It goes without saying that Jay Leno gets to drive some of the coolest cars ever made, and this 1954 Lancia Aurelia B20 Outlaw is no exception. The Italian carmaker is responsible for some epic models, but today it’s far from its former glory. Luckily, a shop based in Gloucestershire, UK, called Thornley Kelhman has decided to do for the Lancia Aurelia B20 what the likes of Singer and Theon do for air-cooled Porsche 911s. Obviously, the shop went above and beyond, and Jay Leno recently spent some “alone time” with the exquisite 1950s Italian sports car.
The Outlaw Treatment
Tex Otto, guest at Jay Leno’s Garage and owner of the 1953 Lancia Aurelia B20 Outlaw, talks about the car during the video and how it got to where it is. The attention to detail is immense, and according to the owner, 5,000 hours went into the car for it to look, sound, and feel the way it is. The Lancia Aurelia was known to be quick (for its time), and indeed the B20 GT with its 2.5-liter V-6 packing 110 horsepower (82 kilowatts) and 124 pound-feet (169 Nm) was no slouch back in the 1950s.
This particular car, however, started life as a lesser, 85-horsepower version of the Aurelia. Being an Outlaw B20 GT, the car is now to the highest possible spec custom shop Thornley Kelhman will builds. This means it's fitted with a modified 2.8-liter V-6 engine from the newer Lancia Flaminia and now packs 225 horsepower (168 kilowats) and a four-speed transaxle lighting up the rear wheels. The car is also two inches wider on each side, and the roof has been chopped and de-chromed for a more sinister, outlaw-ish look.
The Lancia Aurelia Was Innovative For Its Time
Despite its miserable, current state, Lancia was a responsible for a lot of firsts in the past. The Aurelia brought its fair share of those as it was the first car to come with radial tires that replaced the two-piece, Bias Ply type. It was also the first production car to feature a V-6 engine. Leno has an original Lancia Aurelia, albeit a Spyder, so we reckon he’s qualified enough to share his thoughts on the $475,000 Lancia Aurelia Outlaw B20 GT.