36 auto italia
Talented Twins
It’s not just their colours that make this Aurelia couple
look like reunited twins – they share virtually identical
number plates. But just how alike in character are the
B20 Coupe and B24 Spider?
Story by Tom Scanlan
Photography by Michael Ward
T
he laurel for making the world’s first ever V6 engine for a production car
belongs to Lancia. It was 70 years ago that work was nearing completion
on this landmark powerplant. Under the watchful eye of the legendary
Vittorio Jano, Francesco de Virgilio was responsible for this remarkable V6- a format that many car manufacturers would soon follow (and still do).
The car that set the precedent was Lancia’s Aurelia B10 (which was also,
incidentally, the first car in the world to come factory-equipped with radial tyres).
The Aurelia was introduced as a four-door, pillarless saloon at the Turin Motor Show
in 1950. Power from the 1754cc 60-degree V6 was a modest 56hp at 4000rpm but
that was still enough for a maximum speed of 84mph.
After much development and myriad changes, the Aurelia’s pinnacle could fairly be
said to be represented by the 1954-1955 fourth-series B20 Coupe and B24 Spider
America. The coupe is surely one of Pinin Farina’s greatest masterpieces, and the
fabulous Spider from the same design house no less so. The latter was aimed at the
US market – although, in the end, the majority were sold in Europe.