The Last Lincoln Racer from Mexico’s Killer Highway Is Up for Sale

When you think of Lincoln, endurance racing probably doesn’t come to mind. But in the early 1950s, the big American sedans ruled the Carrera Panamericana, a brutal 2,000-mile road race across Mexico. This 1954 Lincoln Capri Coupe is the sole survivor from the five cars that ran that final year, and it’s heading to auction on Saturday, June 13, at the Bonhams National Automobile Museum sale in Reno, Nevada.

The Carrera Panamericana was no Sunday drive. It was a high-speed, high-danger event that drew Ferraris, Porsches, and Alfa Romeos. Lincoln dominated the big-engine class year after year, using heavy coupes that muscled through mountain passes and desert heat. In 1954, the race’s last year, most factory-backed Lincolns dropped out early.

But privateer Ray Crawford from Los Angeles drove his red Capri to victory, beating a Cadillac rival and finishing in the top 10 overall.

Lincoln was so thrilled it bought the car back, had the entire team’s cars painted to match Crawford’s, and shipped them to showrooms across the country. Over time, the identity of the actual winning chassis was lost, and nearly all the cars disappeared. This example spent decades at the Harrah’s Automobile Collection museum in Reno.

In 1967, the museum commissioned a restoration by Holman & Moody-Stroppe, the same shop that prepped the original race cars.

Today, it’s believed this car was one of the repainted factory entries, not the actual winner. But it remains the only one left. It comes with original reconnaissance maps of the course and a hand-painted Dennis the Menace decal, a nod to Crawford’s underdog story. Pre-sale estimates have not been released, but bidders should expect a six-figure price for this piece of motorsport and Lincoln history.

It’s a long way from the brand’s modern image of ultra-comfortable luxury. But for one weekend in 1954, a big Lincoln beat the Europeans at their own game—and this car is proof.