A First-Hand Look at the 1954 Carrera Panamericana

Photos and Story By Boyd Harnell

A white Jaguar convertible hurtled out of a turn I was approaching near the southern Mexican town of Tehuantepec; before the sports car shot past, the passenger and driver waved at me, and in seconds the XK120 thundered out of sight. I later learned their wave signaled a last hurrah for two US fans en route to the start of La Carrera in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico. Minutes later, they crashed and were killed.