La Carerra Pan Americana race--Stude, and Buick info?

[Brad54]

Last week I photographed a '53 Studebaker Commander that was set up to run the Pan Americana road race this year. Damn, that stuff is cool! Reinforced everything, stock '57 Stude engine block, stock exhaust manifolds off a supercharged car because they can't run headers but the original SC manifolds are like cast iron tube headers, etc.
Vintage-style lettering, painted steel wheels, full roll cage, and the driver and co-driver's name and blood type painted on the front fender! This stuff was SOOOOO cool!

And it got me to thinking, because I can always use a little more to daydream about...They ran Buick's in the race back in '54, and I'm kinda into '54 Buicks. Can anybody post or point me in the right direction for info on vintage Buick Stock Cars, NASCARS, the original Pan Am cars, modern-built '54s for the Pan Am (there's one I know of), etc. I'd like to see what these guys did/are doing to prep the cars for competition. Just for the hell of it. I love vintage racing tech--stuff like welding all the chassis seams where they're otherwise just riveted...extra shocks...welding plates across the control arms to make them stiffer, etc.
Thanks,
-Brad

[The37Kid]

Brad, I agree, I've seen a few of these cars show up at the Vintage races. If thay are at the Fall Festival at Lime Rock Park in Sharron Connecticut Labor Day weekend I'll take some photos. I don't think any of these cars are "low buck", the ones I've seen were ground up race builds.

[metalshapes]

Not a Buick, but you might think it's interesting anyway.
See if you can find some info on Julian Balme.
He used to write for one of the English Classic Car mags.
And he kept a car in the States to do the Pan Am in.
I believe it was mid '50s Lincoln, and he entered the Race as Julio Balmez.

[Stevie G]

Try looking for La Carrera Panamericana.
How's your Spanish?
I have the webpage bookmarked somewhere (Probably in FL).
It's not a cheap race to enter.

[Stevie G]

http://www.lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx/index.php
http://www.lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx/reglamento/Panamericana_2004_Rule_book.pdf

[ric]

I can't steer you to any '54 Buick stuff in particular, but I ran that race in 1991 as part of a support crew. We took down several 356 Porsches, a Curtis coupe from the early '50's and ........ tadah, an early '50's Buick, think it was a '50 or '51. The Buick was just a stock car with roll bar, etc installed, and cosmetics done. Needless to say he didn't do too well as most of the cars were very serious entrants. Try a '49 Olds with a full on NASCAR looking chassis, running gear set up under the skin. The "rules" for the modern version of the race are very liberal,aimed at encouraging entrants. So I say, go get an early '50's car, a Buick perhaps (!!!), put a roll bar in it, some racing seat belts and paint up the exterior. Ya got it.