Lancia Motor Club

Coming up at RM http://rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1067478

How beautiful is that :-*

Brian
8227 8)

Its the little hump in the top of a very square windscreen frame that jumps out and raises a smile.

David

How beautiful is that       er, not very :-[

Not to my taste either I am afraid.
To my eyes the Aurelia B20 1st series is about as perfect a package visually and mechanically as you could have got in 1950. And the styling is timeless.
All of the Aurelia based 'specials' seem to fall into the 'less is more' or should I say 'more is less' as they are overfussy and complex and blur the lines of what is a pretty perfect design.

If I were to expand on this  I would go onto say that the 2 litre engine is somehow smoother than the 2.5l , the early cars have lighter steering and so on. Consequently I am always  puzzled as to how much lower priced Series 1 and 2 B20s are. Maybe there just aren't enough of the early cars around now for comparisons to be made
Having said that there is no doubt that the later Aurelias cope better with todays traffic and roads due to having more power, different gearing and better brakes. But for its time, early unadulterated 2 litre B20s were just the best IMHO.

....looks like a lamprey......after a bad night out.


P

Not keen on either, but would love a B24

The early cars have so much appeal.

http://www.europeanclassiccars.co.uk/cars_25.html

On the right roads I'm sure a delight, but is 56bhp "enough"?  In the company of Lambdas and Aprilias I expect so, but many B20s have double that.

I could imagine 75bhp being "sufficient" in an S1 B20, and when I let mine go that was the one in my minds eye for "one day to replace it".  Never say never, for however unlikely that seems sitting here now.

David

This B10S has been for sale in the UK since November last year (at least) and is actually a very nice car IMHO. Not sure why it hasn't sold and the asking price has recently increased in line with prices generally.
Early B10s are much sought after in Italy but I believe the Italians really want rhd.
Chris

As they say, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' just as well we don't all like the same things or life could get very boring, anyway I like it ;D

Brian
8227 8)

Which B10s Chris.........cheers for photo Richard,  I can see where he got his styling inspiration from!

P

Yes - it's as if the driver came along for a final fitting and he was taller than they'd remembered.

I'd put it in the 'nicely quirky' class rather than beautiful, in that I think an Aurelia is more beautiful to start with. But it's way, way above the Loraymo, which to me is the most hideous ruination of a car in history. That it came from a professional designer who should understand balance and proportions defies belief.

Chris, I agree that the B20 berlinetta is THE shape that defines the Aurelia today. And also the best GT package.
However that PF200 spider was an important design statement from Pinin Farina, in the fifties.
I would argue that it has the same value for the fifties design houses, as the Stratos Zero from Bertone had in the seventies.
And the same reduced practicality compared to the series vehicles.

The discussion of the "ideal" or "best" Aurelia can be quite involving!
I must say the Aurelia which I have used most in the last 15 years has been the B50 cabriolet, there are a lot of reasons for that : comfortable cabriolet / place for 4 / excellent non original B12 engine / sweet gearchange / great IRS, so neutral handling, even with long wheelbase.
Then amongst the B20, I prefer driving the 3rd series, with IRS, to the 6th series, with its De Dion rear end - for the same reason, neutral handling on curvy roads. But I would love to experience sometime an early, 1st or 2nd series, 2l car.
And finally an early berlina is a very sweet car, surprisingly usable, endearing, and also still affordable - compared to the coupes.

Actually I am glad they built that one.
I'm glad they didn't build two, however....

Oh Dear Stan,
I like the Loraymo, I didn't like it until we had a good look at it in the Lancia Collection in 2004, when I changed my opinion, I think when you see it in the metal it's a lot more subtle than in the photos, but yet again that's only my opinion.

Brian
8227 8)

Back in the day when the east coast members of the American Lancia Club used to meet more frequently, many an hour was spent on the debate of which was the best B20. Each of the series had their advocate, but the heated debates were between 4th and 6th. Ian Frasier's statement in Octane back a few years for the s.6 was a surprise, as one would have thought he would prefer the earlier purer cars, although the later were more refined.

In the "At the Center", there is a graphic outlining the various Aurelia motors, by series and by family. There were different families - berlinas, coupes, competition, etc. - and the motors were designed and tuned for each differently, followed by developments within the family. So, for example, if you liked a berlina, which one? B10, B21, B22, or B12? So its not just the type of vehicle, its which one of several.

The s.4 B20 is well regarded, and afforded many years of pleasure, but there are subtle advantages (and disadvantages) to the earlier coupes. The 2 liter motor is very sweet, runs always cool, and is less noticeable at speed. The lightness is a factor, and the IRS rear means cornering without lean. The smaller trunk of the earlier car also is without back pressure, so at the end of a long day, one can exit the car smelling clean and fresh. There is a purity in the earlier cars, just as there is something seductive in the refinement of the later cars. Or perhaps the combinations in the middle series…. And that's without mentioning the allure of the B50 (unknown until a day in Sebastien's), or the spaciousness of the berlinas.

But Loraymo? Now that's an acquired taste. Rather preferred are the factory flavors, thank you very much.

Oops, sorry Brian! I've never seen it in the flesh but I'm not sure I'd be convinced. As you say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I'm always interested when someone likes something that I don't to find out what they see in it that I can't. There is no right or wrong as such. I love the Ferrari 250 SWB as a pretty much perfect shape but would love to know if anyone finds it hideous!

I think that you had to be there - in the fifties I mean.  Jets were the latest thing and the PF2000 would have looked far more modern to 50's eyes than the B20.  But tastes change; true classic design lasts forever while fashion comes and goes. I grew up in the fifties (well almost) and I love it!