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Manufactured in July 1954 and brought to England in 2010
The Series 4 Aurelia is arguably the most desirable of the 6 series produced with the De Dion rear end
Fully documented and meticulous restoration by marque specialist between 2010 and 2012
Original engine with “Nardi” style twin-carb set-up and “Nardi” style floor-change transmission
An excellent example of a highly regarded and event eligible (Mille Miglia) car

MODEL HISTORY
Vincenzo Lancia founded his company in 1907 and became known for his advanced engineering and innovative design. Post-war, the marques offerings were the Ardea and Aprilia but they were working on something truly spectacular and advanced; the Aurelia. Launched at the 1950 Turin Motor Show, the Aurelia Berlina (a 4-door saloon) was the first production car to be powered by a V6 engine. This jewel like motor was a 1754cc 60 degree V6 of aluminium construction, and it delivered its power to a gearbox located on the rear axle (transaxle). Brakes were by drums all-round, but to save un-sprung weight the rear brakes were mounted inboard rather than on the wheels. The body that held all these beautifully engineered mechanical components together was of unitary construction (no separate chassis), and Lancia’s regarded Sliding-Pillar suspension was used at the front with an advanced semi-trailing arm set-up at the rear, which was another industry first.

In 1951 the B20 GT Coupe was launched and featured alongside the B10 Saloon in the price lists, and utilised a shorter wheelbase for its 2+2 seater two-door body-style. Coinciding with the launch of the GT, the V6 engine in both saloon and coupe models was increased to 1991cc, and this increased performance and in conjunction with the lighter body of the GT the coupe was able to achieve in excess of 100mph; quite a speed at the time for a production road car. In 1953 for the third series of Aurelia, the engine was increased to 2451cc. In total, there were six series of Aurelia.

THIS MOTOR CAR
This beautiful Lancia Aurelia B20 GT for sale at The Classic Motor Hub is the fourth series of Aurelia, which is widely regarded as being the most desirable of the six Aurelia series produced.

According to the Confirmation of Production Date letter from the FIAT Group Archives that we have on file, it states that chassis number B20-3183 was manufactured on July 21st 1954 and was originally painted black with a hazelnut coloured cloth interior.

It is unknown where the car was sold new, but in January 1962 it was registered in Milan as MI 415139. The original Italian registration book issued at this time could be a continuation from a previous book, as sometimes if it is a re-registration from a different province the previous registration number is noted in the book, and as one is not visible in this instance it is possible that the car was registered new in the Milan area.

This Lancia Aurelia B20 GT was no doubt enjoyed by its several owners over the subsequent years, who seemed to have mostly resided in the north of Italy. It is unsurprising then that the journey to England for this car commenced in Zurich, Switzerland, when a well-known historic racer based in the lovely county of Herefordshire acquired the car from a dealer there.

Arriving in England in mid-2010 and road-registered with the DVLA a few weeks later on May 12th, the car was taken to Lancia specialist Thornley Kelham shortly afterwards for restoration work. As is often the case, one thing led to another which resulted in the owner committing to a complete nut-and-bolt restoration.

The car is accompanied by a large history file that features a multitude of invoices from Thornley Kelham on the restoration and subsequent maintenance of the car, showing comfortingly that no stone (bolt?) was left unturned during their 2,700 hour restoration. In addition, Thornley Kelham published a lovely hardback book that documents the history of Lancia and the Aurelia model, and continues in detail with many photographs on the before, during and post restoration of this particular car.

Enhancements installed on the car during the restoration in order to improve the already excellent Aurelia driving experience included converting the transmission change from the standard column change to the period option of a “Nardi” floor-change, rebuilding the engine to “fast-road” specification, fitting a “Nardi” type twin carburettor set-up, upgrading the cooling radiator and fitting an electric fan, fitting an oil cooler, installing a Dynator charging system (an alternator that looks like dynamo), upgrading the lighting and windscreen wiper systems, making and fitting bucket seats trimmed in Connolly leather, installing concealed security storage boxes, applying Dynamat sound and heat insulation, fitting a concealed modern audio system with iPod connectivity, and installing additional gauges.

Since the restoration, the Aurelia changed owners in May 2014 and went to live in Devon, and three years later the current owner in West Sussex acquired it in May 2017, who is another well-known historic racer. Since the car’s time in England it has been owned by known enthusiasts and maintained by both the restorer Thornley Kelham and also Jim Stokes Workshops. Last checked-over by Thornley Kelham in December 2019, the car is now for sale and ready for inspection at The Classic Motor Hub.

The Lancia Aurelia B20 GT has long been regarded as a land-mark car, and the desirability and usability of the model has resulted in them being extremely popular for the plentiful number of wonderful motoring events there are around the world. With this beautifully coloured example having been restored and maintained by the right people, it is surely a fantastic opportunity to obtain an exceptional car in which to do all those events you wish to participate in, or to simply enjoy on weekend drives.