This is the story of a restoration of a 1952 Lancia Aurelia B20 Coupe. For other information - read:

- blog

1. - Aurelias for general information on the model
   

2. -bare chassis -  what happens when an Aurelia is taken down to its bare structure  
   

The car in the barn

( on friendship, Aurelias, and some 30 years)

Once upon a time, there was a character named Tom Sheehan. Tom lived in Pittsburgh, and loved Lancias, and collected them the way some people buy hats. He ran a parts business for older Lancias, and was fondest of Aurelias. His parts manager was a man named Walt Spak, a straight shooter in delightful contrast to Tom. Walt is my oldest Lancia friend and this car was his.

Back in the early 1970’s Walt was working for Tom as a young parts clerk, and  lusting for an Aurelia. He was delighted when Tom came in and said “We’re driving to Harrisburg – I’m going to get a B-50 (the large 4 seater cabriolet), and you’re getting a B20 coupe”. A dream come true.

So off they went, and they got to a house on a hill, somewhere in Pennsylvania, who knows where. The house was owned by an older gentleman, who walked with a cane.  He took them to his air-conditioned garage, where they found the lovely Aurelia B-50. Missing hubcaps, bumpers and rear tail-lights, the car was in fine condition and totally complete. All for a mere $1300, and the transaction was completed. Tom was happy with his new car.

But Walt was not. He finally asks the question, “but ...where is the B-20?”, and is told it was down the hill in the barn. The owner could not walk that far, but Tom and Walt were free to go and see for themselves. So down to the barn they go, they  look in and find a B20. But this was no thing of beauty, but was covered in bird droppings, had no paint, was in pieces, and there was dirt everywhere. The dirt was free, but the car was $800. Walt said no to his dream and went home.

Upon returning home, Walt learned more the history of the car. It had at one time been registered in Chicago in 1962 with a window sticker to prove it. The car had been abandoned in the early 1960’s on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, having blown up its engine supposedly on the way from Chicago to New York. Brought to a shop for repair, it was left there, and finally acquired by the shop on a mechanic’s lien.

It sat for some time in Leggitsburg, PA and then was traded to a man in Mechanicsville for a coin collection from the buyer’s then deceased father. The car moved across Pennsylvania from here to there, but nothing happened to it for a long time. It showed up for sale in 1975 in a club newsletter a few years after Walt’s visit to the barn.