1954 LINCOLN - 11 TIME CARRERA PANAMERICANA PARTICIPANT

THE MODEL

The first generation Lincoln Capri and second gen Cosmopolitans were sold between 1953-55.  They were luxury cars, competing again Cadillacs, the Chrysler New Yorker and Packards.  Featuring a Lincoln Y-block V8, they used a 3-speed automatic transmission.  Lincoln used the famous La Carrera Panamericana endurance race in Mexico to enhance it's reputation as a fast, reliable car.  In 1953 and 1954 Lincolns finished 1st - 4th in their class!

THE RACE

The Carrera Panamericana ran from 1950 - 1954 before being cancelled due to the world-wide concern about automobile racing safety following the 1955 LeMans tragic accident.  Famous racing competitors in the race included:  Bill France, Mickey Thompson, Clay Smith, Bill Vukovich, Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Carroll Shelby, Dan Gurney, Richie Ginther, Phil Hill and Piero Taruffi, making it one of the most diverse races on the planet.

After it's cancelation, the race was eventually revived in 1988 and was turned into another world-class vintage events with cars of the period being highly modified to compete in this 7-day 2300+ mile event over open roads in Mexico.  A truly strenuous race for both driver and vehicle, attrition rates are extremely high.

THIS CAR

This car ran the La Carrera Panamericana 11 times between 1998 - 2015.  ­  From the 11 races, it only had 1 DNF.  First campaigned in 1998 & 1999 by Loyal Trusedale (one of the founders of revived Carrera Panamericana), the current owner acquired the car in 2002 as a forlorn and tired race car.  The car would undergo an extensive renovation to make it race worthy again and it's next appearance would be at the 2005 Carrera Panamericana.  This car has been continually developed after each race to make it faster and even more reliable.  Other important features include making it more comfortable for long races for both driver and navigator.

The current owner has put over 250,000 miles on this car with 4 engine rebuilds.  The current drivetrain includes a replacement, rebuilt Lincoln Y-block with only 2 races and less than 20,000 miles on it.  The rest of the drivetrain and suspension was refreshed at the same time.  The 700R 4-speed automatic transmission give the car plenty of gear range and the current engine has approximately 300hp.

While it has not raced since 2015, it has been on several multi-day rally events and would be welcome at many world-wide rally events such as the California Mille and the Colorado Grand, where it would turn more heads than some of the contestants worth exponentially more money!

For a comprehensive list of parts used on this car, click here.

SOLD!

Email ingo@genauautowerks.com

or call 415.730.5352 for more information