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The LINCOLN LINK LinkingThe together LINCOLN all elements of the motorLINK heritage Team Lincolns in the 1954 Mexican Road Race

Photo courtesy of Roger Clements, Perris, California

published semi-yearly Volume VI, number 2 • winter, 2008 the lincoln link

La Carrera Panamericana Lincoln Triumphs in the “Mexican Road Race” by Bill Culver, Guest Editor

The Legend is Born and fiestas than for industrial Meanwhile, at the Ford here are a lot progress. In its effort to Motor Company headquarters in of ways to say it. Some modernize, it had launched an Dearborn, the years leading up would call it destiny; ambitious program to complete to 1950 were tumultuous. The some would say fate. a highway from Ciudad Juarez in relationship between Henry Ford Some would think it was the north (across the Rio Grande and his gifted son, Edsel, has Tthe serendipitous convergence from El Paso, ) to El been documented many times by and alignment of the stars and Ocotal in the south, a tiny village various authors; it was tragic at planets. However you put it, on the mountainous border of best. Edsel essentially introduced the events which created the Guatemala, a distance originally the concept of “design” to Ford “Road Race Lincolns” were estimated at 2,178 miles (in Motor Company, and his taste in magically timed, considering later years actually measured styling is forever memorialized that two totally different at 1,908 miles)! Dubbed the by the original sensational cultures independently created “Pan American Highway,” the Continentals, the first of which those events which meshed and artery was to be completed in were sold to the public in 1940. resulted in Lincoln becoming a 1950, and announced an But Lincoln was quickly losing “legend in its own time”! inaugural and celebratory road ground to and the other race. But this was not just to be luxury models in terms of design In The Beginning any race. It was to be a grueling and mechanical advances. In In 1950, Mexico was a contest stretching the entire 1948, Lincoln was still using its country known for siestas distance of the highway! old flathead V-12 engine and the traditional “fat-fendered” design on its bodies. During this period, Henry and Edsel were in conflict over advances in styling and mechanics that Edsel wanted to bring to the company’s products, advances that were adamantly opposed by Henry. Edsel died in 1943 from cancer resulting from stomach ulcers. Henry Ford II was discharged from the military and made a vice president. Henry reassumed the presidency, but finally stepped down in 1945 at the insistence of the Ford family. He died April 7, 1947, at the age of 83. The new 1949 Lincolns, besides being more advanced in styling, incorporated new and The 1950 race route was shown in this map that appeared in Road & Track magazine. innovative mechanical features,

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including a large and powerful flathead (L-head) V‑8 engine of 336.7 cubic inches producing 152 bhp. This engine had already been tested as a workhorse, having been featured in the larger Ford trucks beginning in 1948. The new also featured independent front suspension for the first time, and the was offered as an option in mid- year. The “baby” Lincoln had a of 121 inches, while the Cosmopolitan was stretched over a wheelbase of 125 inches. Clearly, Lincoln had made a giant step into the future! It should be noted, however, that Cadillac had thrown down the gauntlet, and Lincoln immediately faced the challenge of Cadillac’s new overhead-, high- compression V-8 engine in 1949. In 1950, the second year of the body style, the Lincoln was basically unchanged, as wheelbase Johnny Mantz and Bill Stroppe blast out of the impound and power remained the same. area at Tuxtla for the last leg of the 1950 race. The Cosmopolitan and the “baby” Lincoln were dropped from animals! Between the cities of a Talbot Lago, and a Hotchkiss. the lineup. Toluca and , the entrants The American cars consisted of would cross two great mountain twenty-two , seventeen 1950: The First Race ranges reaching altitudes of Buicks, thirteen , he first race was scheduled for 10,000 feet and more! The route four , sixteen Lincolns, May 5–10, 1950. This race, was paved all the way, save for eleven Mercurys, eight Fords, T the Carrera Panamericana the last 107 miles in the State three Chryslers, two DeSotos, Mexico, or “Mexican Road of , where the road was nine Hudsons, eight Nashes, Race,” would extend for six described as “a good gravel seven , four Studebakers consecutive days, requiring surface.” The race was to begin and a Cord. Of the 132 entrants, entrants to endure hours of high- on May 5, 1950. only 55 crossed the finish line, speed driving over mountains, To entice entrants, Mexico 20 of which were Americans. Of through canyons, jungles and offered elegant trophies and the Lincolns entered, eleven were deserts, and directly through cash purses. The 1950 race 1949’s, three were 1950’s, and old colonial towns and modern attracted 132 entries, 59 of one was a 1947. industrial centers. “Through” which were from the U.S. The In the 1950 race, foreign them meant careening through remainder came from Colombia, and American cars raced directly the towns on narrow streets Venezuela, Guatemala, , against each other; there were winding tortuously around Peru, France, The Republic of no classes established. Entries houses and buildings, with only China, and El Salvador. Only were required to be stock, but piled hay bales as protection for six cars were non-U.S. makes: cylinders could be rebored entrants, spectators and loose two Alfas, a , a Jaguar, on 1949 and 1950 models to 3 the lincoln link

