Hot Rods Anyone know this old Pan Am Lincoln

A guy e-mailed pictures of this old Carrera Panamericana Lincoln, anyone know the original builder owner?

 

I know that it is cool. I love the Pan Am cars.

 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/385198574351241307/

 

This car, judging from the number badges is from the recreated race

 

The car was supposedly driven by Chuck Stevenson. HRP

 

I don't think this is the original Chuck Stevenson car. My understanding is all of the originals were destroyed.

 

Do you think the op is original? Cool find, did you get it?

 

I don't think its original, from the event stickers I would guess it was built into a racer some time in the mid 90's I was thinking I might want it but theres no front hood or fenders.

 

So whos got 1952/53 Lincoln fenders and hood, front bumper?

 

French Lake, probably.http://www.frenchlakeautoparts.com/

 

Actually '52 - '55 fenders & hoods would interchange, & even though the '54 - '55 bumpers are different, they'd still bolt on.

 

Do you have access to parts in Calif?

 

Go online : "Road Race Lincoln Register" They are dedicated to these Lincolns, & will definitely be interested in this one(probably will have at least some of, if not most of, the available history on this car, as well as parts sources & "tips".) Other parts sources in Hemmings Motor News.

 

One of my great missed opportunities was a complete 54 Capri hardtop that the owner wanted $500 for. Might as well have been asking $50k at the time, as I was just out of boot camp and payday might have brought me $150

 

One of my trade school classmates was related to Ray Crawford but I don't know the exact relationship anymore. That car still exists. https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2016/...n-comes-to-lincoln-motor-car-heritage-museum/
Walt Falkner drove the 103 car in 1954.

 

Years ago in Mexico I met Crawford's navigator Ricky Inglesias he told me he wrecked (washed out,his term)the race car hitting a bunch of Burros on the road at night, the car pictured in the Hemmings story was a never raced back up car. I saw a really nice replica of his car with all the little period tricks ,like blower motors for the rear brakes etc.

 

Decal on the door of the yellow car in the original post says 1996 /1994 1998 so it may have been run in one of the revival races and used the 103 number to honor the original Lincoln with that number. Word was that those cars in the races in the 50's were pretty well beat to death by the finish of the race if they finished.

 

Having been to the recreated race, it was always a shock to see cars with new chrome and very expensive paint jobs because by the end of the 4th day (if they lasted that long) the cars looked like someone had gone after them with a sledge hammer and a shotgun and sanblaster, especially the underside. Some of the highway stretches you would cruise on had small volcanic rocks kicked up by the cars capable of damaging a radiator, to say nothing of the speed bumps (topes). On one stretch of highway I was cruising at 100 plus with an Olds on my tail, a group of Burros appeared in front of me, I just missed them, the Olds didn't

 

The car that was in the Harrah's collection was actually Bob Estes car, they bought, and painted to look like Ray Crawford's.....

 

I;m not sure but my best guess is this car was built in Calif. in the early 1990's for the recreated La Carrera Panamericana race.

 

I think Herschel McGriff drove his back to Oregon, after winning the 1950 race. He also drove across the country to compete in the Southern 500. Men and cars, were tough back then !

 

I built one in 1993 for Andre Dups, the head of Mercedes in Switzerland. Bob Estes sold him a stock
1954 Lincoln out of his collection. He wanted a car built that he could run in the Pan-American re-creation,
and also take back to Europe, to run in the vintage races there. The entry fee for the race was $3500. The car
went to Switzerland after the race, and they displayed it at the dealership. Another guy from So-Cal wanted a
car built for the race, and contacted Bill Stropp. Bill was a little under the weather at the time, so was unable
to build the car for them. I don't know who ended up with that build, but this could be the car your looking
at. Also George, "can't remember his last name", but he owned Carrera Shock Absorbers, had a 1954 that he
ran, with a 351 Cleveland in it. Back in the day they were running 105 M.P.H. George was running 130 M.P.H.
in the re-creaton, and won.....

 

Pan Am.
HA!!
At first I thought it might be staff type car from Pan Am airlines.
I had a Packard that was an American Airlines executive limo.
Given ya never know whats gonna come up on the HAMB.
I need a drink.

 

Funny you would mention Carrera shocks I got an email from Dick Anderson yesterday and he included a picture of the remains of their Lincoln race car, but asked me not to post it, the body is toast but the chassis looks like it could be cleaned up and of course he's got race motors, the most interesting part of that car was the 8 speed trans? 130? the race organizers warned him a couple of times about going over 150 MPH mexicanroadracecars.com

 

Ricky was a good friend of mine though I didn't meet him till after he left Crawford and became the crew chief on the Maverick unlimited hydro. He was the brains behind Crawford's success.

 

Ricky was a the event hotel and greeted some of the racers at the end of the race in 1995. Because I was driving a 55 Chrysler he told me a couple of stories about Kiekhafer (Mercury Outboards) trying to hire away the Lincoln drivers. Those are the kind of unexpected things that happen down there.

 

I heard that one. Did he tell you about Crawford trying to get him to take a test ride in the Indy car?

 

that has nothing to do with Lincolns but I'm sure I'm not the only one that wants to hear it, we'er waiting

 

My old friend Len Sutton.

 

You had to get some beer in him before he would even talk about Indy but he was not fond of driving, especially an Indy car but they needed some handling evaluation on the car a couple weeks before Indy and the driver wasn't there for some reason. Ricky was the crew chief so Crawford said why don't you drive it? After some lengthy discussion and coercion , Ricky got in the car. Took several laps to even get fast enough to use the brakes. Finally figured out what he needed too know and came in. He didn't realize it at the time but later found he had to go change his shorts. Ricky was one who really got excited when he was telling a story so you really can't appreciate his stories unless you heard them in person.
We built most of the hardware and the injectors for the Maverick so he was an almost daily visitor at the shop.