GM recreates legendary Cadillac racecar
General Motors' Performance Division has just completed recreation of this wonderful 1954 Cadillac "Carrera Panamericana" coupe, from an era when Cadillac's high-compression, overhead valve V8s were a hot ticket in the U.S. performance car market.
The original car competed in one of the toughest point-to-point road races in the world, Mexico's Carrera Panamericana, in the hands of a Colorado-based privateer team. Headed by driver Keith Andrews and co-driver/mechanic Blu Plemons, the "five ordinary guys from Colorado" went up against massive factory teams, including the 53-man Lincoln team (with its own refrigerated food truck!), and nearly won the stock car division, winning two stages and finishing third behind two factory-sponsored Lincolns.
The Carrera Panamerican covered nearly 2,000 miles of open road from southern Mexico to the Texas border, and attracted the best drivers and the best teams from around the world, including world champions Phil Hill and Juan Manuel Fangio, and factory teams from Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz.
The recreated Caddy coupe will run in this fall's restaging of the Carrera Panamericana for vintage racecars. More pics after the jump...
[Source: GM]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
AMcA 7:30PM (6/28/2006)
So cool!
Cadillac's got heritage. Lexus doesn't.
Glad to see Caddy exploiting that fact.
Reply
Steve-O 12:06AM (6/29/2006)
Agreed, very cool. Say what you want about the current situation the Domestics are in, but they have some really amazing history, heritage and soul. They MUST draw from it in order to kick a-- once again!
Reply
Steve 12:59AM (6/29/2006)
good to see where the money is going...
Reply
Tim 1:22AM (6/29/2006)
"and nearly won the stock car division". the word "nearly" is kinda key there. The domestic manufacturs should primarily race near factory cars as they did instead of high tuned nascar. Personally, i would enjoy watching cars similar to the ones in our driveway rather than 'cars' that are steel cages, plastic and huge engine . Would promote brand loyalty more as cars would be more different than the stickers. Imagine a gt500 stock 'stang w/ a new challenger and/or camaro on a road course...
Reply
gbh 2:54AM (6/29/2006)
History? Heritage? Soul?
Mercedes-Benz
Alfa Romeo
Maserati
Ferrari
Cadillac?
Pass me some of those 'shrooms dude...
Reply
JDG 5:24AM (6/29/2006)
Cadillac? Yes this badge has plenty of History? Heritage? Soul?" I'll give ya Mercedes-Benz...even though they only began a few years ahead of Cadillac building automobiles. And yes Ferrari began building cars in 1940. But now Alfa Romeo and Maserati...I wouldn't buy one of those bucket of bolts now days for anything. Their day has come and gone I am afaid.
Reply
Steve-O 7:42AM (6/29/2006)
Sorry GBH, no 'shrooms involved! I don't know where you've been, but the Domestic brands have history, heritage AND soul, regardless if they lost their mojo recently. Hint: You need to look at their history prior to the last couple of decades to find it.
Reply
Randy Stern 9:23AM (6/29/2006)
If only the marketing team at Cadillac can do something to bridge this and the 1950 LeMans racers with today's CTS-Vs that are on the track now. That will bring enthusiasts to the showrooms...hopefully.
Reply
MikeInNC 12:55PM (6/29/2006)
JDG : Alfa and Maserati have great racing histories. The first Ferrari was really an Alfa and Maserati won everything in Europe back in the day as well as the Indy 500 (Wilber Shaw). Check it out. They really do have a storied history as well.
Reply
Richard Clement 3:33PM (9/25/2006)
My father has told me for years about the mexican road race he was in in 1950 he drove a cadelac and has pictures of the car and race, and yet I can,t find any history on-line if anybody has info and could share it, His name is Robert Clement jr. Thanks. My e-mail rclement@lmusd.org
Reply