thirty thousandths, while earlier models could be rebored to sixty thousandths. The rear seat could be removed to carry an extra gas tank or spare parts or tools; an open exhaust was forbidden. Hubcaps and fender skirts could also be removed. Lincolns Enter the Race s fate would have it, Bob Estes Ford of Inglewood, A California, entered a ’49 Lincoln with Johnny Mantz as driver and Bill Stroppe as assistant driver (Entry No. 38). A total of fifteen Lincolns were entered in the first road race, all private entries. On the first leg of the 1950 race, which ended in , Mantz recorded a time over 233 During the 1951 race, Walt Faulkner (far left) awaits the completion of an oil change miles of 2:21:13 and an average so he can get back on the road. speed of 98.991 miles per hour! A 1950 Cadillac with its newer the only Guatemalan entry, and 1951: The Second Year design engine was first on that apparently took his eyes off the he pressure for mechanical leg, with an average speed of road for a moment as he arrived advancement increased in 100.425 miles per hour and an at a grade crossing. T 1951 with the introduction elapsed time of 2:19:12, only Herschel McGriff won the of Chrysler’s “hemi” engine. two minutes faster than the race in a 1950 88 Stuck in the third year of Lincoln. Mantz remained in the , with an average speed the body style cycle, Lincoln money on each leg until the of 78.421 mph. He collected a incorporated a few minor styling seventh. On that day, his brakes purse of over $17,000.00. changes for 1951, and although failed and he had to cross the Despite the brake problems, it reportedly increased the brake last mountain range using only the 1949 Lincoln entered by horsepower to 154, Lincoln won th engine compression for braking. Mantz and Stroppe placed 9 the Mobilgas Economy Run that He was put to bed that night overall, 52 minutes from first year, with an average of 25.448 and copilot Stroppe worked on place. Six of the other fifteen miles per gallon. the car until the early morning Lincolns entered also placed, In the meantime, the Mexican th th th th th hours. in 13 , 19 , 20 , 25 34 government had changed the th Contestants learned early in and 49 places. Mantz, who race somewhat for 1951. The the first leg of that first race that was already known as the 1949 direction was reversed, from the stakes would be high, and Pacific Coast AAA big car racing south to north. This time the that any mistake of judgment champion, and Stroppe, who had race would begin later in the on the part of a driver could be already won the 1950 Mobilgas year, on November 20, 1951. fatal. On the first day, of the Economy Run, would become Mechanical rules had changed race, car number 112 wiped racing legends as the 1950’s to specify only that a four- out at 105 miles per hour, progressed. Lincoln’s investment passenger closed vehicle had to only 19 miles from the starting in the mechanical improvements be powered by its original engine line, rolling over six times and for the 1949 Lincoln had paid type with a stock camshaft. Many fatally injuring driver Enrique off, and Ford was hard at work entries, therefore, resorted to Hachmeister. He was driving on the major changes to be multiple carburetors and high- a 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan, wrought for the 1952 series. compression cylinder heads. 4 volume vi, number 2

