

Sign up to receive the weekly newsletter featuring the very latest from Petrolicious. Don’t be left out—join the ranks of those who Drive Tastefully.
Already a member? Log in
We're glad you're back.
Not a member yet? Sign up
We'll get you back on track.
Owner: Paolo Mazzotto
Year, Make, and Model: 1953 Lancia Aurelia B20 Series III
Location: Rome, Italy
Photographers: Various
During the summer of 1953, the Como Lancia dealership ordered the Aurelia on behalf of Mr. Antonello Provasi of Lecco, a gentleman driver who intended to race it. The car was ordered as “competition type” with the same specifications of Lancia’s official vehicles in 1953. According to competition specs, it was built by Pininfarina in exactly the same way as the corsa units: welded boot, “banquet” seats, air intake on the roof, aluminium hood, Plexiglas front and rear windows, and removal of foglights and bumpers. Since Lancia reserved the competition-grade engine for official drivers, the motor was tuned by Nardi in Turin, who was communicating very closely with Lancia Corse (Lancia’s race division) at that time. The motor was officially tested by Lancia and showed an equivalent power to the “official” Lancia units (129.4 BHP at 5.400 rpm). Upon its delivery, it was put to use immediately. On May 7, 1954 he qualified first in Monza at “Campionato ACI Como” (with an average speed of 144.590 Km/h).
In late 1954, Antonello, after buying a Ferrari 3000, decided to sell the car to Mr. Salvatore Piccolo from Messina, who drove it in various minor races (The nocturnal 10 hours of Messina, Catania-Etna, Pellegrino Mountain, etc.), also with another Sicilian driver, Mr. Curcuruto. The car still has various punching seals around its steering column. Mr Sciarrone from Messina purchased the car in 1958 and later parked it in a warehouse where it remained until 1983, when it was bought by Mr. Guido Rosani (Lancia historian and author of the book D24 and the Sport Lancias) complete and original.
In 1985, the car was given to Earl Vittorio Zanon di Valgiurata, who restored it completely, both mechanically and cosmetically. He then participated in the 1996 Tour de France with Mr. Maurizio Tresoldi, finishing second in the reliability trial class, only “a whisper away from a Mercedes 300 SL”, as the press wrote at that time (“Ruote Classiche” 6/1996). Now resuscitated, the car competed in three editions of the Mille Miglia and in several other commemorative races (Bari Grand Prix, Montecarlo-Sestriere, Dolomiti Cup, Pontedecimo-Giovi, Tuscany Cup, etc).
I don’t know exactly what I love about it, except that it is beautiful. Driving it makes me happy and while it might have been crazy to buy it, I fell in love with the Aurelia at first sight.
Want to see your vintage car on Petrolicious? Click here for more information.
The Goodwood team made a lovely short video of Lord March and his cherished B20 coupe, well worth a watch if this piqued your interest.
DGH, up through the mid-50s, it was typical for Italian sporting cars to be RHD. Many, if not most, Ferrari GTs of the time were RHD. So while the Aurelia berlina was available LHD or RHD from its intro in 1950, it wasn’t until the S4 (1954?) that the Aurelia B20 was available LHD (as the B20S). All things equal, I’d prefer LHD, but I’d happily make an exception for a comp-spec S3 B20.
Italian car makers made exclusively right hand drive cars long after some parts of Italy started driving on the right.
For many years the country drove on different sides of the road depending where you were! In some cases you had to change sides when you left a City’s boundaries, causing chaos.
Race cars in particular were often RHD as it favoured the clockwise rotation of the track.
Whatever side you sit in this Lancia it will be a pleasure.
The paint colour changes with the sun, an interesting feature of red cars, only adding to the attraction!