Founded in 1906 in Torino by Vincenzo Lancia and Claudio Fogolin, Lancia has been defined by innovation since inception. This tradition continued unabated during the post-WWII era, exemplified by the Aurelia, introduced in 1950 and endowed with several breakthroughs that profoundly influenced modern automotive design and engineering. Establishing a new postwar tradition at Lancia, the Aurelia was named after a Roman road, the Via Aurelia connecting Rome and Pisa, Italy.

In addition to being Lancia’s first new postwar model, the Aurelia was the first series-production car ever to be powered by a V-6 engine, the inspired brainchild of Lancia engineer Francesco De Virgilio. Further advancements applied to the Aurelia included a combined clutch, gearbox, and final-drive assembly, mounted at the rear of the chassis, yielding ideal weight distribution and balanced handling characteristics. The Aurelia’s chassis was highly advanced for the era, employing multi-link rear suspension and Lancia’s sliding-pillar front suspension design, the product of constant development since its first use on the Lambda of the 1920s. Produced through a number of models and series, the Aurelia defined Lancia excellence with its superior build quality throughout its production run, spanning 1950–1958.

Clothed in a daring coupe body built by Vignale, this 1952 Lancia Aurelia features decidedly modernistic styling devised by Rodolfo Bonetto, who is considered the driving force behind modern Italian industrial design. Looking fast even while standing still, the car’s design was likely inspired by the race cars piloted by Bonetto’s uncle, Felice Bonetto, one of Italy’s top racing drivers by the early 1950s. According to Vignale literature, an Alfa Romeo 1900C SS was also fitted with a similar, if not identical, body to the one on this Lancia Aurelia.

According to marque experts, this 1952 Lancia Aurelia is one of approximately 98 second-series B52 chassis constructed during just over a year of production for delivery as rolling chassis to various coachbuilders with a slightly longer wheelbase than other Aurelia models. Chassis 1054 was dispatched from the factory to Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale, where it was fitted with its coupe body to the design of Rodolfo Bonetto. In artistic terms, Bonetto’s design for this Aurelia handsomely captures the vitality of early 1950s automotive design, rich in transatlantic aesthetic crosscurrents. In 2017, the current owner acquired this exceedingly rare, Bonetto-designed, Vignale-bodied Lancia Aurelia in Italy, where it remained for an extensive six-year restoration. Following completion in 2023, the Aurelia was entered into the Salon Privé Concours d’Elegance held at Blenheim Palace, UK, where it received Best in Class honors. This awardwinning Aurelia B52 coupe with unusual coachwork by Vignale, accompanied by Automobile Club d’Italia documents and restoration records, deserves your closest inspection.