Participants were required to Road & Track magazine road-tested a stock 1953 Lincoln, seen here (left) drag-rac- wear protective helmets for the ing Ray Crawford’s entry from the 1952 Carrera Panamericana. Crawford’s car was first time. There were only 105 slower on initial acceleration but faster at the top end of the speed range, probably because of its truck cam and solid lifters. entries. A total of three Lincolns were entered, all 1951 models. The two American Lincolns were piloted by Ray Crawford and Walt Faulkner. The third was a Mexican entry. Crawford finished 8th. That race was won a by a 1951 driven by of Italy, with an average speed of only 87.6 miles per hour. 1952: The Third Race ack in Dearborn, Ford proudly unveiled the B totally new Lincolns. An engineering team headed by the fabulous Earle MacPherson designed the superior suspension system that would open the door to Lincoln becoming a Crawford’s Lincoln cuts back in after passing another car, showing very little body roll for its speed. Crossed flags of Mexico and the U.S.A. were used as a logo for the race. Note racing legend. Gone was the old the strap at the right of the hood, a precaution required by the race committee. “king-pin” front suspension, and in its place was the first the new engine put out 160 ball-joint suspension system on horsepower, approximately an American car. Gone was the six more horsepower than its flathead engine, replaced by the predecessor. first Ford overhead-valve V-8 As Lincoln progressed, so engine, although unfortunately did the race. For the 1952 race, equipped with a two-barrel two classes were created, one for carburetor. At 317 cubic inches, sports cars and grand touring

Right: A readily detachable temporary muffler was installed on Crawford’s Lincoln to quiet the straight pipe for city driving. Out on the road, the muffler was removed. 5 the lincoln link

Taking an overnight break from the 1952 race, the three team Lincolns recuperate in the service area of the garage at Chihuahua before the final day of racing to the Texas border at Juarez. From left to right are the cars of Walt Faulkner, , and Johnny Mantz. Sponsors were Tupman, Ruppert, and Bob Estes dealerships.

to include heavy-duty shocks, scoops to direct air to the brakes, Ford truck cams with solid lifters, and matched manifolds and ports. As modified, the cars put out close to 300 horsepower. A total of eight Lincolns were entered in 1952, four 1952’s and four 1953’s. The Ford team ran The speedometer in Ray Crawford’s Lincoln, entered in the 1952 race, here registers four of the Lincolns. A total of a tad over 120 m.p.h., yet thanks to the export springs and shocks, the big car rides as 64 entries signed up for the stock steady as a rock. Pictures from Hop Up magazine, March 1953. car class, and 29 finished. After were November 19–23, 1952. the first six sports cars crossed Bill Stroppe and Clay Smith the finish line, the next four cars approached Ford with the idea were Lincolns, running in the of mounting a factory team to stock class! First place in stock win the race. Ford agreed, and was car #129, the 1953 driven officially returned to racing by Chuck Stevenson. Second for the first time since 1935. place went to car #122, a 1953 Arrangements were made for driven by Johnny Mantz; third Ford to provide a 1952 Lincoln place went to car #130, the 1953 with the 1953 mechanical Lincoln driven by Walt Faulkner, modifications. Stroppe and and fourth place went to car Smith took that car to the #130, a 1953 Lincoln driven by Bonneville Salt Flats, where it ran Bob Korf, which was a private The race committee required an extra 118 miles per hour! Ford then entry. Stevenson had driven an fuel tank. In Crawford’s Lincoln, the provided seven cars for the race, average 90.78 mph over a total of 50-gallon tank was securely mounted to 21:15:38 hours! It was truly “The the floor. allowing Stroppe and Smith to take early 1953 Lincolns from Dawn of a Dynasty!” (Daryl E. cars, and one for stock cars. the assembly line. Ford also Murphy, Carrera Panamericana, Modifications to the cars in this updated the catalogs to include History of the Mexican Road race had to be listed in the sales the modifications as available Race 1950-1954, Motorbooks catalogs as options. The dates options. The cars were reworked International, 1993). 6 volume vi, number 2

