Lancia Rally 037 driver loses control and crashes into barriers: 12 injured

Francesco Armenio
During Turin Auto Show 2024 exhibition, a Lancia Rally 037 driver loses control: tragedy narrowly avoided.
Lancia Rally 037

During the Turin Auto Show, a Lancia Rally 037 struck several spectators during the parade. In the accident, 12 people were injured, including a woman who suffered a leg injury and two children. The most seriously injured is believed to be a man who, due to the impact, suffered severe genital trauma and will require surgery. Barbara Riolfo, a non-professional driver who was at the wheel of the vehicle, lost control of the car and, in an attempt to put on a show, ended up crashing into the barriers, hitting a dozen bystanders.

Lancia Rally 037 crashes into spectators at Turin Auto Show: 12 injured

Lancia Rally 037

From the video, it’s possible to see that after a burst of acceleration, the car slides to the right and hits the barriers and about a dozen spectators. Fortunately, the low speed helped avoid even more serious consequences. Authorities are investigating the incident to understand the cause of the accident and whether the safety measures provided by the organizers were adequate.

There are no images showing the condition of the car after the impact, but one of the children involved in the accident stated that “it reversed and drove away” without the driver checking on the condition of the injured. We’re talking about a car that is certainly not easy to drive and can catch even the most experienced drivers off guard.

Lancia Rally 037

The Lancia Rally 037 is one of the most iconic cars in the automotive industry. Positioned centrally at the rear, the four-cylinder in-line engine, which thanks to the Abarth volumetric compressor offered power ranging from 255 to 280 HP with the EVO I engine, and from 310 to 325 HP with the EVO II engine. In the rally version, it weighs only 920 kilograms. The one involved in the accident is one of the 207 units that came off the production line between 1982 and 1984.