Lancia Aurelia B51 Giardiniera Frua

The Lancia Aprilia Giardinetta Frua was a one-off estate-bodied car built by Carrozzeria Frua on the Lancia Aprilia platform. The design was by Pietro Frua and the car was presented at the 1948 Turin Motor Show. The model used the mechanical base of the Lancia Aprilia, including the narrow-angle V4 engine, independent suspension and compact chassis layout. Frua replaced the standard saloon body with a giardinetta body, designed to increase passenger and luggage space while retaining the refined character of the Aprilia. The front section kept the main visual identity of the Aprilia, with its rounded nose, separate headlamps and vertical grille. The rear body was extended and raised to create a more practical load area. The roofline continued almost horizontally over the passenger compartment and ended in a squared rear section. The side profile featured large windows, slim pillars and decorative wood-style framing on the doors and rear panels. This treatment followed the station wagon style used on several luxury and utility vehicles of the period. The body had four doors, a long cabin and a large rear compartment, making it more suitable for travel and mixed passenger-cargo use than the standard Aprilia saloon. The car remained a single example. It represents one of Pietro Frua’s early postwar coachbuilt projects and one of the rare estate-bodied interpretations of the Lancia Aprilia.