1951 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT Coupe

The Lancia Aurelia was developed under Vittorio Jano and Francesco de Virgilio and received a sliding pillar front suspension, a fully independent rear setup, a rear-mounted four-speed transaxle, and inboard rear brakes. Beneath its bonnet was the world's first production V-6 engine and it rode on standard radial tires (another production car 'first').

Body styles initially included a four-door Berlina followed by a gran turismo in 1951 with the unveiling of the B20 GT. This 2+2 coupe wore styling by Felice Mario Boano with an aerodynamic shape that complimented its advanced mechanical specification. During 1951, the B20 GT captured class victories at the Giro di Sicilia, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Mille Miglia, where Giovanni Bracco and Umberto Maglioli drove their Aurelia to 2nd Overall.

This particular B20 GT is one of the 408 examples produced during the model's first year of production and one of 500 Series I cars produced. Unique styling features include Carello 'waterfall' headlamps, aluminum bumpers, and Berlina-style dashboard with Metron gauges.

This B20 GT was acquired new in July 1951 by Mario Maffei of Biella, Italy. It passed through three subsequent Italian owners before entering the care of Leo Schigiel of Miami in 2015. Carrozzeria Capello of Italy was commissioned to perform a show-quality restoration which took over two years to complete. Upon completion, the car was inspected by Lancia Classiche and issued a Certificazione di Autenticita.

This Lancia wears a black exterior with light brown upholstery. It has a Nardi steering wheel, a tool kit, a jack, luggage, and history file. The all-alloy overhead valve V-6 engine displaces 1,991cc and is fitted with twin Weber carburetors helping to produce 75 horsepower at 4,500 RPM. There is a four-speed manual transaxle, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes (inboard at the rear), and an independent suspension with sliding-pillars at the front and trailing arms and coil springs at the rear.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2023

The Vittorio-designed Lancia Aurelia was truly revolutionary in that it combined high levels of performance and luxury into one attractive and compact package. The brainchild of Lancia engineer Francesco de Virgilio, it is the first production automobile to utilize V6 power. Bodywork was provided by Pinin Farina.

A second-place finish in the 1951 Mille Miglia, a first in class and 12th overall at Le Mans, a stunning 1-2-3 Finish at the Targa Florio and a high-profile win at the 1953 Liege-Rome-Liege Rally, silenced any doubts as to its sporting prowess.

The first owner of this vehicle, Sig. Mario Maffei, was a famed movie producer in Italy who owned it from July 1951 until July 1965. The third owner, Sandro Lanza, kept it for 43 years. In all, it had four owners until 2015, when the present owner acquired it in Italy. There, the car underwent an extensive 26-month rotisserie restoration by a team of Lancia specialists who restored it to exact factory specifications. It was then Lancia FCA Heritage book certified, reflecting 100% authenticity and matching numbers.

Italian experts report that, although a total of 371 units were built by Lancia, only about 50 of these cars remain in existence today.