1953: The Fourth Race although he had sold the car in Lincoln again took the first four he 1953 Lincoln V-8 boasted 1955, he was able to again drive places in class! Car #52, driven a new four-barrel carburetor, it and reported topping 110 by Chuck Stevenson, was first, T upping the horsepower to mph. The 0-60 time was still ten followed by car #53 driven by 205. Other changes included seconds flat. Walt Faulkner, car #95, driven larger intake manifold runners, The 1953 race saw two classes by Jack McGrath, and finally, car larger intake valve diameters, of stock cars: large and small cars. #51, driven by Johnny Mantz. higher intake valve lift, higher The race was run from south Stevenson averaged 93.2 mph, compression ratio (8.0 to 1), to north again, and there were for an elapsed time of 20:31:32. and increased engine vacuum. 49 entries in the large stock car In addition, other Lincolns th th th th nd Power steering and power brakes class; 23 finished. Ford again placed 7 , 8 , 9 , 15 and 22 , were new options. The famous sponsored a factory team of four so seven Lincolns finished in the “Uncle” Tom McCahill, the first Lincolns. An additional entry, top 9 places! writer to popularize automobile owned by Ray Crawford, had been prepared by Bill Stroppe, 1954: The Fifth testing, fell in love with the 1953 and Final Race Lincoln, and even bought one and was serviced by the Ford for himself. He reported clocking team. A total of 23 Lincolns n 1954, Lincoln improved the car at 117 mph on one were entered, all 1953’s. The its braking system, increasing occasion. Seven rules had been changed for this I the diameter to 12 inches. years later, year to provide that only current- In addition, there was a larger year models could be entered, a diaphragm vacuum distributor change obviously aimed control, new vacuum control at Lincoln. At the for the carburetor, redesigned end of the race, hydraulic , a new filter element in the fuel pump, and a self-cleaning filter in the fuel tank. The engine remained unchanged at 317 cubic inches

The Lincoln team for the 1953 race included Chuck Daigh, Clay Smith, Johnny Mantz, Bill Stroppe, , Vern Houle, and Walt Faulkner. The car in the background is the winning car from the 1952 race, driven by Chuck Stevenson (not pictured). Modifications to the cars included beefed-up suspension and a cooling system for the brakes.

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Chuck Stevenson and Clay Smith take the checkered flag in the 1953 race, performing an almost impossible feat by winning one of the world’s toughest races for the second year in a row. As in the previous year, Lincoln took the first four places in the big stock class.

with a compression ratio of the for the tail of Crawford’s car, crested 8:1. Torque was now 305 second consecutive year, Chuck a hill at 100 mph, only to find foot-pounds at 2300 rpm. Stevenson, Walt Faulkner, Jack a blind right-hand turn ahead. Horsepower remained at 205 McGrath (who came in 3rd in the Although he braked hard, at 4200 rpm. The Capri Coupe 1954 Indianapolis race), Manuel he skidded over a 150 foot weighed in at 4,250 pounds Ayulo, and Johnny Mantz. In embankment, somersaulted a and sold for $3,869 new. addition, Stroppe-prepared few times, and ended up on the These were the cars that would Lincolns were raced by Mexican ground below. McGrath drove forever cast the shadow by Fernando Leeuw Murphy and his car over a cliff and buried it which automobiles were to be Californian Ray Crawford, in the jungle below. measured. a supermarket owner from Despite these losses, Lincoln The fifth and final race saw California, who had run private was again the first car across the a new class added, designed to entry Lincolns in all previous finish line in its class! In this case accommodate smaller European races. the winning car was #149, driven sedans. New rules eliminated the The first leg of the race was by Ray Crawford. Its average beefing up of running gear and tough on the Lincolns. Due speed was 92 mph, with an modifications to brakes. A total to the advanced timing on the elapsed time of 20:40:19. Second of 13 Lincolns were entered, all engines, poor fuel resulted in place was another Lincoln, car 1954’s. burned pistons, eliminating the #103, driven by Walt Faulkner. Drivers this year were Bill cars driven by Mantz, Murphy In addition, Lincolns took 10th Vukovich, who had just won and Stevenson. Vukovich, on the and 11th places! Lincoln and 8 volume vi, number 2

