The throat, high and full of personality, has driven millions of cars around the world for more than seven decades. This architecture has led to some of the most iconic models in history, including Ferrari’s Dino, the Nissan GT-R and the DeLorean DMC-12. It is even used to upgrade modest sedans, such as the Toyota Camry V6 version. The V6 has turned out to be a hugely successful mass market choice, in which GM’s Buick 3800 V6 alone sells more than 25 million units. The design comes from modest beginning, born from the Italian technical ingenuity and the vision of a man who played an important role in the growth of the legendary Italian car manufacturer Lancia.
Lancia already had a V4 engine in his line -up, but the company wanted to eliminate the vibrations that teasing it. Engineer Francesco de Virgilio was given the task of making a compact engine that was both powerful and supple. His answer was the V6, a design that he started to develop in the early 1940s before it was finally introduced in 1950. The Virgilio had become with the Italian car maker in 1939 and later moved to the test department, where he collaborated with the famous designer Vittorio Jano.
The six -cylinder engine had a design of 60 degrees for even shooting intervals. The first iteration of the engine was a 1.8-liter unit, which was supplied with six crank pins and double valves per cylinder. It did not set the roads on fire because it released a meager 56 hp, considerably less than the inline six -cylinder engines of that period. For example, the Maserati 1.5-liter engine in the A6 would have produced 65 hp. However, the Lancia engines have become more powerful over the years.
Which car got the first V6 engine?
The company decided to stick their brand new V6 in the beautiful Lancia Aurelia, a car that was first introduced as a sedan called the B10. It was followed by the B20, a GT coupé and later called a spider version the B24. Between 1950 and 1958, Lancia built more than 18,000 units of the Aurelia, with people like legendary racer Juan Manuel Fangio among the few to possess the car. The car was initially built by the Italian Design House Ghia, while another celebrated coachbuilder, Pininfarina, also produced some cars.
The Aurelia earned a racing tree tree when the car, a year after the launch, won the Sestriere Rally and the Dolomites Cup, while in the same year he finished second in the famous Mille Miglia race. More success followed in 1952 – the same year that the new racing team, Scuderia Lancia, was formed. The coupé version of the Aurelia finished sixth and eighth in the legendary Le Mans race. The new V6 engine turned out to be successful on the circuit and Lancia continued to develop the power plant and introduced 2.0-liter, 2.3-liter and 2.5-liter versions that have evolved from the original 1.8-liter design. The 2.0-liter produced a healthy 75 hp, while the larger 2.5-liter engine more than the original 56 hp of the 1.8-liter engine more than doubled, delivering an impressive 118 hp.
The Aurelia was eventually replaced by the Flamina, which contained an evolution of the V6 engine, in 2.5-liter and 2.8-liter forms. When the production stopped in 1970, it also spared the end of the very first V6 when Lancia switched to the use of engines from other manufacturers after the company had been taken over by Fiat.
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