In the summer of 1956, John Jang purchased this Lancia from the British Motor Car Distributors dealership on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, Ca. The purchase included a trade for his 1953 Porsche Cabriolet, which he had bought only a month before. His red Lancia was still in his Northern California garage 56 years later.

In 1957, Mr. Jang took the Aurelia on its longest-ever trip to Los Angeles for a golf tournament, stopping at Disneyland while he was in town. The following year, he went to visit family in Suisun Valley in California's wine country. In 1961, Mr. Jang and his new bride drove the Lancia on a vacation through Sausalito and continued up the California coast on Highway 1. In 1963, as the Jang family began to grow, the Lancia went into storage. It would be kept under a cover in a garage for the next 49 years.

In December 2012, the Jangs made the decision to sell the red Spider America. At the time, the car showed just over 28,000 original miles. The original gray leather interior is dry but mostly intact. The engine turns over and appears absolutely complete and original. The electrical system functions as it did in period, numerous factory markings have been found, and the entire car presents as only an undisturbed, low-mileage car. It has the rare Plexiglas removable side windows and the original tools, jack, and spare wheel. It has the original rearview mirror and headlight rings, which have not been mounted on the car in over 5 decades.

In 2013, the car was offered for sale at Gooding & Company's Scottsdale, Arizona sale. It was estimated to sell for $400,000 - $450,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $803,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2013
This very special automobile, produced for a scant couple of years during the mid-1950s, offered a host of bristling features in typical Lancia fashion. From the lovely Pinin Farina lines down to the remarkably modern mechanicals, the Aurelia B24 was a guaranteed classic.

The Aurelia series was comprised of a full lineup of first-rate cars, with the B20 GT coupe and B24 Spider stationed at its top. The B20 GT was an influential car in its own right. Automotive author Quentin Wilson recognizes that the car is 'often credited as the first of the new breed of modern postwar GT's.' The model that history has looked upon with the most favor, though, has been the B24, particularly the Spider of 1955.

The B24 Spider offered all the mechanical prowess of other Aurelias, and combined it with the best styling of the series. One of Pinin Farina's masterpieces, the B24 Spider is today one of the most highly regarded Lancias. It was a true roadster with a very basic top and simple side curtains as the only degrees of separation between the driver and the outside world. Yet its ample luggage space and pleasant interior begged for an alfresco getaway into the rich scenery of its Italian homeland.

Featuring monocoque construction, already a Lancia hallmark for decades, the B24 was built by Pinin Farina. That famed carrozzeria of Italy also, of course, penned the elegant lines.

With its tight, lean curves, the Lancia escaped the bulbous trends of the 1950's. At the car's front, the wheels rested beneath sleek pontoon fenders with subtle flares. Those fenders flowed back toward the rear edges of the doors in almost horizontal sweeps before quickly curving up just aft of the cockpit. The rear wheel arches, bulging slightly from the rest of the car, formed tight muscles in a predatory haunch. The B24 Spider's graceful, athletic stance belied its superb poise. The later Convertible model, produced in 1956, added more conveniences like roll-up windows but, while it still looked superb, it sacrificed some style compared to the relentlessly attractive Spider.

There was a terrific attention to detail in the Lancia's design. The way the Spider's split front bumpers led to the proud grille. The way the unfettered rear could have been grown from the soil. The way the delicate curved windshield rested lightly atop the body, an airy marvel of metal and glass placed as if only to frame for driver and passenger the gorgeous view out over the long hood. The Aurelia Spider was fine sculpture at its fastest.

All that elegance translated perfectly into the interior. Free of fussy details, its painted metal dash housed a simple array of instruments and a thin wood-rim steering wheel. The seats took up the width of the interior and, with tops flush with the car's body, blended seamlessly with the B24 Spider's outside.

All Aurelias featured mechanical sophistication that was every bit as impressive as their designs. At the heart of the B24 was a 2451cc V6 cast entirely of aluminum alloy. The Aurelia series brought to market the first ever mass-produced V6, and it was a gem. With its 60-degree V and light construction, the engine would not be out of place in a new car. The phenomenal sound may be unheard of today, but the basic design surely is not.

Vittorio Jano was the man responsible for the development of the Lancia V6, which began life as a 1754cc unit. Jano, an invaluable engineer with Alfa Romeo during the company's all-conquering racing career of the 1920's and 1930's, knew more about designing fine engines than perhaps anyone else at the time. His metallic marvel produced 118hp in the B24.

The engine was not the only impressive collection of moving parts on the Lancia. The car's other famous feature was its transaxle. Incorporating the transmission, differential, and even rear brakes all into one compact unit had several benefits to the car. Most notably, it perfected weight distribution and reduced unsprung weight at the rear axle. The result was a great-handling automobile with ballet dancer balance and razor-sharp reflexes.

