1955 Lancia Aurelia Spider America Roadster (Series 5)

Lancia built just 181 left-hand-drive examples of the B24S. The 'S' stood for sinistra, Italian for 'left.' Work on this car began on September 9th, 1955, and was completed just under a month later on October 5th. Originally finished in grey over black leather—one of five B24Ss to be finished in that color scheme, 1144 was delivered new to the United States with its first owner residing in San Diego, California. In 1968 it moved on to its next owner, James S. Lockhart. Mr. Lockhart kept the car in very original condition, except for a re-paint to Rosso Capri. It remained with him until his death in 2002. It was given to a friend in Pebble Beach, who kept the car briefly before selling it to Bryan Meredith of Victoria, Australia, in October 2003. A comprehensive, no-expense-spared restoration was soon undertaken. Over the course of five years, some $250,000 in invoices were accrued. It was completed in 2010 in black over red hides.

The car has center-lug knock-off wire wheels (the five, original steel wheels are still with the car). The 2451cc overhead valve V6 engine is fitted with a single Weber 40 carburetor and produces nearly 120 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual transmission and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

Only 240 B24 Spiders were manufactured between 1954 and 1955.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2013