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Full-blooded horsepower from Italy - Lancia Aurelia 2500 GT (historical test)

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Created on October 1, 1954

Text:

Heinz Sponsel

Photos:

Archiv

34

Archiv

34

Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1954) - hardly changed compared to earlier versions

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Lancia Aurelia 2500 GT (1954) - Granturismo in Italian

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - the striking shape, photographed at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show

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Lancia Aurelia GT (1953) - at the Geneva Motor Show 1953

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Lancia B20 GT (1952) - fast Italian coupé

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - a Series 3 coupé at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show

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Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1956) - Interior of a left-hand drive Lancia

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Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1956) - the dashboard was painted

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Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1956) - Steering wheel and dashboard of a new car

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Lancia Aurelia GT (1956) - with emergency seat in the rear - Geneva Motor Show 1956

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Lancia Aurelia GT (1956) - with classically simple lines - Geneva Motor Show 1956

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1951) - the early coupés were all right-hand drive

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1951) - the version with 1991 cm3 exhibited at the 1951 Turin Motor Show

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1951) - Rear view of an early GT, exhibited at the 1951 Turin Motor Show

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1952) - the early Aurelias were all right-hand drive, seen at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1952) - seen at the Mille Miglia 1952, sporty cockpit with center gearshift

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - the body hardly changed over the years

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - Series 3 Coupé

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - functional coupé bodywork

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1954) - rear view of the coupé

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Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1953) - the term B20 disappeared in later years

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Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1955) - stocky figure

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Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1954) - one model played an important role in the movie "Il Sorpasso"

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Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1954) - only the first series had unchromed bumpers

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Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1956) - the high waistline was characteristic

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Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1955) - attractive sports coupé - Geneva Motor Show 1955

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Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1955) - typical design between production sports and touring car - Geneva Motor Show 1955

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Lancia Aurelia GT (1953) - the coupé that was also very successful in motor racing

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Lancia Aurelia (1950) - the V6 engine with a displacement of not quite 1.8 liters

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Lancia Aurelia 2500 GT (1954) - Rear axle with transaxle

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Lancia Aurelia (1950) - Rear axle with locked gearbox and differential

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1951) - at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1952) - Gatta-Ickx fast on the road

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Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - auf dem Genfer Automobilsalon von 1953

Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - die markante Form, Aufgenommen am Genfer Automobilsalon 1953

Lancia Aurelia GT (1953) - am Genfer Autosalon 1953

Lancia B20 GT (1952) - schnelles italienisches Coupé

Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - ein Serie-3-Coupé am Genfer Automobilsalon von 1953

Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1956) - Interieur eines linkgelenkten Lancias

Summary

In his test report in 1954, Heinz Sponsel praised the Lancia Aurelia 2500 GT as "a car in a class of its own in Europe". No wonder he was enthusiastic - after all, this coupé had already won countless rallies at the time, which had to have a positive effect on the road. And it did. This article reproduces the original wording of the 1954 report and shows the Lancia Aurelia B20 2500 GT in many historical photographs.

This article contains the following chapters

Tradition and progress
European special class
Rally-tested
Still a virgin
Elegant in form and technology
Simple but effective
Quickly on the move
Excellent cornering
Intelligent detail solutions
Technical profile

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

As we waited in the marble vestibule of the Lancia factory in Turin on Via Monginevro to take delivery of the test car, we saw the life-size bust of Vincenzo Lancia, the man and designer who is often mentioned in the same breath as Ford, Porsche and others in Italy and beyond. What has characterized Lancia cars since 1910 - a tradition that continues to this day - is the bold avant-gardism that, despite its progressive spirit, never wanted to be 'modern at any price'. Loyalty to tradition and progress - this remained the watchword of the Lancia company, even when Vincenzo Lancia died in 1927 and his son Gianni took over the management of the factory.

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Images of this article

Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - auf dem Genfer Automobilsalon von 1953

Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - die markante Form, Aufgenommen am Genfer Automobilsalon 1953

Lancia Aurelia GT (1953) - am Genfer Autosalon 1953

Lancia B20 GT (1952) - schnelles italienisches Coupé

Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1953) - ein Serie-3-Coupé am Genfer Automobilsalon von 1953

Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 (1956) - Interieur eines linkgelenkten Lancias

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