As the world s oldest family-owned car manufacturer and one of the most respected for the excellence and originality of its design and engineering, Lancia wasted no time after the end of the Second World War in producing their revolutionary Aurelia model which was introduced at the 1950 Turin Motor Show.

The Aurelia first appeared as the four-door B10 saloon and bristled with innovative features such as the world s first all-aluminium V6, a rear-mounted transaxle with inboard brakes, pillarless construction, seating for five adults (which folded into two full-size beds) and a top speed of 130 kph from its modestly-sized 1750cc engine.

Within a year the saloon was joined by the svelte and beautiful 2-litre B20 Coupe which, driven by Giovanni Bracco achieved an astonishing second place overall in the rain swept 1951 Mille Miglia, only minutes behind the winning 4.1 litre Ferrari.

The little Aurelia was actually faster than the Ferrari over the difficult, twisting mountain passes of th...