Felice Boano's Classic Lancia Aurelia B20

I am far from alone thinking that Italian automobile design was at its zenith during the late 1940s and most of the 1950s.  One fine example is the Lancia Aurelia type B20 coupé built 1951-1958.  (Italian Wikipedia entry here -- you might need to have your computer translate.)

Styling was by Felice Mario Boano (1903-1989) whose career is dealt with on this Italian Wikipedia page.  As best I can tell, he was associated with Ghia at the time the B20 was designed, but since series production was planned, Ghia personnel were not involved beyond the prototype stage.  Before long, production was handed over to the Pininfarina firm.  Some minor modifications were presumably made later by Farina and not Boano.

Gallery

This is Boano's 1951 prototype B20.  A nice, trim Italian design that nicely blends the traditional vertical Lancia grille with the modern, "envelope" body.

The later 1951 Pininfarina pre-production prototype looks the same from this front three-quarter angle aside from the Farina badge on the front fender.  Some tail light details were changed from the Boano version.

Side view of a 1953 B20 berlinetta GT 2500.  The side window profile is yet another demonstration that BMW's famous shape was far, far from original.

Front view of a 1953 B20 berlinetta GT 2500.  The turn indicators are too close to the auxiliary air intakes that, in turn, should not have been so rectangular.  The edges of the openings nearest the grille should have been angled to match the grille's curves nearby.  The turn lights could then have been made square and placed at the outer edges of the intakes to form a unified composition.

Rear three-quarter view of what looks like a 1953 vintage B20.  What we see is basically a fastback design.  However, it ever-so-slightly flows in the manner of 1941-1948 Chrysler Corporation cars.  Very subtle: a unitary-curve fastback would have made the car look heavier if the trunk height at the rear was the same as shown.