History of the Lancia Aurelia B24S Convertible

Aurelias sit historically in between two different models of production: the mass production model of Fiat and the hand-crafted, very small production efforts represented in Italy by Ferrari and Maserati. They take from both of these production models, but are in fact neither one. With some 18,200 Aurelias made from 1950 to 1958, the cars were far from one-offs. On the other hand, Lancia engaged hand production in many ways – both in assembly as well as in one-off specials. More importantly, Lancia allowed changes to come into the Aurelia model line over its lifespan – and while these changes were rational at some level and exceedingly well-documented, there were an extraordinarily high number of them.

Descriptions of the Aurelia model line have been published in Bernabo’s Aurelia GT book, in Italian, but also summarized on the web.  (http://www.viva-lancia.com/aurelia/index.htm ). There are also full  descriptions in both  Nigel Trow’s book, “Viva Lancia”, and Wim Oude Weerninck’s excellent history, “La Lancia”. On the web, additional information can be found on the Viva Lancia site (http://www.viva-lancia.com/). 

The history of Lancia is a series of vignettes on how to combine mass-production with hand assembly. From the Lambda in the 1920’s  through to the Fulvia of the 1960’s , each Lancia model represents another take on how to make this happen. Aurelias, like all Lancias, have some attributes of older Lancia thinking combined with  other forward-thinking aspects on how to improve their product with cutting-edge engineering.  The evolution of the model range can be understood as that dynamic playing itself out.

Early Lancias (from the beginning of the company’s history in 1906) were always available to customization upon request. This was simply how the high-end market worked at the time: if you wanted something unique (bonnet scoop, leather interior, special trim), they would make it for you. The Aurelia continued this practice: the factory made the sedans, and provide a chassis to custom coach builders. This chassis, the B50, is shown on the earliest Aurelia publicity sheets and was available  for one-off production. 

Spiders and Convertibles

The B24 stands for the open two seater Aurelia. These cars came only in two types – the earlier dramatic B24 Spider of 1954-55 and the later more sophisticated B24 Convertible(1956-1958). The stunning Spider features a wrap-around windshield, split bumpers,  side curtains and a difficult to use top. Lighter than the convertible, it is the more sporty of the two. However, it has a more awkward seating position, one befitting a prototype and not a series car. Both of these cars were fully designed by Pininfarina and assembled in their factory on top of Lancia-provided chassis. The Convertible is a more conventional car and less of a prototype. It is easily differentiated from the spider with its vent windows, roll up side windows, and a more conventional, less striking look, but with a more relaxed driving position, being somewhat more considered than the Spider. The Spider and Convertible cars follow the mechanics of the B20’s almost exactly. While on a shorter wheelbase, all the mechanics are identical to the same year’s B20: the B24 Spider is based on a 4th series B20, the B24 convertible on the 5th and 6th series B20’s. There are a few exceptions, of course: - the B24 Spider was also available with a detuned “America” engine, unique to this car only, provided with a special camshaft. - the convertible  has some minor differences between the 5th and 6th series  cars. Typically, the 5th series seats are similar to the Spiders’, fairly large and flat, with a small covered panel between  them. The 6th series seats are more significantly like bucket seats, without any thing separating them. The gas tank of the early convertibles (5th and first 150 of the 6th)  is just behind the seats like the spider. The later convertibles have it in the trunk.