When most people talk about the most beautiful car yet made, they'll immediately blurt out "Jaguar E-Type". And yes, that is a stunning car from the outside. In fact, thanks to that shallow body and all that air underneath the car, it could almost look like an airplane's wing skimming the road surface rather than something as agricultural as a car rolling along it. But, whenever I see a list of 100 most beautiful cars, I can't help but have a soft spot for a vehicle that came out a little before the E-Type. Something exotic and Italian which wore the Lancia badge: the Aurelia B24 Spider.
Some of you may be utterly disgusted that I would suggest there is a challenger to the all-conquering E-Type, but I've often wondered why this Pininfarina styled car seems to be omitted from these lists. Perhaps it's because only 240 Spiders were sold worldwide, making it considerably rarer and less well known.
The Aurelia was the first car to feature a series production V6 (one of many Lancia firsts) and it was praised in the press for its mechanical smoothness and lively performance. It's no out-and-out sports car, but it did handle well for a grand tourer - no doubt down to exquisite engineering. It had sliding pillar independent front suspension - something Vincenzo Lancia asked his assistant to design after an Appia he was driving broke a spring while his mother was in the car. There was a rear transaxle with inboard drum brakes (it only had 120hp) to improve weight distribution and reduce unsprung weight.
Spiders are easily identifiable from later Convertible cars because of the split front bumper, wrap around windscreen, and removable side windows. Convertibles got sturdier bumpers, wind up windows and the luxury of a soft top or removable hard top. They aren't quite as pretty as the earlier car, though.
This Spider has the original style wheels that are quite restrained versus the wire wheels fitted some have been fitted with. It's also a much rarer right-hand drive example (one of 59 made). You can even enter it into the famous Mille Miglia, as a previous owner did in 2015, because it qualifies since it's a car made between 1927-1957. Surely, it'll be one of the most comfortable and civilised way to tackle the 1000 mile race.
However, in order to race this car, you'll need to stump up £895,000 for the privilege, or the price of about 4.5 Jag E-Types. Thing is, whenever you go to a classic car event, you're practically tripping over immaculate E-Types, while the Aurelia is something not often seen in the wild. It may not be cheap, but exclusivity rarely is.
SPECIFICATION - LANCIA AURELIA B24 SPIDER
Engine: 2,541cc, vee-six, N/A
Transmission: four-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 120@5,300rpm
Torque (lb ft): 127@3,500rpm
MPG: If you have to ask...
CO2: Loads
First registered: 1955
Recorded mileage:
Price new:
Yours for: £895,000
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