Both Carter Carburetor and Holley Carburetor used to publish newsy bulletins that were issued to dealers and catalog holders at regular intervals. I have collected both for some 40 years, and my collection of both is close to complete (still looking to finish). Recently, one of the "Holley Carbogram" issues I was missing came available on Ebay. It arrived today, and there is a wonderful article on Carrera Panamericana a.k.a. The Pan American Road Race. Lincoln won the stock car cl*** three of the five years the race was run (before it was cancelled due to safety concerns). I have scanned the article, and will attempt to post it here (hopefully, the powers that be at Holley will not be angry that I posted without their authority, since the article does promote their carburetor). And for all those who continue to bleat "Towering Inferno", the carburetor used on all of the Lincolns was the "Haystack Holley" a.k.a. the "Holley Teapot". Note the picture of the carburetor on page 5 with the comment "the carburetor worked beautifully". Jon.
I don't think everyone appreciates just how impressive that was for time. These really were 'stock' cars and the roads they drove were far from being racetracks. Very cool!
Thanx for the video link, HRP! A few years back, I was at the Revs Ins***ute Museum in Naples, FL and saw one of those Lincoln racers. Believe me, it wasn't stock. Basically a long distance NASCAR quality deal. The Revs - https://revsins***ute.org - is a fantastic place, but there are some hoops to jump thru to get tickets. I don't know if that car is still there, but if you are ever going down Naples way, be sure to get tickets to the museum. Here is a photo from the web.
A friend of mine found the Carerra 1993 Pan American race car today, a 1954? Lincoln. He sent me a few pics of it and then called me about it.
A friend owned the Ferrari that the McAfee brithers drove in the 52 race. During the race they took an axe to both rear 1/4s to let air in to cool the tires. When they got it home they cleaned them up into nice looking louvers. Crawford's in El Monte was a destination for those of us kids growing up in the 50s - they had everything. https://crawfordselmonte.blogspot.com/ Like the Miglia (Mille Miglia) a thousand-mile journey from Brescia to Rome and back, a fierce speed race (1927-1957). It was too dangerous for the spectators and drivers to continue. Carroll Shelby crashed an Austin Healey in Mexico and walked away with only a broken arm.
I sit here imagining 222 miles of Mexican trails at a 100+ mph in a mostly stock mid-fifties Lincoln. The beating it took, the engine screaming, it would be a helluva ride just on regular highways, like the Silver State race. Just amazing. And that little carburetor….. Man, I couldn’t even keep the oil bath air cleaner from coming loose on my old ‘55 Ford wagon, and that was just driving back and forth to work.
The Jalopy Journal
