Cinema & Motors: The Easy Life

In 1955 and 1956, just 10 years after the end of the Second World War, Lancia, the car manufacturer from Turin, presented elegant Spider Aurelia B24 with Pininfarina-built body at the Turin Motor Show.
This wonderful Italian sport car enjoyed a big success. It was in production from 1955 to 1958 and in 1956, was as well introduced into the market its second series, Lancia Aurelia Convertible.
A pre-production prototype first appeared on the streets of Turin in 1954, witnessing the industrial rebirth after the wartime and the high quality of Italian design in the period known under the name of “economic miracle”.
In 1962 this beautiful sport car was the protagonist of one of the 100 most important Italian movies entitled as “The Easy Life”. The movie directed by Dino Risi criticizes that era society and shows how people facing a better but unstable economic situation began to incautiously show off their precious belongings.                                           
The two main characters of the movie, a distinguished and shy student (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and an unscrupulous forty years old (Vittorio Gassman) are displayed behind the curve and panoramic wind-screen with a brass profile.
Overspeed (maybe beyond 180 km/h) and a rash overtake on a corner led to a tragic ending. It is a must-watch movie with a vintage car of great collection.