Ferrari had dominated the race was being called the “Death revived the race in a more in their classes. Lincoln had three Race” in the press. Speeds were controlled format. It is now run consecutive one-two finishes, up to 170 mph on the 20-foot- much like a road rally. There are two third places and two fourth wide highway finished in 1950. currently three unofficial levels of places. Ferrari had two wins, two Mexico threw in the towel. Only participation in the race. You can seconds and two thirds. six months later, a Mercedes run it as a “tourist,” with an old 300SLR tore into the crowd at car, adding some required safety Mexico Throws in LeMans and killed 80 spectators, features, and simply cruise the the Towel and there were some other route. You may invest more in ut the adventure was notorious crashes in various races your car, and participate to run it over. A total of 26 lives that year. hard. Finally, you can enter “full B had been lost in the five competition” where participants years of the race, most of them You Can’t Keep may spend large amounts of bystanders who had gleefully a Good Race Down money on a thoroughly-prepared stood alongside the roadway n 1988, some thirty-four years car in an attempt to finish first in and reached out to touch the later, a group of Mexican and class. There is an official website cars as they hurtled by! The race I North American enthusiasts of the current race at www. The 1954 race ended abruptly for Bill Vukovich—known as El Ruso Loco, or the Mad Russian—and his co-driver Vern Houle when their Lincoln somersaulted over a 150-foot cliff north of and alighted on a narrow rock ledge. Vukovich and Houle crawled away without injury.

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lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx. Publications The team fielded by Ford Motor Com- There are not a lot of pany in the 1952 race did not constitute publications dedicated entirely Lincoln’s only presence to the Mexican Road Race. in the line-up. Native Floyd Clymer appears to have Mexican en­tries in- cluded (left) an early published the earliest book, in Lincoln-Zephyr body 1950. There are apparently only on a Ford chassis and a few others, and all of the books (below) an elaborate monstrosity cobbled to- cited occasionally appear for sale gether out of Lincoln, on eBay: Cadillac, Ford and parts. • Book of the Mexican Road Race, Floyd Clymer Publications, 1950. • Carrera Panamericana, Daryl E. Murphy, Motorbooks International, 1993. • The Carrera Panamericana “Mexico,” compiled by R.M. Clarke, Brooklands. Additionally, articles on the race appeared in many of the motoring publications of the era, including Motor Trend Magazine, Motor Life Magazine, Magazine, Car Life Magazine and Speed Age Magazine. Many of these also appear for sale on eBay on occasion. n

In the 1950 race, Harry Sents’ ’49 Lincoln inadvertently doubled as a demolition machine when it created an enlarged entry to this humble dwelling south of Durango.

