The 1951 Lancia Aurelia won third place for Pininfarina cars at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours
The Lancia Aurelia was born at the peak of the coachbuilding era, and represents the golden years for Lancia as a brand.
The B50 chassis was offered alongside their unitary constructed Aurelia B10 Saloon – and was powered by the standard 1.8lt V6 – the world’s first series production V6.
One of the first coachbuilders to drape their own work over the B50 chassis was Pininfarina, who created the most popular and attractive design, a 2+2 convertible.
Nearly 500 B50s were produced, 265 graced by Pininfarina’s elegant open-top body.
READ NEXT: LANCIA FLAVIA VIGNALE SPIDER REVIEW
With coachbuilt Alfa Romeos in decline by this period, the Lancia became Italy’s prestige car of choice; with detail and build quality to rival any luxury model of the post-war period.
This 1951 Aurelia B50 on sale in the UK section of our extensive classifieds; is a first year production car and is believed to be the very car displayed at the 1951 Geneva Motor Show.
Following the show, the car was sold to a Mrs Nancy Payne-Jennings of England. She sadly passed away within a year of owning the car, and was sold to an American – Mr Jenkins of Virginia in August the following year.
Jenkins extensively toured the car throughout the EK and Europe – during which he commissioned the world famous Paris Coachbuilder, Jaques Saoutchik, to add his signature chromework to the car’s interior and exterior, as well as fitting Marchal auxiliary lights and perforated silencer covers.
.jpg)
Mr Jenkins owned the car for over 40 years, taking pride of place next to his 300SL, until he passed away in 1995. Jenkins’ son Todd inherited the car and sold it in 1997 to a Los Angeles based car restorer, Rick Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald meticulously restored the vehicle as a personal passion project – completing the project in 2005. The car was the ideal candidate for such a restoration project, as it had covered just 34,000kms since new and needed no welding work.
Finished in Grigio Conchiglia (shell grey), and complimented by grey leather and black mohair roof – the car was quickly invited to Pebble Beach in 2015 to enter the Pininfarina class. It ultimately finished third place, after which Fitzgerald underwent a divorce and was forced to sell the car.
The car was also shown at The Quail during Car Week in 2009, and has been featured in Classic & Sportscar (August 2017) and Auto Italia (December 2018).
The car now shoes just 45,000kms, and is a unique example of an already incredibly collectible and rare car.
The 1951 Lancia Aurelia is based in Herefordshirt England and is listed for GBP £199,950, which equates to AU$357,611 in the current exchange rate.
With Luxury car tax, you’re looking at around AU$445,000 – plus shipping to Australia.
Still, it’s a rare opportunity to purchase a true Pebble Beach contender – and at a fair discount compared to some of the other metal in the Monterey paddock.
Classic Australian Family Car Value Guide home page
Muscle Car Value Guide home page
Japanese Classic Car Value Guide home page