As covered several months ago in our “Lost McAfee Tapes” feature, the running of the Carrera Panamericana in the early ’50s was a wild and eclectic amalgamation of circus and international motor race. World-class drivers like Phil Hill, John Fitch, Louis Chiron and Karl Kling raced exotic European machinery against a wide range of large American sedans wheeled by both professionals and amateurs alike. When this broad-based field was laid against the almost “Wild West” backdrop of rural Mexico, the result was five years of amazing, and sometimes tragic, racing stories.
This DVD tells the tale of the Carrera Panamericana both through interviews with legends like John Fitch and Ak Miller, as well as a number of historians and family members of the drivers no longer with us. But what really makes this DVD a treat is the original film footage featured throughout the 60-minute tribute and sourced from the extensive Kellogg Archives. The footage strewn throughout this DVD was shot by driver Ray Crawford during his participation each year, and provides a rare glimpse into the cars and personalities that made these five years of racing so memorable and historically important.
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