1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT IV series

1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT IV series front view
1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT IV series rear 3/4 quarters
1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT IV series rear dead-on
1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT IV series cabin, interior and dashboard
1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT IV series passenger side seat
1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT IV series view of the dashboard from the passenger seat
1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT IV series Nardi intake
1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT IV series chassis plate
1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT IV series Nardi engine intake manifold
BrandLancia
Year1954
ColorRed
Interior Grey fabric
Engine2.5L v6
Timing Overhead valves, Nardi central camshaft
Output150hp
Fuel systemTwo Weber twin-choke carburetors, Nardi intake manifold kit
TransmissionMechanical 4-speed gearbox, de Dion transaxle
Horsepower150hp
Weight900kg
Price150,000€
Other information 4th series RHD
Vincenzo Lancia was a genius driver and mechanic with a knack for innovation. In the 1920s, he surprised the world with his Lamda and Di-Lamda, which brought him fortune and international recognition.
Prior to the war he had launched the Aprilia, the world's first car with a 5-speed gearbox, and had even set up a factory in Bonneuil, France. He had an uncanny ability to convey his passion for fine mechanics and innovation to those around him and in keeping with the brand's rapid pace of innovation the Lancia Aurelia inaugurated the world's first 6-cylinder V engine in 1951!

I like to say that Lancia combines the innovative brilliance of Citroën with the design rigor of Mercedes. The Aurelia inaugurated the V6-engine, an architecture now used by all manufacturers as it is often lighter, more compact and very well balanced. The Aurelia also innovated with an elaborate four-wheel independent suspension with a rear-mounted transaxle gearbox for improved weight distribution. Just like Alfa Romeo's Alfetta 159!
It's worth noting that Lancia was the only company in the world to take over and rapidly improve on the independent front suspension patent of a small English manufacturer... the Morgan Company! Does sliding pillar suspension mean anything to anyone?
The Aurelia sedan was a monocoque with suicide-doors and no central pillar. However, the middle-class crowd it was aimed at couldn't do without a coupé.
Pininfarina's bodywork was chosen, and once again it was a world first: the unveiling of the so-called "fast back" coupé in which the roof line extended all the way to the rear bumper, with no visual hint of a boot. The front end is in the pontoon style that Pininfarina beautifully created for the Cisitalia, i.e. the front fenders are level with the hood rather than lower as most cars had it pre-war.

The Aurelia GT coupé was a great success, and was produced in six different series.
It quickly became a favorite among the rally "gentil'uomini" of Italy who praised it for its powerful brakes and incredible roadholding. The race-inspired inboard rear brakes meant that unsprung weight was reduced to a bare minimum.
It finished the famous Mille Miglia race in second place behind a Ferrari that was twice as powerful, but in the rain the Lancia's dynamics had triumphed over the Ferrari's untamable power. It was obvious to most Italian tuners that the car could handle more power. Emilio Nardi was among those who went on a hunt to bring out the missing horsepower. Early versions of the Aurelia had a two-liter v6 with 90 hp while displacement bumped up to 2.5-liter and 118 hp on the Series III. Vincenzo Lancia was adamant that all engines should be dynamically balanced, making them extremely smooth in their operation.
At Lancia precision is a religion, management didn't round off the horsepower numbers like others. The Series IV introduced a rear suspension setup that better handled this considerable power, at the time. Series V and VI cars were to see their power slightly reduced to 112 hp, in favor of dabs of chrome and more luxurious appointments. The Series IV stands out as the best of the breed.

I'd been looking for this car for a long time, because I wanted it to be dark red like Arturo Benedetto... Christofoli di Milano's Aurelia that Hergé immortalized in the Tintin album "L'affaire Tournesol". It no longer had its bumpers, which I find much nicer (as on the 246 GT or 300SL, they are so much better looking once they've been stripped of all that hardware), and I decided to soup up its mechanics in the vein of the upgrades of the period. I set out in search of the holy grail: the famous Nardi kit...

What a pleasure it was to hear the roar - that's the right word - of this very torquey engine. The central camshaft architecture limits its revving ability to around 5500rpm. This car is the very definition of driving pleasure: swinging it around the twisties of my favorite Syldavian road with its light and precise steering, closing the bend by braking with a slight drift of all four wheels... shod with the famous Michelin X 165-15...
"I'm talking of a time that people under twenty..." sings Charles Aznavour . As for me, I'd never trade these sensations of unbelievable finesse for the thousands of horsepower of modern cars, stupidly stuck to the ground by their limitless grip.

One more word, my B20 is of course right-hand drive, as were all Lancias from this era. Back then cars of the elite (including the French) all had right-hand steering, so practical for keeping a sharp eye on the curb of those tiny Italian or Syldavian roads!