Between 1952 and 1954, Ford’s luxury nameplate LINCOLN DOMINATES CARRERA PANAMERICANA!
It was the 160-horsepower, 317-cubic-inch Lincoln V-8 that gave Ford its first OHV engine bragging rights. Lincolns prepared by Bill Stroppe & Associates, Signal Hill, CA, were winners of the grueling road race across Mexico, the Carrera Panamericana. First run in 1950, the race crowned a single winner. It was then expanded in 1952 to include multiple classes: Sports Cars and Stock Cars, with large- and small-displacement engines. The nine-stage, six-day race over approximately 2,100 miles lasted just five years and was cancelled in 1955 for safety reasons.
In 1952, a Lincoln Capri driven by Chuck Stevenson won the race, and in 1953 he led a 1-2-3-4 Lincoln finish. Stroppe Lincolns took the first two spots in the last race in 1954, with Ray Crawford taking the gold. Stroppe also prepared and managed Mercurys running in NASCAR-USAC competition. John Holman was on the Stroppe-Lincoln team and, in 1957, with Ralph Moody, created Holman & Moody. In 1965, Holman & Moody acquired Stroppe & Associates!
To better understand LINCOLN DOMINATES CARRERA PANAMERICANA! and learn more about Ford’s luxury nameplate, please visit OVER-DRIVE Magazine@ http://1953 Lincoln: https://over-drive-magazine.com/2025/05/06/1953-lincoln-fact-sheet/
1954 Lincoln@ https://over-drive-magazine.com/2026/02/02/1954-lincoln-fact-sheet/