1951 Lancia Aurelia B50

This 1951 Lancia Aurelia B50 Convertible is very unique with coachwork courtesy of Pininfarina. It has a grey body shell with a chocolate gray leather interior. The convertible top is black. Mounted in the front is a 1754 cc six-cylinder engine that produces 56 horsepower. The four-speed manual gearbox sends power to the rear wheels while drum brakes provide adequate stopping power. It is a right-hand drive vehicle with a sliding pillar front suspension and independent in the rear.

In 1960 the Lancia Company was born after Vincenzo Lancia left Fiat in pursuit of building his own version of the automobile. The vehicle he built gained a reputation for being built to the highest quality that enveloped style and sophistication.

After Vincenzo's death the company was run by his son Gianni. Gianni continued the tradition established by his father and the success of the company continued to climb.

Custom coachbuilding was popular until World War II. Manufacturers were responsible for creating a rolling chassis and the rest of the vehicle was left up to the purchaser to customize. Coachbuilding was an art where each body was often specially created for the purchaser and built to their desires and specifications. Lancia continued this tradition after World War II with their B50 which sat on a longer wheelbase than the B10 sedan. The 1754cc single carbureted engine was still standard.

Italian coach building firms such as Vignale, Castagna, Bertone, Ghia, Boneschi and Viotti created custom creations. Most were produced in limited numbers from 5 to 25. Many agree that the Pininfarina creations were among the most desirable and elegant. The 2+2 convertibles were the most popular of the coach built Aurelias with a total of 265 examples being produced.

The example shown is believed to have been the 1951 Geneva Motor Show Car.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2010