Suspending the Lancia was a relatively simple system with a sliding pillar up front. The rear of the car used leaf springs, but a De Dion rear axle ensured the excellent road manners already made possible by the car's light engine and use of a transaxle.

Market values of the Aurelia B24 Spider have reached stratospheric heights, and the cars routinely sell for well over $300,000. These vehicles have become established classics with unrivaled Italian pedigree and prestige. They have rightly become known as some of the best Lancias ever made.

Sources Used:

Wilson, Quentin. The Ultimate Classic Car Book. First. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1995.

By Evan Acuña
In 1950 the Lancia Aurelia was introduced to the public at the Turin Motorshow and had been created as a replacement for the Lancia Aprilia. Under the hood was a new six-cylinder engine in 'Vee' configuration. To reduce weight various body panels had been constructed of aluminum including the hood and doors. The clutch and four-speed gearbox was mounted in the rear using a single unit with the differential. The suspension in the rear was independent while the front was a sliding pillar type.

The first in the series was the B10 berlina. Power came from a 1574 cc engine producing nearly 60 horsepower. The four-door pillarless saloon was criticized for its performance issues so Lancia answered the complaints with the introduction of the B21 produced a year later. There was little to distinguish the B10 from the B21, the only difference lying under the hood. The 1574 cc engine had been replaced with a 1991 cc engine producing 70 horsepower. To add sporty-appeal, a B20 GT Coupe was introduced in the same year. The two-door coupe was designed by Boano from Ghia. Gianpaolo Boano was the son of Ghia owner Mario Felice Boano. Production was handled by Pininfarina. It sat atop a shortened wheelbase and used a tuned-version of the 1991 cc engine now producing 75 horsepower. Production was low with only 500 examples produced. A second coupe series was created using a tuned-version of the 1991 cc engine now producing 80 horsepower. Mechanical improvements included better brakes and a lowered suspension, both resulting in better performance. Styling changes were mostly confined to the interior, the most noticeable being done to the instrument panel.

In 1950 an extended wheelbase version of the B10 was introduced featuring different tires and gear ratios. These were dubbed the B50 and the B51. When the 2-liter engine was introduced, the name was changed to B52 and B53. Production was low with the B50 having the most examples created, 583. There were 184 B52 models, 6 B55 and only 5 B56 models. A single B60 was created. The B55 and B56 were examples with the 2-liter engine and a de Dion rear suspension. The purpose of these specialty models was to allow custom coachbuilders such as PininFarina, Bertone, Viotti, Vignale, Ghia, among others to design and build unique creations. One of the more famous designs was created by PininFarina. It was a concept car dubbed the PF2000. A few examples were created for display at motor shows, such as the Lancia Aurelia B52 B JR built by Ghia for the 1953 Turin Motor Show.

Lancia lengthened the B21 and dubbed it the B15. It received a de-tuned engine, now producing 65 horsepower. Bodied by Bertone, the B15 was produced in low quantities; just over 80 examples were created.

In 1953 Lancia introduced the B20 Coupe, the third in the series, powered by a 2451 cc engine producing nearly 120 horsepower. This marked the first time a left-hand-drive version of the Aurelia could be purchased. The independent rear suspension could not handle the extra power from the new engine so it was changed in favor of a de Dion system. 720 examples were created.

By 1952 Lancia had created a replacement for the B21 berlina, the B22. It was basically the same as its replacement except for improvements under the hood. The engine had been given double-barrel Weber carburetors among other improvements which resulted in the production of 90 horsepower. There were styling changes included, most done to the interior such as the instruments and the indicators. In 1954 Lancia ceased production of the B22 and introduced the B12. During its production lifespan, nearly 1100 examples were produced.

The B12 was one of the first drastic changes to the Aurelia, both mechanically and aesthetically, since its inception. The engine was a 2266 cc powerplant producing 87 horsepower. The rear suspension was changed in favor of a de Dion system. Wind deflectors were placed on the windows and the headlights were changed. During its production lifespan, around 2400 examples were produced.

In 1955 the audience at the Brussels Motor Show was introduced to the B24 Spider. Lancia had tasked Pininfarina to design and produce a limited number of vehicles using a shortened wheelbase from the B12. Power was supplied from a 2451 cc engine. A convertible was later introduced and quickly became the favorite, with 521 Convertibles and 240 Spiders produced.

The production of the berlina ceased in 1955. The Coupe and Convertible series continued until 1958. There were a total of six series for the coupe. The fifth series began to shy away from performance gains and focused more on luxury.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2007
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