Background Claiming that Lancia’s finest cars were always its saloons might sound like received wisdom, but true marque aficionados have long known it to be fact and few models prove the point better than the Aurelia B12: the final and arguably finest iteration of the four-door Aurelia.

Elegant in its understated design and quietly innovative under the skin, the B12 showcased Lancia’s technical ambition.

It featured the world’s first production V6 engine, along with the later deDion rear suspension, another first, inboard rear brakes and a transaxle layout that delivered both balance and sophistication.

Despite its generous proportions, the B12 tipped the scales at just 1,240kg with a perfect 50:50 weight distribution, giving it poised, neutral handling that neither overloads the steering nor provokes wayward tail action.

The driving experience is as refined as the engineering.

The steering is responsive and well weighted, the gearing intelligently tall.

The 2.3-litre V6 is smoo...