Leading the grand parade that will wind through the streets of Turin is the legendary Lancia D50, a car synonymous with racing driver Alberto Ascari, who won the Formula One Grand Prix here in 1955.
The perpetrator always returns to the scene of the crime, I’ve seen it happen a thousand times in my job. But I didn’t know that the same thing is true for cars with legendary reputations. And yet, that is exactly what is happening on 10 June in Turin for the Auto Show at Parco del Valentino. Because leading the parade of prototypes, super cars and historic road and race models that will traverse Italy’s car capital is the Lancia D50.
That’s right, none other than the mythical Lancia D50. The first Formula One single-seater produced by Lancia, just like the one that won the Turin Formula One Grand Prix on the Parco del Valentino circuit on 27 March 1955. Behind the wheel was the unforgettable Alberto Ascari, Formula One World Champion in 1952 and 1953.
On that day in Turin, Ascari was in already in the lead by the midpoint of the race. The official stats tell us that he won in a time of 2h 40m 22s with an average speed of 141.437 km/h, 27s ahead of second-placed Argentinian driver Roberto Mieres. In short, it was a triumph for Lancia, whose other two Lancia D50 cars in the race, driven by Luigi Villoresi and Eugenio Castellotti, took third and fourth place respectively.