Carroll Shelby’s 1954 South American Racing — La Carrera Panamericana, Shelby entered the race driving this Austin-Healey 100S for the factory team Shelby Racing.

 This 1954 edition was the last, it was discontinued due to safety concerns. At the 175-kilometer marker north of Oaxaca, Shelby T-bones a large rock and flips his Austin-Healey four times.

Shelby’s participation in this race was part of his broader 1954 campaign, which also included Sebring, Le Mans, and Monza.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/527146584145263/media

La Carrera Panamericana 2025

a couple nice AMXs, the bronze one is full race

 

the oil filter is on this mounting plate, with this interesting sticker on it

Fletcher Aviation was a sponsor of a Porsche in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Aviation

and Frank Fletcher, one of the 3 Fletcher Aviation brothers, designed executive desks, and had them built at Fletcher Aviation

https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/frank-fletcher/furniture/

that is one boring dash, very very flat

very interesting Lamborghini 400 2+2 that still has a race sticker on the hood from the 3rd annual Marlboro La Carrera

I've never seen a Touring Super Leggera badge, on a back bumper

how cool! I didn't know that the NHRA sent a support truck to the '54 La Carrera Panamerica

https://thegentlemanracer.com/2017/12/1954-la-carrera-panamericana/

Karlo Flores left México when he was sixteen. He came back to race La Carrera Panamericana, racing something no one has ever seen at La Carrera, the GT40. And they made a film about the whole adventure

https://petrolicious.com/articles/gt40-panamericano-the-film-a-team-challenges-tradition-to-race-a-le-mans-car-in-mexicos-famous-road-race

wow, 1952

 https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56177&page=83

how a Mexican mechanic saved Ferrari.

The 1954 La Carrera Panamerica, one of the most demanding endurance races in history tested the best cars and the most experienced and daring drivers of the time.

Umberto Maglioli in his Ferrari 375 was leading the fourth and final stage of the race. Shortly before finishing stage four, his car began to fail. His Ferrari had an oil leak through a hole in the crankcase. In the middle of nowhere and without a spare part for this vital part of the car, hopes of finishing the race were practically nil.

On the fifth leg of the race and when the car was practically about to stop working, Maglioli made a stop when he saw a small workshop called “El Milagro”.

Renato Martinez who was the owner and sole mechanic of the workshop in the middle of nowhere.  Martinez confirmed to Maglioli that it was in fact an oil leak in the crankcase and that he had a "creative" solution to repair it in moments. At least to be able to finish their journey.

Renato Martinez caught a bucket and a big bar of soap. He also took three small bottles of Coca-Cola and gave them to Maglioli saying, "While you drink this Coke I will repair your car."

An unbelieving Maglioli could only sit, drink the coke and wait for a miracle. Meanwhile, Martinez dismantled the Ferrari and using the bar of soap, began to gradually rub the case with it. The soap melted and created a paste that sealed the leak hole. Soap "cuts" the oil and adheres to the metal in the crankcase and when solidified it became hard.

Amazed, Maglioli thanked Renato and pulled out of the Ferrari a small Roliflex camera which he used to capture that miraculous moment.

The "El Milagro" garage, Renato, and the Ferrari under repair were immortalized. Umberto Maglioli in his Ferrari 375 Plus, finished the fifth stage of the race in first place and changed Ferrari history forever.

The Ferrari 375 Plus (s/n 0392AM owned by Erwin Goldschmidt), was won at an average speed of 173.7 km/h; 2nd was another privateer Ferrari (a 375 MM Vignale, entered #20 by Allen Guiberson and driven by Phil Hill/Richie Ginther).

While Ferrari was a well-known car in Europe, it wasn’t in America and the brand was far from being an economically viable business. Ferrari desperately needed to prove to America that Ferraris were superior, fast and reliable. Winning the race would bring them recognition and with its sales in the United States, which would help them save the brand from bankruptcy.

Some time later, Martinez was mailed the photograph Maglioli had taken, it was signed: "To my friend Renato M. From Umberto Maglioli. "

The photograph came along with a letter thanking Renato and said: "Renato, The Mexican Miracle that helped Ferrari."

