Lancia’s first post-war car, the revolutionary Aurelia, appeared in 1950. Its combination of the first production V6 engine, a 60° design developed by Francesco de Virgilio, with a balanced transaxle gearbox and inboard rear brakes were revelations in post-war Europe. The fourth series of Aurelias introduced the new de Dion tube rear suspension. The engine was changed from white metal bearings to shell bearings. The fourth series cars were the first Aurelias to be available in left-hand drive and were the first ones to be imported to the US in any number.
An open car, the B24 Spider, was introduced at this time (1954 to 1955) and was well received. It was similar to the B20 coupé mechanically, fitted with the narrow V6 2.5-liter engine, with an 8 inch (203 mm) shorter wheelbase than the coupé.
One of Pinin Farina’s masterpieces, the Lancia B24 Spider was first shown at the 1955 Brussels Motor Show. Unusually clean lines enabled the Spider to achieve what was an exceptional performance for an open car of the period, being unencumbered by external door handles (there were internal pull-cords) and benefiting from a gracefully curved panoramic windshield, and the model's signature styling feature, the two-piece front and rear bumpers.
Only 240 B24 spider were built: 59 right-hand drive and 181 left-hand drive. The 'S' stood for 'sinistra' - Italian for 'left'. The left-hand drive examples were called with the nickname “America”. The second series of this open car, was officially called B24S Convertibile America. 150 cars were built. The 'America' designation indicated the company's intention to market the car to the United States. The latest series of the model lost the “America” officially designation and was called B24S Convertibile. 371 cars were built.
Chassis 1021 is a very special car with unique features, one of the 59 B24 right-hand drive built. It was built for Guido Maria Terzi, the brother-in-law of famous Lancia privateer driver Ingegner Castiglioni known as “Ippocampo”.
The car was fitted with a B20 engine with Nardi manifold and two camshafts. It was equipped with dual driving lights which were useful for the Mille Miglia and other races. Other features are a 1955 B20-style dashboard with easy-to-view Jaeger instruments, including a tachometer (two instruments instead of three) and in the windshield washer. This car is one of only two B24 Spider that ran the Mille Miglia in 1956 and the only one in 1957.