Vehicle Description
Chassis No. B20S-1676
Engine No. B20N-5240
The Lancia Aurelia is often credited with being the first of a
post-war generation of modern GTs, defining the very essence of a
Gran Turismo with its sparkling performance and stylish Pinin
Farina-designed coachwork in B20 GT coupe form. But the Aurelia was
a landmark vehicle in more ways than one when it first appeared in
1950, showcasing numerous technological innovations designed under
the guidance of Vittorio Jano - designer of the Grand Prix-winning
Alfa Romeo P2 and P3. Its industry-first, all-aluminum production
V6, counterbalanced by an advanced rear-mounted transaxle, offered
sports-car-like performance in a practical 2+2 layout that was as
comfortable on the circuit as it was on the road.
This factory left-hand drive Aurelia B20 S GT is significant as the
final iteration of the original Gran Turismo. Owing to Lancia's
continued commitment to excellence, the Aurelia was developed in
progressively more refined batches distinguishable by their serial
number. Built in 1957, chassis number 1676 comes from the sixth and
final 'series' of production, and therefore benefits from all of
the various upgrades implemented over the preceding series,
including a more robust, split-case transaxle, de Dion rear
suspension, a 112-horsepower 2.5-liter V6 engine, along with a more
favorable seating position, side vent windows, and Jaeger
instrumentation.
Chassis 1676 is believed to have been in the US since new, with
records placing the Lancia in Rhode Island in the early 1960s
followed by a sequence of owners in New Jersey. By the late 1970s,
the car is understood to have been parked in a barn in Media,
Pennsylvania where it would remain for approximately 35 years. In
2013, the tired Aurelia was discovered and carefully extracted from
the barn where it had sat for so many years before being acquired
by a prominent European collector in completely unrestored
'barn-find' condition. Remarkably, many of its important interior
features had been spared from exposure to the elements and remained
intact - particularly its Nardi wood-trimmed steering wheel, blue
leather door panels, and Jaeger gauges. Despite exhibiting all of
the hallmarks of over three decades of storage, the car's body
panels and major mechanical components, including its alloy V6
engine, four-speed transaxle, and de Dion rear suspension, also
remained correct and complete.
Sold to its new owner in 2014, he and his team of restoration
professionals set about bringing 1676 back to its former glory,
starting by taking the original Pinin Farina-designed body down to
bare metal and renewing it the in the factory hue Azzurro
Agano-Celeste Aurelia (light blue). The interior was completely
restored as well with the reupholstery of the seats in two-tone
blue and grey partial leather and a refurbishing of the body-color
dashboard, wood-trimmed Nardi steering wheel, and floor-mounted
shifter. Mechanically, the engine, cylinder head, transaxle, and
rear suspension were all painstakingly overhauled in a multi-year
effort. The exquisite, no-expense-spared restoration concluded in
2020.
Acquired by the consignor in March 2021, this elegant Aurelia
remains in superb, freshly-restored condition, ready to be driven
and experienced by its next custodian on any number of exclusive
tours. As the most evolved iteration of the first true GT, 1676
presents a rare opportunity to acquire an exceptionally-prepared
example of a tremendously influential Lancia.