Before the sun clears the hills of Chiapas, the town is already awake. Somewhere between the church bells and the first smell of coffee, a V8 barks into life, then another, until the whole street is trembling with the sound of race-prepped engines. The Carrera Panamericana was born in 1950 to celebrate the new Pan-American Highway, and it ran until 1954 with a reputation as the ultimate, and most lethal, road race. It was a flat-out dash across an entire country, over mountain passes and through villages, and it drew the best of European and American motorsport. Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Lancia and Porsche all came to win, and the race left such a mark on Porsche that the company gave its fastest cars the name Carrera.
Revived in 1988 as a historic event, it has lost none of its mystique. Today, as then, crowds gather at dawn to watch dust-streaked machines roll out for another day on the road. Among them will be a 1965 Ford Falcon driven by two close friends who have bonded over their shared love of motorsport, and are set to tackle the gruelling test of car and driver. This year, the seven-stage route begins on 16 October in Chiapas and heads for Veracruz, Mexico City, Puebla, Querétaro, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí. The finish comes on 22 October in Zacatecas.
The partnership behind the Falcon is what makes this entry so appealing. Cornelius Dornier, who comes from one of Germany’s best-known aviation families, began in advertising before becoming Project Director of the Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen. Today he runs Marks Feinkost, the Munich delicatessen and bistro, founded in 1964 and now growing into a European hospitality brand. He has raced since 1996, and Marks & Cars, developed with Classic Driver, brings collectors, designers and drivers together in Munich, with the impromptu events causing quite a stir every year without fail. Alongside him and sharing he driving duties is Matthias Herrman, the man who got Cornelius started in motorsport. A former racing driver and FIA and DMSB Senior Motorsport Instructor, Herrmann founded Team Motorsport in 2016 and spent years opening the sport to others. In the 1990s, he mentored Dornier on his path to an international licence. Now, instructor and pupil become equal partners behind the wheel.
The Falcon may not be the obvious choice for a Mexican road race, but it has the pedigree. Ford’s big-bodied bruiser became the platform for the Mustang, which borrowed its suspension, brakes, steering and engines, and its competition record is far from humble. At the 1963 Monte Carlo Rally, Bo Ljungfeldt won all six special speed tests, and a year later the Falcons were fastest on every stage, losing out only to a Mini Cooper S on handicap. The model has even won a class on the Carrera Panamericana itself. That experience will be tested across a route quoted at over 3,900 km, where thin air, heat, mountain descents and seven consecutive days will punish brakes, cooling and nerves as much as pace. The car sports an effortlessly cool livery, finished in striking green with gold accents, a nod to Cornelius’ Marks branding, and among the many sponsors that adorn the big bodywork, you’ll spot the Classic Driver crest proudly displayed too. The Carrera Panamericana is an endurance test rather than a sprint, which is why preparation by Matthias Heyer and Euro-Latino Racing-Services, son of German racing icon Hans Heyer, where the apple certainly doesn't fall far from the tree. With twenty years of Panamericana experience, Matthias' knowledge may matter as much as the Falcon’s V8 character. Heyer’s team motto sums up the spirit nicely: “Some people collect art – we race it.”
As their journey begins, they’ll face all manner of challenges along the way, but will tackle it as a relentlessly ambitious and knowledgeable duo, ready to tackle whatever Mexico can throw at them. Classic Driver will follow Cornelius and Matthias from the pre-rally preparations to the finish line, sharing behind-the-scenes clips, mid-rally updates and reactions from the road across our social media channels. Follow us there so you don’t miss a mile of it.
