Thornley Kelham Release The Last 3 Lancia Aurelia Outlaw European CSL

Thornley Kelham have released the last 3 Lancia Aurelia Outlaw European CSL variants.

This lighter more powerful version of the B20 has been inspired by the Mille Miglia Le Mans Aurelia B20GT of Giovanni Bracco, which Thornley Kelham restored and displayed at Pebble Beach. That car was raced in the early 1950s and modified for competition with a lower roofline.

The European CSL model is the final evolution of the 9 cars and 3 will be built to accompany the one already completed. Each car will have an aluminium body weighing around 75 kg less and have 100 bhp more power than the first 6.

Built to ‘fast road’ spec, each car will have a limited slip differential, revised front suspension, independent rear, disc brakes and many other upgrades.

Each of the Outlaws is hand built from the ground up, the modification taking some 5,000 hours with 800 or so for the paintwork alone.

Many years of research into Lancia went into recreating and reimagining one of the best GT and rally cars ever built, and they have made something quite stunning.

The European CSL version takes modernised styling and was inspired by aerodynamic modifications made by Lancia back in the 1950s to the world’s most famous Aurelia.

To save weight the body panels are made from lightweight aluminium and the whole body is shaped by hand which covers the whole of the car.

Each basket case Aurelia is transformed over 5,000 hours to make an Outlaw.

The reconstruction of the chassis requires strengthening and for the 2,200 hours of work you get that lower roofline, shorter front windscreen and widened, hand rolled and beaten, front and rear wings.

The roof has been de-guttered and the body features nickel plated brightwork, a nice Monza style fuel cap and curving bonnet locks. Whilst they look Lancia, they are in fact Thornly Kelham modifications.

To go with the lighter weight, more power is introduced. The European CSL looks to Alfa Romeo for its Busso 3.2 litre V6 engine. One of the best sounding modern engines around. but even this has not been left alone. Fully mapped fuel injection, balanced, with ported and polished cylinder heads. All this gets connected to a five speed transaxle and produces over 300 bhp.

Previous versions offered around 220 bhp whilst the original Aurelia produced 118 bhp.

The diet the car has gone on leaves it weighing a little bit over 1,100 kg. Coupled with the modifications the Aurelia is a fast and nimble car. The performance is more modern, but without the weight and associated turbocharging you get to achieve similar performance.

It’s likely to be much more focussed and sharper than something never, with all of the tactility and feel of a vintage car, with added precision.

In addition to the modern disc brakes, there is a new pedal box, rack and pinion steering with optional power assistance.

The interior is bespoke, full Connolly leather, air conditioning and a range of front seat options to choose from. Above there is a fully trimmed Alcantara headlining and just below a built in roll cage whilst straight ahead is a wooden steering wheel.

Two tone finishes are available, rear storage areas and customisable dashboards, built around each customer’s specification.

The Outlaw is designed to keep as much Lancia DNA as possible. Giovanni de Virgilio, the son of the Aurelia V6 engine, Francesco de Virgilio married into the Lancia family and who is regarded as the father of the Aurelia project said:

“It’s a very purposeful and realistic car that Gianni Lancia could have built for a friend.”

The inspiration for the project was a restoration of the most famous Aurelia of all time, chassis 1010. Bought by privateer racer Giovanni Bracco who entered it into the 1951 Mille Miglia – with virtually no development. Finishing second overall was considered a huge success.

Later it went on to win first in class at Le Mans, first in the Pescara 6-hour, first on the Caracalla Night Race and the 1951 Carrera Panamericana.

One of the most noticeable features was its lower roofline. An article in Auto Italia about the Pescara 6 hour race of 1951 confirmed that Giovanni Bracco and Lancia lowered the roof of the car to improve the aerodynamics. There wasn’t much scope for tuning the 2 litre engine.

It took Thornley Kelham over 4,000 hours over a three year period to restore the ex-Bracco Aurelia B20GT. Half the time that goes into an Outlaw.

Simon Thornley, co-founder of Thornley Kelham, said: “The Aurelia ‘Outlaw’ project has now reached its ultimate evolution, with just three remaining cars to be built, each with a new set of meticulously developed upgrades. But this doesn’t mark the end of our bespoke commissions. In fact, the European CSL is the first of a new line-up of projects we have developed to launch in the coming years that will be badged as ‘The Europeans’ by Thornley Kelham. As with the Aurelia commissions, these will be built around iconic performance cars, developed with fresh designs, upgraded performance and a meticulous eye for detail.”

Thornley Kelham Ltd are a specialist restoration business who produce concourse cars and other interesting projects. They service, prepare and support rally cars from their Cotswold headquarters.

Bodywork is done in house along with paint, engine and fabrication.

To see the full details of the Outlaw Lancia Aurelia B20GT project see http://www.fuorilegge.co.uk