Lancia Aurelia B20GTS Series 5 LH by Pininfarina
Car producer :  |
Lancia |
---|---|
Model: |
Aurelia B20GTS Series 5 LH by Pininfarina |
Year: |
1956-1957 |
Type: |
Coupe |
The Lancia Aurelia is a car that was produced by the Italian manufacturer Lancia. Designed by Vittorio Jano, the Aurelia was launched in 1950 and production lasted until the summer of 1958.
The Aurelia used the first production V6 engine, a 60° design developed by Francesco de Virgilio who was, between 1943 and 1948 a Lancia engineer, and who worked under Jano. During production, capacity grew from 1.8 L to 2.5 L. Prototype engines used a bore and stroke of 68 mm x 72 mm for 1569 cc; these were tested between 1946 and 1948. It was an all-alloy pushrod design with a single camshaft between the cylinder banks. A hemispherical combustion chamber and in-line valves were used. A single Solex or Weber carburettor completed the engine. Some uprated 1991 cc models were fitted with twin carburettors.
At the rear was an innovative combination transaxle with the gearbox, clutch, differential, and inboard-mounted drum brakes. The front suspension was a sliding pillar design, with rear semi-trailing arms replaced by a de Dion tube in the Fourth series. The Aurelia was also first car to be fitted with radial tires as standard equipment
The fifth series coupé, appearing in 1956, was more luxury-oriented. It had a different transaxle (split case), which was more robust and similar to that used in the later Flaminias. The driveshaft was also revised to reduce vibration.
Alongside the fifth series coupés was a revised open car, the B24 convertible. This differed from the earlier B24 Spider, having roll-up windows, better seating position, and a windscreen with vent windows. In mechanical aspects, the B24 convertible was similar to the coupé of the same series.
In July 1956, Lancia began offering a revised version of the B24S that was built on the fifth-series Aurelia GT platform, which featured modified camshafts, non-detachable cylinder liners, a new clutch, and direct drive top gear. The new car also featured revised bodywork, a true convertible top and roll-up windows for proper weather sealing, and redesigned seats for improved overall driver comfort. It was officially dubbed the Aurelia GT 2500 America Convertible, and only 150 examples of the new B24S were produced before a final revision was enacted in 1957 on the sixth-series Aurelia GT chassis. Following this final iteration, the model line was discontinued entirely, at which point just 521 examples of the B24S Convertible had been produced.