Sotheby’s will be holding a closed auction sale dedicated to a rare Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America made by Pininfarina in 1955. Exclusively enough, the model comes equipped with a Fontana hardtop and the world’s first mass-produced V6 engine. The fallback price is U.S. $1,250,000.
The total production run amounted to 240 vehicles, out of which only 181 were left-hand drive, like this one. All open-top Aurelia vehicles sported chrome-coated split bumpers, panoramic windshields, removable side panes, and bodies sculpted by Pininfarina.
The car on sale had its removable soft-top replaced with a hardtop, the exterior repainted in baby blue, and the cabin re-trimmed with grayish-blue leather. The latest owner of the car has refurbished its four-speed manual transmission, brake system, and on-board electric circuitry. He has also replaced the decayed metallic body parts and the multi-spoke wheels.
The Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America still comes powered by its original 2.5-liter V6 mill rated at 118 hp (88 kW).