It all started on May 5th, 1950 by the Mexican government to inform the world that Mexico had a new system of highways that stretched across the country – from north to south – for commerce and tourism.

To promote the new highway system the La Carrera Panamericana was created, it was a test of speed plain and simple. The Panamericana has been compared to the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans and to the Mille Miglia, but as many drivers conceded after competing in the Mexican grind, “They don’t come any tougher than this.”

The cars were virtually 100% stock. The only rules were there weren’t any, no support crews to speak of, and very poor maps. The whole idea was simply to get from point A to point B as fast as possible, no holds barred.

Bill von Esser and Ernie Pults competed in the final race run in November 1954. Their entry, a 1954 Chevrolet® Corvette®, retains a significant place in the chronicles of Corvette history as the first documented Corvette racecar.

The Danbury Mint proudly reproduced that car in all its glory and beauty. As of lover of Corvette's and racecars, I can attest they did it proud. The #12 von Esser Carrera Panamericana recreated by the Danbury Mint in 1:24th scale will be a classic die cast sought by serious collectors for years to come. No Corvette collection will be complete without the addition of this replica; it is the exclamation point to an already stunning Danbury Mint collection of Corvette’s.

In 1954 Corvettes were powered by the 235 c.i. Blue Flame Six cylinder engine that put out 150hp. However, the engine was upgraded to 155 hp during the model year. The only way you can tell the higher output engine from the 150hp version is by special identification marks on the camshaft. The 155hp's camshaft had three dots between the fifth and sixth intake cam lobes, a little trivia I thought you would find interesting.

Model: 1954 Corvette "von Esser Carrera Panamericana Racer"