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15 LINCOLN FOUNDATION In memory of DONATIONS L. Dale Shaeffer LCOC In memory of Al Bonlie Steve & Beckey D’Ambrosia In memory of Michael Simco Ed & Christine Gray LCOC Jerry & Evelyn Horn In memory of Joe & Carol Sherlock Bernie Wolfson Kris J. Sundberg David M. & Norma F. Blum Frances & Maurice Willyard Hubert & Dorothy Vaughn In memory of In memory of Carl H. Yoho Earl & Margaret Carpenter Marsha Y. Turner T. Jack & Betty Carpenter In memory of Eldon Yung In memory of Robert H. Davis LCOC Midwest Region LCOC Building Fund In memory of Buzz DeClerk Gregg A. Alfvegren LCOC Eric Brandt In memory of Harold A. Breed Thomas R. Groden, Sr. Earle O. Brown, Jr. & Jean John J. Groden E. Brown In memory of Jerry Emery Barney B. Hightower Stanley Grant LCOC Midwest Region LCOC In memory of LCOC 2006 ENM Richard Mackintosh LCOC Hoosier Region LCOC LCOC Midwest Region In memory of LCOC Philadelphia Region James G. (Grant) Milne III LCOC Southern Region Jack & Ginny Shea John & Joanne Lower In memory of Sylvester John D. & M. Ellen (“Hank”) G. Pittman MacAdams Vesta B. Pittman Allen McWade In memory of Walter P. Rhea Harvey V. Oberg LCOC Larry Pittman In memory of Michael E. Robbins Elmer J. Rohn LCOC Jack E. & Virginia G. Shea Marilyn Rohn David & Diana Stevens

Founder Lifetime Members Patrick M. Dingman Roderick Hilgeman Larry Pittman William Clay Ford, Sr. Gregg A. Alfvegren David R. Dingman Gordon A. Jensen Vesta B. Pittman Nanette Anderson Chris W. Dunn* Jack Juratovic Michael E. Robbins Trustees Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Anderson* James I. Dunne Allan Kammerer R.A. Romeo Robert J. Anderson Robert J. Anderson, Jr. Elizabeth L. Eby Ralph R. Keller III David & Elizabeth Roycroft Earle O. Brown, Jr. Alan S. Berg Jennifer R. Eby Vaughn A. Koshkarian Glen D. Roycroft Thomas W. Brunner Joanne M. Bernardon John M. Eby Ed & Hazel Lacey Stephen F. Sauer Jerry Capizzi Bob Boos* John T. Eby LCOC Arizona Region Jim Schmidt Chadwick A. Coombs Earle O. Brown, Jr.* John F. Fischer LCOC Midwest Region Jack E. Shea William S. Culver, Jr. James Robert Brown Leon B. Flagg LCOC North Texas Region David & Diana Stevens John T. Eby Jeanne Brown William Jake Fleming* LCOC Southern Region Charles A. Steward Jerry L. Emery Thomas W. Brunner John B. Fryday Wilma Lenz John L. Sweet Al Giombetti Bryan E. Cash William T. Gerrard John D. & M. Ellen MacAdams Charles E. Taylor II Dr. Richard J. Hopeman Charles M. Cawley Keith H. Gornick C. Manley Roy & Jeri Thorson John S. Juratovic Jerry Capizzi Stanley Grant Wendell Mathis Russell Upton* Vaughn Koshkarian Joel Champagne Damien A. Grierson Douglas W. Mattix Craig M. Watjen Lee H. Miskowski Stuart & Robin Cohen William & Sharon Grzeskowiak John R. McNabb H.H. Nick Weaver H. Gene Nau David L. Cole Gordon D. & Virginia D. Allen R. McWade Alan S. Whelihan* Dr. David W. Roycroft Harold Doug Courtney Harbuck James G. III & Joan M. Milne Carl A. Wolf N.M. “Nubs” Schactner Michael C. Cunningham Darryl B. Hazel Mr. & Mrs. Lee R. Miskowski Tim & Billie Yeomans* Jack E. Shea Richard I. Davis Carolyn Henderson Rod & Linda Moore Robert W. Young John J. Telnack C. Joel & Suzanne S. Dickson Chris & Maria Herrel Lloyd E. & June M. Pearson Russ Upton *Lincoln vendors supporting Michael D. Dingman Judith A. Herrmann David Petit the Foundation through lifetime Betsy T. Dingman Peter Heydon, Ph.D. Dan Pfeiffer membership

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