Collection Star: 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider America
A few weeks back, we profiled what many are calling one of the last great barn finds of our time. Dutchman Ad Palmen had accumulated a collection of 230 vehicles, many of them classic European marques with several desirable American models sprinkled in for good measure. One of the stars of the show is already up for auction, and that is the 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider America shown here on the Classic Car Auctions website. This is a limited-production model that is currently bid to €175,000.
The Aurelia was designed by none other than Pinin Farina, which helped create the amazing details in this limited-production roadster. The split bumperettes are one of the first things you notice, perhaps followed by the generous fender curves and the sloping windshield. The design has made the Aurelia was one of the more sought-after Lancias ever made, but it’s also what it has under the hood that makes them such a compelling purchase.
The Aurelia is powered by a V6 engine, which is believed to be the first productions versions of the now mass-produced engine design. The motor featured an aluminum head and other lightweight materials. An optional upgrade consisted of the highly rare and sought-after Nardi intake kit with dual Webers. Taken together, the Aurelia offered both advanced engineering and materials, along with a gorgeous design in keeping with all the great Italian sports cars of the era.
The interior is in need of total restoration, but I don’t know that I’d mess with the exterior. Fresh leather makes sense to me as the seating surfaces here seem to be past the point of saving. The two-tone interior is striking and very much period correct, along with complimenting the tropical teal exterior. What’s perhaps most striking about this Lancia is that it appears completely intact, with no evidence of being hacked up or otherwise modified, and that alone will help drive the price sky high.
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Comments
Will our next generations look at, say, a Lexus LC or the new Lancia Stratos with the same appreciation that our generations do for a machine like this? The individuality in design and engineering is something we don’t see much of anymore though understandable with Big Brother corporates running the world now.
Jeff-insofar as the interior goes, is it really that badly gone? The 1st two photos on their website show the dirt removed from the outside, with other photos showing some removed from the passenger seat and it looks salvageable but then I’ve never tried to refurbish a leather seat of that vintage..
BTW-someone moved the steering wheel to the wrong side!! LOL
One other thing-what’s the lever in the dash to the ri of the steering wheel?
Turn signal lever.
Choke?
The turn signal on a Flaminia is a sideways rocker on the dash, small. If the Aurelia is like the Flaminia – and I suspect it is – that lever is for the brights. Here’s out of the manual for a ’59 Flaminia GT.
The choke should be below the dash.
Charlie is correct. Turn signal stalk. Pretty clever mechanism, as I recall. Base of the switch is basically a latching relay, with the latching circuit broken by contacts on the steering box input shaft, so it self-cancels just like more conventional turn signal switches.
Lancia traditionally delevered right drive wheel cars regardless the Country of destination. This habit ceased in the late ’50s as the italian code changed.
To be clear, you could always order a LHD one; they just stuck with the Italian tradition of building RHD cars for right-traffic markets longer than other manufacturers. Just look up Aurelia B24S; the S is for sinistra or left.
I owned a Spider in my college days. The car was not only different than everything on the road but offered up a tremendous exhaust sound with the Abarth system on it and was extremely fast; easily staying with the many Corvettes of the period. The styling was always well advanced as well as the construction with disk brakes, many aluminum panels, light weight to power ratio….My car was red over tan, black top ……..I hill climbed it to a blown engine which stopped my ride for some time until my part time job found enough coin to get it rebuilt.
Yes….should have kept —–worth well over half million today or more!!!!
justa kid in the 60s, this is Y I loved/raided Goldie’s Junk Yard. Tons of ’50s/’60s Inilian jewels. Bad off enuff for me to afford, rest0mod & daliy (till the nxt jewel caught my eye, the current sold to up grade).
When I say jewels that exactly what they reminded me of. Buff underhood, instruments, dash, exterior paint; small, sparkling. Not possible today due to net sales, auctions, god bless you if listed on an on-line auction (goes world-wide to deepest pockets). But back then no 1 (my buddies) wanted them going instead for the thi-fives, 442 or (as above) vette.
An amazing collection, the amount of filth on the cars is equally amazing! If only I hade a few extra $$$$$$$$ there would be many I would love to own!
Lot closed
Current bid
€ 540.000,00
Bids
56