Beschreibung:

Lancia gave its chief designer, Vittorio Jano, a clean sheet of paper when it replaced the Aprilia which had been the company's mainstay since 1937. Jano, the man responsible for most pre-war Alfa Romeos, worked with a brilliant young engineer named Francesco de Virgilio. The result of their partnership, the Aurelia, was one of those rare cars which owed nothing to its predecessor. Though many pundits maintained that it was impossible to build a well-balanced V6 engine, de Virgilio designed one, a world first. Jano specified a rear-mounted all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox, inboard rear brakes and all-independent suspension, all in an extremely rigid body/chassis unit. When the Aurelia was unveiled it was, by common consent, the most superbly engineered saloon car there had ever been. A short wheelbase version, the B20, was third in the 1951 Mille Miglia and another was second in the 1952 event, splitting two Mercedes-Benz 300SL 'gullwing' coupés. Later that year, the Aurelia finished 1-2-3 in the Targa Florio, a remarkable achievement for a production saloon car. With such a record in racing, the Aurelia cried out to have an open sports version in the catalogue and, in 1955, Lancia duly obliged. Pininfarina styled a sleek two-seater, baptised ‘Spyder America’ in deference to its main target market, which was a triumph of simplicity and elegance characterised by its distinctive ‘panoramic’ windscreen and stylish quarter bumpers. Since the Aurelia had unitary construction, Pininfarina made the entire body/chassis unit which was one of the first jobs awarded to Pininfarina's new manufacturing plant. The Aurelia underwent constant development and there were six distinct series. From the fourth series on, a de Dion rear axle replaced the original trailing arms. All B24 Spyders had the de Dion layout and the 2541cc version of the engine which was tuned to give 118 bhp. Top speed was estimated to be 115 mph (184 kph), a very respectable performance at the time. The left-hand drive example we are proud to offer has previously been in two world renowned American collections. It has been restored without regard to cost, has been maintained to 'concours' condition, and comes with full documentation and bills. It has recently been resprayed in silver/grey, which is both correct for the period and a colour which particularly complements most of Pininfarina's creations of the time. The silver/grey finish is perfectly offset by blue leather upholstery. The vendor says, "The car drives magnificently and both looks and sounds glorious." European import taxes are paid. A mere 240 examples of the two-seat Aurelia B24 Spyder America were made- production was limited by the capacity of the Pininfarina factory - and fewer still exist today. The combination of rarity, engineering excellence and Pininfarina's gorgeous body makes this superb car a blue chip investment. Lorsqu'elle remplace l'Aprilia, qui était son modèle phare depuis 1937, Lancia donne à son designer en chef, Vittorio Jano, une feuille de papier blanche. Jano, qui avait dessiné la plupart des Alfa Romeo d'avant-guerre, travaille en équipe avec une jeune et brillant ingénieur: Francesco de Virgilio. Ensemble ils créent l'Aurelia, l'une de ces voitures rares qui n'ont rien à envier à leurs aînées. Certains experts maintenaient qu'il était impossible de fabriquer un moteur V6 bien équilibré. De Virgilio en dessina un, une première mondiale. Jano spécifia une boîte de vitesses synchronisée à quatre rapports montée à l'arrière, des freins arrière montés en sortie de pont et des suspensions indépendantes dans un ensemble châssis/ carrosserie extrêmement rigide. Lorsque l'Aurelia est dévoilée, tout le monde s'accorde à dire qu'elle est la berline la plus avancée jamais conçue. Une Aurelia B20 terminera 3e aux Mille Miglia de 1951 et une autre 2e à l'édition de 1952. Plus tard cette année-là des Aurelia finiront 1ère, 2e et 3e à la Targa Florio. Avec un tel palmarès, l'Aurelia se devait d'e