Lancia Aurelia Berlina

The once-respected Italian marque Lancia (founded 1906) has been reduced to producing a single model, the Ypsilon, a fancied-up Fiat 500.  I fear for Lancia's future.

After World War 2, and long before being taken over by Fiat, Lancia introduced one of Italy's first true post-war cars, the Aurelia.  The name Aurelia is that of one of the famous ancient roads that led to Rome.  The original berlina (sedan) design was produced 1950 through 1955.

The English-language entry on the Aurelia is here.  For more detail, you might link to the Italian-language entry here and, if possible, have your computer translate.

Styling has been credited to Amedeo Piatti, though this source suggests that Pinin Farina might have been brought in to consult 1948-49 when the Aurelia was being developed.  In any case, Farina did design the 1947 Lancia Aprilia Bilux.  (The Aprilia was a prewar Lancia model whose production was resumed after the war).

Here is a photo of the Bilux.  Compare to the Aurelias in the Gallery below.  The cars seem quite similar from their B-pillars aft.

Gallery

Three views of the Aurelia type 10 B, produced 1950-53.

Two images of a the lengthened 1952 Lancia Aurelia berlina allungata, type B 15.  For some reason this car sits higher off the ground than regular Aurelias.

The final Aurelia berlina was the B 12, built 1954-55.  Design differences were fairly minor aside from the awkwardly raised front fender line.  They include: front-door wing vents; deletion of wand-type turn-indicatiors; revised tail lights; and the addition of running lights by the grille and turn-indicator lights on the front fenders.

The Aurelia's initial styling seems a little influenced by American designs known to its development team in 1948, but its overall character is that of classic late 1940s and 1950s Italian design.  The fender treatment is similar to that of the mid-1941 Packard Clipper, and the one-piece curved windshield might have been a Detroit influence.  Overall, the Aurelia's design might be called pleasant.