Lancia’s post-war Aurelia line represented a massive step forward for the automaker.

The groundbreaking 60-degree V-6 engine was an obvious focal point, but the platform’s well-engineered underpinnings made it an exceptional handler as well.

Though the export market beckoned to European automakers—in particular, the booming United States—Lancia surely realized that its comparatively compact coupes and saloons would face an uphill battle in the land of big, chrome-laden sedans.

The solution was to cater to the growing cohort of sports car enthusiasts, with the very name of the 1954–1955 Aurelia B24 Spider America making its intended audience quite clear.

The Pinin Farina-bodied Spider America did in fact make a splash, but its purist focus limited its reach; the car had only rudimentary weather protection and even lacked exterior door handles.

A refinement of the B24 Spider, the B24S Convertible—the “S” in its name denotes its Sinestra , or left-hand-drive, configuration—was introd...