We could talk about all the technical novelties that make the Lancia Aurelia B20 unique. But that checklist is easy to find anywhere. What matters more to me is the feeling this car gives you: the way it moves on the road, the way the classic lines stay perfectly balanced from every angle, and the sense that you’re experiencing a true piece of mid-century design culture.
If you’d like to explore this car more closely, you can view the Lancia Aurelia B20 in our collection. Take a moment to study the proportions, the gentle curves, and the coupé silhouette that was still relatively new in its era. It’s a shape that doesn’t try to impress loudly, yet it’s impossible to forget once you’ve seen it.
As with many great works of art, the origins of the design remain slightly elusive. Felice Mario Boano claimed he designed it while working for Ghia, yet Giovanni Michelotti is sometimes suggested as an influence. Some analyses even mention Franco Scaglione. Ultimately, Pinin Farina built the cars and introduced subtle refinements across later series, preserving the character while gently evolving the details.
Driving the Aurelia is a joy because it’s not about brute force. The six-cylinder engine isn’t defined by headline power, but by smooth torque delivery and a refined rhythm. The Nardi floor-shift gearbox is a standout: light, precise, and effortless, it turns every gear change into something you simply enjoy.
The influence of Vittorio Jano, Alfa Romeo’s famed prewar racing engineer, is often associated with the Aurelia’s philosophy. It’s the kind of engineering that doesn’t shout for attention, it simply makes the car feel unusually complete.
Lancia was a prestigious brand in its day, and the interior makes that instantly believable. You sit behind a large, beautiful Nardi steering wheel, surrounded by instruments and handles made from solid, machined metal. Every control feels like an individual object, not a generic part, and the craftsmanship is impossible to miss.
There can be noticeable body roll, and the front bench offers essentially no support, so you hold on to the steering wheel to keep yourself in place. And yet the Aurelia still gives you confidence through fast corners. The whole package is smooth, elegant, and deeply satisfying to drive.
There are other cars that can put a smile on your face, but the Aurelia does something rarer: it combines that joy with true style. The Lancia Aurelia B20 in our collection is a reminder of when automotive design reached for something closer to haute couture, a rare beauty that feels like the Mona Lisa on wheels.
