THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SPIDER EVER
This car is probably better than any other at expressing Italian style, especially in terms of design. A blend of elegance and sportiness that conveys a feeling of lightness, the desire to travel and freedom. Undertones that probably stem from the film that made the Lancia famous. “Il Sorpasso”, the story of a carefree Italy, an Italy aware of being a winner thanks to the economic boom at the time. In the same film Lancia’s historical “rival”, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider also appears. Although of a lower class than the B24, the Guilietta has been able to well defend that unique Italian know-how.
“When you see an Aurelia B24 it is not enough to look at it, you want to touch it,” repeated Franco Martinengo, director of the Pininfarina Style Center. You can’t blame him, it is almost as difficult as trying to take your eyes off “her”. The first version of the model was conceived in 1954 and was born from the lines of the Aurelia B20 coupe. From this inspiration, the snout was used, which was characterized by a large grill between the rounded headlights and the central part of the slightly curved hood. The names of the people
that conceived and developed the Lancia still make us shiver with excitement. On a technical level it was designed by engineers Gianni Lancia, Carlo De Virgilio and Vittorio Jano, while the style was taken care of by the masterly touch of Battista Pininfarina - founder of Carrozzeria Pininfarina. The first two years of production created the first series distinguished by two models: the B24 and the B24S, both with a 118 hp engine, a length of 420 cm and a maximum weight of 1120 kg. The resulting performance was considerable, considering its maximum speed of 180 km/h. In 1956 Lancia decided to develop a second series, producing the B24S Convertible America model. The desired market for that car is evident in the name and many of the stylistic choices and related innovations were based on that target market.
Among these were a new transmission with a ‘transaxle’ scheme, which ensured better weight distribution and a lighter transmission shaft, and a “softer” engine, which although powerful (V6 of 2500 cc) only had 110 hp. Several of the dimensions increased. The length of the body was 3 cm more than the first series, totalling 423 cm. Both the canvas and hardtop tops were modified to guarantee wind and rain protection. Descending side windows with deflectors were installed replacing fixed Plexiglas windows, the sole front bumper and the windshield with its traditional mast. The mechanical and stylistic changes brought an improvement in comfort, but in contrast they were less than the features that distinguished the first series: the “superpanoramic” windshield disappeared, the front has a less sinuous modeling, the rear part of the car has a heightened wheel arch and a higher elusive “fin”, the bumpers are bladed and appear more enveloping, the air intake on the hood is enlarged and lowered, the doors are wider with external handles, the wheel discs are different and painted in light gray, the dashboard is less rounded. And the performance is slightly lower with a maximum speed of 172 km/h. Finally, in 1957 the third series of the Lancia Aurelia B24 debuted at the same time as the sixth series of the Aurelia B20 coupe. The only innovation was the 2500 cc unit, a 112 hp V6, with which the car reached a top speed of 175 km/h, positioning itself, as far as performance goes, between the first and second series.
The Lancia Aurelia B24 was produced from 1954 to 1958. Only 761 were built at the Turin plant of Borgo San Paolo which gives it a current value of more than a half million dollars if in excellent condition.
The Lancia Aurelia B24 is considered one of the most beautiful cars in history. Its three series (B24S Spider, B24S Convertible America and B24S Convertible) amazed the whole world.