Mystery Car

Oh man, it looks like the new year is getting off to a rough start, last week’s Mystery Car being a particularly vexing contender. Sporty88au finally hit the mark on Sunday, but if you don’t want to turn back the pages of time, the answer is after the jump. Before that’s revealed however, you need to take a stab at today’s snippet of something.

While this is a new year and all – and I am trying to make these more of a challenge – one thing that doesn’t change is my proclivity for cars that are red. This one is just so sprayed, and also features some black car-bony fiber looking stuff to contrast. That’s some pretty high-end stuff, or so they say.

You know how this works – make, model, year-range and engine are needed for credit that’s as full figured as a Kardashian. And remember to make the jump for the shocking revelation of last week’s contender.

Woodies are typically most closely associated with American cars of the pre-rocket age, while steering wheels on the right frequently mean a car from the British Isles or its colonial holdings. Well, last week’s car – while possessing both of those features – was actually neither of those things.

Instead, it was in fact a 1952 Lancia Aurelia B53 Giardinetta, one of 47 built – and of two claimed to survive.

The handsome wagon was penned by Carrozzeria Viotti and rode on the long wheelbase Aurelia B53 chassis. The Aurelia was the most advanced production car of its day featuring Lancia’s innovative 2-litre 70-bhp V6 and a 4-speed all synchromesh transmission. It’s hard to imagine today when the brand has been reduced to selling modestly rebadged Chryslers, but Lancia was once one of Europe’s automotive engineering leaders, sort of the BMW of Italy. What happened to them isn’t much of a mystery – poor finances and mergers doomed the once aspirational marque – and now, this amazing Aurelia’s identity is also clear.

Images: [©2013 Robert Emslie, All Rights Reserved]