AB Road Trip: Crossing Mexico on the trail of La Carrera Panamericana in a Mercedes SLS AMG

Chris Paukert — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:09:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, South America

From Puebla to Oaxaca on the trail of La Carrera Panamericana in a Mercedes SLS AMG - Click above for high-res image gallery

With the increasingly well-publicized progression of drug wars, ransomings, robberies and, well, murders in Mexico, I thought it sensible to familiarize myself with the various government tourist advisory messages ahead of a trip retracing part of the route of La Carrera Panamericana, the famed Mexican road race that ran from 1950 to 1955. Regarded by many as the toughest and most dangerous race ever to take place, the perils of our run down memory lane were likely to be rather different than what was encountered in the '50s. Here are some excerpts of what we were told to expect:

o. "Toll (cuota) highways should be used whenever possible, rather than less secure free (libre) roads, where armed robberies and carjacking are more frequent."
o. "Large fire fights have taken place in many towns and cities across Mexico."
o. "U.S. citizen visitors are encouraged to stay in the well-known tourist areas."
o. "Mexican styles of driving and road safety standards are very different from those in North America. Police do not regularly patrol the highways. Be prepared for vehicles that fail to observe speed limits or indicate lane changes, and that do not stop at red lights."
o. "Thefts occur regularly. You should dress down, avoid wearing or carrying expensive jewelry, and carry only small amounts of cash... try to blend in."
o. "Be careful accepting food, drinks, invitations or rides from strangers or recent acquaintances."
o. "Road conditions vary and can be poor in some areas. Dangerous curves, poorly marked signs and construction sites, roaming livestock, slow-moving or abandoned vehicles, and other obstacles pose hazards."
o. "You are also strongly advised against borrowing a vehicle... drivers are legally responsible for their vehicle's contents, as well as for the legal status of passengers and the items carried by passengers."

Thankfully for you, dear reader, we aren't terribly proficient at heeding warnings, so a Mercedes-Benz invitation to borrow their spanking new (and clearly utterly inconspicuous) gullwing SLS AMG supercar and drive it through Mexico at a high rate of speed seemed downright reasonable and prudent. It also appeared to be an absurd amount of fun. Follow the jump to find out how it all shook out.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG La Carrera Panamericana Road Trip

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At 89, John Fitch still has the itch

Alex Nunez — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 18:55:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Safety, Mercedes-Benz

We should all lead lives as full as John Fitch.

Fitch, 89 years young, is preparing for an attempt at the land speed record for the F/GT class (2.01L to 3.0L grand touring sport) at Bonneville this October. He first tried to set the record during Speed Week last August, an effort that, though unsuccessful, was captured in the acclaimed documentary, A Gullwing at Twilight: The Bonneville Ride of John Fitch.

Now, just over a year later, Fitch and the 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing owned by Detroit businessman Robert Surna will return to the salt in the hopes of besting the record of 168.721 mph set by Bob Norwood's Ferrari 308 back in 1985. In this weekend's New York Times profile on Fitch, he states that they'd like to set the mark at around 175 mph.

We wouldn't bet against him. It seems that in life, John Fitch only knows how to succeed.

(Continues after the jump. More pics follow as well.)

[Sources: New York Times, RaceSafety.com, Szwedo Productions, Southern California Timing Assoc.]

Continue reading At 89, John Fitch still has the itch

At 89, John Fitch still has the itch originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Aug 2006 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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