1950
Lancia Aurelia B10
Lancia,
the legendary Italian marque, was founded in 1906 by Vincenzo
Lancia who pushed the envelope of contemporary automotive design
with several innovative models. The engine of his 1907 Alpha
could reach the unheard of speed of 1800 rpm in 1907. The 1913
Theta ushered in the world's first inbuilt electrical system.
The 1922 Lambda gave the world's first load-bearing body
and world's first independent front suspension. The 1934
Aprilia had all-round independent suspension, wind-tunnel
tested aerodynamics, and a 1351 cc V4 that propelled it to 125
km/h!
Post WW2, Vincenzo's son Gianni Lancia, inspired by the paradigm
busting Lambda and Aprilia, envisioned a new big car with excellent
roadholding. The result was the Aurelia B10 sedan, which
bowed at the 1950 Turin Salon Motorshow.
Flaunting a body of stylish good taste with the classic Lancia
shield on the grille, the highly innovative Aurelia boasted
the world's first V6 engine in production. It was also
the first aluminium engine with removable cast iron cylinder
liners. The camshaft had a double roller chain. The engine was
hitched up to a revolutionary powertrain configuration.
Designer Vittorio Jano integrated the clutch, gearbox and differential
into one unit placed at the rear, achieving effective weight
distribution. This concept was later copied by Ferrari, Alfa
Romeo and Porsche.
The rear brakes were also placed inboard on the differential
to lighten the independent coil sprung wheel mass. This concept
is used in the Hummer.
The 1754 cc V6 developed 56 bhp@4000 rpm taking the Aurelia
to 135 km/h.
In 1951, the 2-litre ,69.5 bhp, 145 km/h, Aurelia B21 joined
the B10. It took the first four places in the Giro di Sicilia,
bringing competition laurels to Lancia.
Two
offshoots of the Aurelia B10 are particularly memorable:
1. The Monte Carlo rally and 24-hour Le Mans winning Aurelia
B20 coupé, which could reach 185 km/h. It was the first
granturismo (GT) to combine high performance with luxury. Many
jet setters of the 1950s from Gary Cooper to Prince Ranieri
of Monaco were to be found behind the wheel of a B20.
2.
The Pinin Farina designed 1954 Aurelia B24 Spider --
a dream machine destined to remain an unmatchable paragon of
beauty and style.
