Created under the guidance of Vittorio Jano, who had developed some of the great Alfa Romeos of the pre-war era, the Lancia Aurelia featured a pioneering V-6 engine—the first such production example—paired with a transaxle gearbox for optimal weight distribution.

The brilliance of the Lancia Aurelia was hardly limited to the sports cars built on this innovative platform.

The vast majority of Lancia Aurelias were coupes or four-door sedans; thanks to their advanced underpinnings, these practical cars are still praised for their engaging performance.

When Lancia did apply the Aurelia platform’s attributes to a purist sports car, however, the results were spectacular.

Introduced in 1954 and built for just two years, the Aurelia B24 Spider America was intended in large part to capitalize on the export market (as its name clearly suggests).

It benefitted from the improvements implemented for the Aurelia’s fourth series, including a more potent 118-horsepower engine.

It also rode on a ...