That letter was signed by a man named Enzo Ferrari.

https://www.facebook.com/Legal1sDragRacing/posts/pfbid0YkiUpdU3dqn5HxDdgH1qspadoqdHdVLYUwRBvoA59TCpZVHoxmprJvC1XT8AQ8ZJl

https://www.ferrari.com/en-TZ/history/moments/1954/last-pan-american/more

It is decorated with an example of very early and striking commercial livery – 1.2.3 Household Products.

the learning never stops... if you are ever curious about something... in this case, the Olympia Beer sponsored Grand National 1972 Charger that went to Le Mans in 1976 (thank you Terry F!)

It was built by Ray Nichels, and there were 3 engines with it at Le Mans, and was the last ever Hemi that won a national championship in the United States, it was the 1977  USAC Grand National Champion. 

The driver Hershel McGriff was a privateer but a veteran racer from the late 1940s. 

He won the inaugural Carrera Panamerica in 1950 with a  $2,000 Olds 88 he drove from home in Oregon to the race, and after winning, drove it home to Oregon where he ran a  ran a lumber mill

In France, the engine was detuned for 93 octane, BUT they gas was not 93, it was 82 octane, and burned up pistons

the car's whereabouts and owner are unknown, it was part of the lumber mill’s liquidation in 1980, when McGriff moved to Arizona to run a copper mine

McGriff last raced at age 90, in 2018. 

He won the Winston West Series' 1986 championship, and is also a four-time winner in Grand National competition in 1954

From 1954 until 2018, McGriff competed in 271 races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (now ARCA Menards West Series), winning 34 races and posting 100 top-five finishes. He won the series championship in 1986 and finished second in points in both 1985 and ’87. He finished in the top five in points eight times.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d8/53/c2/d853c264764e19573b4b55ecb8eb319f.jpg

https://www.motul.com/nl/en/news/events-racing/the-motul-dodge-charger-it-s-a-handful-to-drive

https://driventowrite.com/2022/10/13/a-stock-car-at-la-sarthe/

https://www.nascarhall.com/blog/five-fun-facts-about-hershel-mcgriff

Jorge Seman's 1956 Buick Centurion concept car re-creation racing in the La Carrera Panamericana. It's fiberglass on a tube chassis, GM Vortec 350-cu.in. V-8 with aluminum heads and a 600 CFM four-barrel carburetor (thank you Mark!)

the Centurion tribute contains no actual Buick parts, concept or otherwise, though it is powered by a cast-iron GM Vortec 350-cu.in. V-8 with aluminum heads and a 600 CFM four-barrel carburetor, the latter at class limit. Though most days of the week Jorge runs his industrial show and event business, he also campaigns a car in the Mexican NASCAR Toyota series with driver Xavier Razo at the wheel.

https://robbreport.com/motors/cars/2022-carrera-panamericana-race-october-1234752479/

https://www.motul.com/cl/en/news/events-racing/eduardo-leon-the-carrera-is-the-people-s-race

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2014/04/30/concept-at-la-carrera-buick-centurion-tribute-competes-in-the-last-great-road-race

Two participants from the La Carrera Panamericana and a Mexico National Guard patrol vehicle were involved in an incident during the Durango-Parras stage of the race.

 

https://twitter.com/pilaraguilarm/status/1450926366719836160

https://www.thegentlemanracer.com/2021/10/gt40-and-porsche-crash-at-la-carrera.html

delivering water, or fuel? to a race car during the Carrera Panamericana

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vintage-shots-from-days-gone-by-part-2.1154030/page-379#post-13431830

Bill France could probably afford any car he wanted to drive in the Carrera Panamericana... choosing a Nash must have been due to a good reason (thanks Steve)

Bill France had cut a deal with Nash to make them the Official Pace Car of NASCAR. Nash even entered NASCAR races in at least 1950 - 1952, and even won a 150 lap race at Charlotte Speedway in 1950.

After the 1950 Carrera Panamericana (which allowed only strictly stock vehicles and included more than one Nash), the No. 37 car entered a few NASCAR heats.

During the Carrera Panamericana, one Nash was running 1st when it blew a tire 10 miles short of the finish line. They changed the tire and took 3rd place.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vintage-shots-from-days-gone-by.428585/page-6353